NEWARK — Sanford held Ursuline to 10 first-half points, and the Raiders could never really get their offense clicking as their basketball season came to an end with a 43-26 loss to the Warriors in the DIAA semifinals on March 9 at the Bob Carpenter Center.
It was the 19th straight win for second-seeded Sanford. The Warriors have not lost to a Delaware opponent this season.
The No. 6 Raiders made just one of 10 field goal attempts in the first quarter, but the Warriors were off to a similarly slow start. The teams were tied at 4 after a quarter. Sanford made a move in the second, putting Ursuline squarely behind the eight ball
Dallas Pierce put the Warriors ahead with a three-pointer in the first half-minute of the second, but the Raiders tied it up on an old-fashioned three-point play by Abigail Grillo. A pair of free throws by Abby Meredith began a big push for the Warriors, who would not be tied again.
Those two free throws were the start of a 12-3 run over the last 6:49 of the half. Amiya Carroll, Sanford’s all-around threat, took control for a few minutes, converting two Raiders turnovers into three-pointers. In between, she had a block and a steal, then earned another steal after the second triple and made one of two free throws after being fouled.
The Warriors’ defensive pressure resulted in seven Raiders turnovers in the first. Sanford enjoyed a 9-0 halftime advantage in points after turnovers. They also had four steals, and on offense, Sanford committed just one turnover in the first half.
Sanford scored the first nine points of the third quarter and held the Raiders without a point until just 3:42 remained in the stanza as the lead grew to 30-10. Chamira Marshall Brothers scored Ursuline’s first field goal on a nice coast-to-coast layup following a defensive rebound. She made another driving layup later in the quarter, and Grillo followed with a short field goal as the Warriors took a 16-point lead into the fourth.
The closest the Raiders would get in the fourth was 17 points, which they reached on four occasions. They struggled with their shooting all night, hitting at a 23-percent clip with no three-pointers. Sanford forced the Raiders into 18 turnovers and converted them into 18 points.
Pierce led the Warriors with 14 points, and Zy Kilgoe added 13. Sanford, who improved to 20-2, takes on No. 1 Caravel on Friday at 7 at the Bob. Sanford defeated the Buccaneers, 73-50, on Feb. 21.
Grillo had 8 to pace the Raiders, who finished the season 14-8.
All photos by Mike Lang.
