CLAYMONT — Woodbridge caused ball-possession problems for Archmere all night, and the Blue Raiders took advantage of some timely three-point shooting to upset the Auks, 42-36, in the second round of the DIAA girls basketball tournament March 3 at Moglia Fieldhouse.
The sixth-seeded Auks turned a 15-13 halftime lead into an eight-point advantage with five minutes to go in the third, but the No. 11 Blue Raiders struck with a three-pointer from
Payton Keeler to trim the deficit, and a turnover resulted in a free throw. After the Auks lost the rebound of the second free throw out of bounds, Tianna Neal drained a three for a quick 7-0 run.
After a timeout, the Auks settled down and scored five straight, including an and-one for Lydia Scarpaci, but the Blue Raiders then made their push. Keeler answered with a three, cutting the lead in half, the Auks led, 26-23, after three.
Keeler missed on a few more long balls before knotting the score with about six minutes remaining. Woodbridge hounded the Auks all night on defense, but Lucy Oliver broke through for an old-fashioned three-point play to restore the Archmere advantage.
The Blue Raiders tied the game again, and the Auks were unable to take advantage of several chances to regain the lead. Finally, with 3:40 left on the clock, Blue Raiders sharpshooter Reghan Robinson gave her team the lead with a triple. Oliver bullied her way inside for two off the glass, but Robinson answered with a 30-foot three-pointer.
The visitors never relented on their pressure, causing turnovers into the final minute. The Blue Raiders made a few free throws down the stretch to extend the lead. Emily Mayo connected from three for the Auks for the final field goal of their season.
Robinson led the Blue Raiders with 12 points, while Keeler had 11. Woodbridge (19-3) will visit Cape Henlopen on Monday at 7 p.m. in the quarterfinal round.
Oliver topped all scorers with 15. Archmere finished its season 16-5.
Cape, the third seed, advanced to the quarters by virtue of a 44-43 victory over the 14th seed, Saint Mark’s, at Sussex Tech High School. The Spartans got 16 points from Sophia Baffone and 12 from Lauren McDonald. Saint Mark’s ended its season with a 14-8 mark.
Elsewhere, No. 2 Ursuline defeated No. 15 St. Elizabeth, 59-33, at Laffey-McHugh Gymnasium on the Ursuline campus. Three players reached double figures for the Raiders: GG Banks (15), Sklyar Bolden (11) and Hannah Kelley (10). Ursuline (20-1) hosts Delaware Military Academy, the 10th seed, on Monday at 7 p.m. The Vikings got 19 points from Ericka Huggins. They finished the season 11-11.
All photos by Mike Lang.
