WILMINGTON — A strong defense and good rebounding helped St. Elizabeth get off to a big start against Saint Mark’s in a 50-44 boys basketball win at the St. E Center on Jan. 6.
The Vikings were accurate from beyond the arc early on, jumping out to a 7-0 lead thanks to a pair of threes from Nafir Salters. Saint Mark’s got on the board with 2:22 left in the first on a corner three-point shot by Griffin Davis, but Carmile Frederique got that right back for the Vikings.
The Spartans’ shooting improved in the second quarter, and St. Elizabeth cooled off for part of the stanza. The Vikings held a 20-15 lead when they went on an 11-0 run that spanned the final few minutes of the first half and extended into the second. Salters and Terrence Williams scored the final six of the first half with a three-pointer from each, and Michael Jones had the first five points of the second half to get the lead to 31-15.
That was it for the Vikings’ scoring until the end of the third. Saint Mark’s found a groove, scoring 12 straight points, beginning with an old-fashioned three-point play by Elijah Robinson. Dylan Bromwell (St. John the Beloved Parish) contributed a three-pointer and another field goal, and Robinson scored again. They had cut the lead to 31-27 before Jaiden Rajis beat the third-quarter buzzer with a three-pointer, sending St. Elizabeth into the fourth up by seven.
Nate Meyer had a third-chance hoop, and after a turnover by the Vikings, Daniel Ibrahim hit from short range, cutting the deficit to three. Bromwell had seven points in the quarter to keep the Spartans within striking distance, but Carmile Frederique hit a big three-pointer for St. Elizabeth, and the Vikings hit six free throws down the stretch to close out the win.
Jones led three Vikings in double figures with 16. Rajis had 14, and Carmile added 10. Williams was a force on the boards, grabbing 14 rebounds, and he blocked four shots. St. Elizabeth (4-4) visits Newark Charter in its first Diamond State Athletic Conference game on Thursday at 6:15 p.m.
For the Spartans, Bromwell had 14 points, and Wright finished with 10. Saint Mark’s fell to 2-5 and remains on the road Thursday for a game at St. Georges at 5:15 p.m.
Photos by Mike Lang.
