WILMINGTON — St. Elizabeth might have put up 60 points against Odessa in a second-round DIAA girls basketball tournament game, but the Vikings’ defense was the principal reason they are moving on to the quarterfinals. They limited the Ducks to just 10 field goals in a 60-34 win on March 3 at the St. E Center.
The Vikings were in control literally from the opening tip. Skylar Bolden sent the ball to a teammate, streaked down court and took a return pass for a layup just seconds into the contest. She scored again before Taylor Coleman got the Ducks on the board, and a free throw from Lailah White cut the St. E’s lead to 4-3. Odessa’s offense was hamstrung by the Vikings’ pressure. The Ducks struggled to get shots off, with St. Elizabeth forcing numerous turnovers.
Unfortunately for the Vikings, their own shots just weren’t falling for the first several minutes. Eventually, they got things in gear, and a 9-0 run provided them with a 13-3 lead. Bolden did almost all the damage, scoring 11 in the quarter, with Taylor Tucker getting open underneath for the other field goal. Odessa cut the lead to 13-9 by the end of the first with a run of their own.
The Vikings held the Ducks scoreless for nearly four minutes of the second quarter, using their defense to create several easy opportunities. After Tucker hit a three and Bolden added another field goal to open the scoring, Za’Mylah Seda-Owens scored two consecutive field goals after steals, increasing the lead to 22-9. Makayla Sullivan and Seda-Owens closed out the half with three-pointers, and the Vikings went into halftime with a substantial lead.
They made four more threes in the third quarter, with the lead growing to 32 points late in the quarter. The Ducks’ main offensive weapon, Tori Richardson, took the ball inside as often as she could, and she scored five of her team’s eight points in the third.
The big lead allowed Vikings coach Tye Taylor to empty his bench for much of the fourth quarter, much to the delight of the home crowd. Among those watching were several members of the boys’ basketball team, which has its own second-round game Thursday night in Dover.
Bolden scored 16 to pace the Vikings, 13 of them in the first half. She was joined in double figures by Seda-Owens (15), Sullivan (11) and Tucker (10). St. Elizabeth improved to 17-3. They will host No. 6 Padua in a quarterfinal on Friday night at 6 p.m. Tickets are available at www.gofan.co/app/school/DIAA.
Richardson, the former Viking, led the Ducks with 18 points. Odessa closed out the season 16-6.
In other second-round action, Padua moved to the quarterfinals with a 62-26 win over the 11th seed, Caesar Rodney. After allowing 14 points in the first quarter, the Pandas surrendered just 12 combined in the final three.
Ursuline, the 15th seed, advanced with a 46-34 upset of No. 2 Cape Henlopen in Lewes. Amoree Anderson scored 20 points, and Claire Gordon added 15. The Raiders will visit No. 7 Howard on Friday at 6 p.m.
Archmere, the ninth seed, battled before falling at No. 8 Caravel, 57-51. The Auks finished the season 16-6.
Photos by Mike Lang.
