WILMINGTON — The road to victory isn’t always pretty, and the Archmere girls basketball team is fine with that. The Auks scored five straight points midway through the fourth quarter to untie their game against Delaware Military Academy on Feb. 8, and that was the difference in a 37-32 victory.
Archmere managed just two free throws in the first quarter, but the Seahawks couldn’t take advantage. Both teams fought turnovers and poor shooting in the opening stanza, and Delaware Military took a 4-2 lead into the second.
Archmere’s Lucy Oliver picked up the team’s first field goal of the afternoon just 10 seconds into the second to tie the game at 4 after she poked the ball away from an opponent and went half the length of the floor for a layup. The teams were back and forth after that, with the Auks taking a 9-8 lead on a Lydia Scarpaci three-pointer with 4:!5 remaining in the half. The game was tied at 12, but DMA took a four-point advantage into the locker room on short field goals by Sophia Manuel and Ellie Standarowski, who connected with just four seconds to go.
More turnovers hurt the Auks into the third, but they eventually found some offense, primarily by driving to the hoop. The Seahawks had a 20-15 lead before Oliver scored on a layup, and Scarpaci tied it the next time down the floor with a bank-shot three. Another Oliver steal resulted in a transition layup, putting the Auks on top for the first time since the score was 2-0.
The Auks missed on two opportunities to extend the lead, and the Seahawks’ Maya Hill made them pay, as she did all afternoon. She tied the game with a field goal, but Brynn Bastian-Pastore put Archmere in front after three with a triple with 1:40 left in the third.
After DMA had four chances but could not score, the Auks opened up their biggest lead of the day as Oliver scored once while being fouled, missed the free throw, then stole a DMA pass and turned it into another bucket. The 29-22 advantage would be short-lived, however. Hill ended Archmere’s run at seven points with a pair of free throws, then she made two more to cut the deficit to three.
Archmere made a free throw, but a twisting shot by Hill made it 30-28.Hill followed with two more free throws to tie the game again at 30.
After a few unfruitful possessions for both teams, Oliver stepped up again. She slashed her way to the basket for a layup with 2:10 to go, giving the Auks a 32-30 lead. After a turnover by the Seahawks, Allison Lengkeek fed Oliver underneath for another bunny. Oliver then hit one of two free throws to extend the lead to five.
Hill, a freshman, hit one more field goal in the final minute, scoring all 10 of DMA’s points in the fourth, but Oliver sealed it with two free throws with 23 seconds left on the clock.
Oliver finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds, her second consecutive double-double. Bastian-Pastore added eight. The Auks (9-6) host Middletown on Friday at 6:15 p.m.
Hill also had a double-double with 20 points and 14 rebounds. It was her fifth straight double-double. DMA fell to 10-7 and hosts Christiana on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
All photos by Mike Lang.
