WILMINGTON — St. Elizabeth got off to a blistering start in its game Dec. 29 at the Viking Invitational, opening up a 22-point lead early in the second quarter on the way to a 63-49 win over Tower Hill at the St. E Center. The Vikings will play Appoquinimink on Saturday in the championship of their bracket.
The Vikings came out hot on both sides of the ball as they worked their way to a 20-4 lead after a quarter. Defensively, they forced the young Hillers into disadvantageous shots, and St. Elizabeth limited Tower to one opportunity most of the time. At the other end, the Vikings capitalized from the outside with freshman Kiyen Alexander, who scored 10 first-quarter points, and senior Aiden Tobiason, who patrolled the inside and had a pair of dunks in the quarter, including one after a steal of an inbounds pass that just beat the buzzer at the end of the first.
The second quarter opened with six more St. E’s points in the paint. Tobiason laid in a finger roll, and Julius Wright slashed his way in for a layup. A steal by Kenneth Hunter Jr. turned into a vicious two-handed flush for Tobiason and increased the lead to 22.
But the rout was not on. Tower found its shot and began to climb back into the contest. They chopped that 22-point deficit in half by intermission. Christian Martin the Hillers started with a three-pointer, and sophomores Kevin Coleman and Jackson Clough each scored eight points in the quarter. Coleman made three field goals and added a pair of free throws, while Clough hit twice from three-point land in the corner. It was 36-25 at the break.
The Vikings did get one more Tobiason dunk before halftime, perhaps the most impressive of his four. This time, the Temple commit found an opening in the lane and threw down a one-handed jam.
A fast start in the third quarter led to a 46-30 Vikings lead after a 15-footer from Hunter, but the Hillers made a move. Kalil Riley drained a three with 3:05 remaining to get the push started. Somerville hit a mid-range jumper, and Jamar Taylor added a free throw. Somerville turned an offensive rebound into a second-chance baby hook shot, and with 1:22 to go in the third, the Vikings’ lead was down to eight.
But Steven Nixon Jr. ended a three-and-a-half minute St. Elizabeth drought with a three from the right elbow, starting an 8-0 run to end the third for the Vikings had a 15-point cushion heading into the fourth.
Tobiason had 20 to lead the Vikings, while Alexander had 19 and Wright 10. The Vikings are now 4-0 on the season.
For the Hillers, Coleman led the way with 15. Clough also reached double figures with 11. Tower (1-2), which hadn’t played since Dec. 5, will face Bethlehem Catholic (Pa.) on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in the consolation game of their bracket.
All photos by Mike Lang.
