NEWARK — St. Elizabeth is headed to the DIAA girls basketball championship game for the first time since 2021 after a 40-31 victory over Sanford on March 5 at the Bob Carpenter Center in Newark. The Vikings will meet Caravel on March 9 at 7 p.m. for the title.
After falling behind, 2-0, on a short Naomi Allen field goal, St. Elizabeth, the seventh seed, took control of the first half. The Vikings scored the next 11 points, beginning with a layup by Sklyar Bolden. Bolden had a big quarter, picking up those two points, four rebounds and two assists during the run. Taniyah Reese had a pair of three-pointers in the first, which ended with the Vikings on top, 17-6.
But it was early, and No. 6 Sanford – who had lost just one game to an in-state opponent all season – bounced back in the second. The Warriors spent the majority of the quarter in a zone, keeping the Vikings from penetrating. St. Elizabeth managed just four field goal attempts in the second, making one, and scored just four points. Sanford, meanwhile, Jada Snow and Aslyn Merrell teamed up for the first eight points, getting the Warriors to within three.
Sanford trailed by four at the half, but they quickly cut that to one with an Ellie Carter-Soriano three to open the second half. Snow tied the game at 23 on another triple with 4:35 left in the third, and after a Vikings miss, Snow hit another to give Sanford a 26-23 lead, its first since it was 2-0.
Bolden hit a free throw 30 seconds later, starting an 8-0 run that stretched into the fourth. Tori Richardson was key during that stretch, hitting two field goals in the last 1:45 of the third. The Vikings took a 28-26 lead into the fourth.
They stayed in front thanks to a smothering defense and careful ball possession. Sanford was held to one shot on most possessions, and the Warriors did not score until Snow made two free throws with 4:51 to go. St. Elizabeth was held to an old-fashioned three-point play from Reese for the first 4:40 of the quarter, when a Bolden layup stretched the lead to six. That was it for the scoring from either team until the final minute. The Vikings hit five of six free throws, and the Warriors were held to a long three-point shot by Carter-Soriano.
Reese finished with 12 points. Bolden had 11 to go along with 10 rebounds, and Richardson added 10 points. The Vikings improved to 18-5.
Snow led the Warriors with 12. Sanford finished the season 16-7.
In the other semifinal, Caravel, the top seed, defeated No. 5 Ursuline in a rematch of last year’s state championship game. The Buccaneers were hot early, building up a double-digit lead with their three-point shooting and rebounding advantage.
Ursuline sophomore GG Banks spearheaded the Raiders’ comeback. She scored 32 points on the evening and helped them get to within three or four points on more than one occasion. Caravel, however, withstood all of Ursuline’s attacks to return to the title game against St. Elizabeth on Sunday night.
Chastity “Speedy” Wilson had 19 to lead the Bucs; Cherish Bryant and Brycelyn Stryckning each had 11. Bryant also had 10 rebounds and eight assists. Caravel improved to 20-3.
For the Raiders, Sanai Johnson also reached double figures, finishing with 14. Ursuline wrapped up the season 13-10.
Tickets to the championship are available at www.bluehens.com. The girls’ game also includes admission to the unified basketball championship, which begins at 5 p.m.
Photos by Mike Lang.
