WILMINGTON — St. Elizabeth’s girls basketball team came out firing on Jan. 9, finding the net time after time on the way to a 72-35 win over Ursuline at the St. E Center. The Vikings made 26 shots from the field — nine of them three-pointers — in a convincing performance.
The Vikings were once again without a key weapon as senior center Ashley Campbell is sidelined with a foot or ankle injury, but that did not slow them down. Six players got on the board in the first quarter, which included just one three-point shot. That came on the final possession of the first when Arianna Henry connected from distance.
The Vikings created several fast-break opportunities in the second quarter with an aggressive defense that caused several turnovers. Olivia Lynch had a pair of layups, while Ber’Nyah Mayo and Farrah White both drove the length of the floor after steals. They were supplemented by the long-distance shooting of the Ciszkowski sisters. Rory hit one triple, while big sister Keeley had a pair. The lead was 21 at the break.
The ball-hawking defense and hot shooting carried over into the second half. Naia Pulliam grabbed a steal early on and drove three-fourths the length of the floor to score, and on the next Raiders possession, Julie McCarron turned her steal into an assist to Mayo to make the score 43-16. Mayo, just back from an injury, scored nine points in the third.
The Raiders had their best quarter in the third. Kaleigh White had a three-pointer that ended a long field-goal drought for the team, and she would finish with seven in the third. But this was St. Elizabeth’s night.
Keeley Ciszkowski led the Vikings with 18 points, including four treys, continuing her impressive play this season. Mayo added 17. St. Elizabeth won its third straight to go over .500 (5-4) and is off until Jan. 18 against Germantown Academy (Pa.) at 11:45 a.m. at the 76ers Fieldhouse.
White finished with 12 points to lead Ursuline. The Raiders (3-7) have two weeks before traveling to Saint Mark’s on Jan. 23 for a 7:15 p.m. tip.
