CLAYMONT — Archmere built a big first-quarter lead, then withstood a few comeback attempts to earn a 46-33 win over Tatnall in girls basketball on Dec. 10 at Moglia Fieldhouse.
The Auks scored off the opening tip, with Bridget Malloy (St. Thomas the Apostle, Glen Mills, Pa.) scoring on a layup following an offensive rebound. Tatnall had chances, but the shots were not falling early for the Hornets. Jordan Cooke did make a field goal to get them to within a point at 5-4 late in the first, but the Auks’ offense was just warming up.
Freshman Anaya Mungin turned defense into offense by draining a big three-point shot after a teammate’s steal. A minute later, she was fouled while attempting a three, and she made all three free throws. Malloy then hit a triple with a minute and a half remaining, and after a Tatnall turnover, Malloy drove through traffic to finish the scoring in the first with the Auks up, 16-4, after an 11-0 run.
The turnover bug bit Archmere in the second quarter. They managed just five points, while the Hornets steadily cut into the lead. Emma Dorazio closed out the scoring in the first half with a three-pointer that reduced the Auks’ lead to 21-15.
The Auks quickly got the lead back to double figures early in the second half. Malloy turned an offensive rebound into two points, and, after a steal, Mungin added another bucket. Archmere kept pounding the ball inside, and they scored the first 11 points of the quarter, with the lead reaching a game-high 17 at 32-15.
Tatnall scored its first points with 2:27 left in the third, but the more pressing concern for Archmere was that Malloy picked up her fourth foul on the play. The Hornets closed the deficit to 11 by the end of the quarter.
Dorazio opened the scoring in the final stanza by swishing a three-pointer, and another a short time later by Cooke, followed by a Cooke two-pointer, got the score to 36-31. The Auks started getting rebounds, leading to points, and they went on another run, closing out the contest with a 10-3 streak, with the field goals coming inside the paint. Four different Auks had buckets during the fourth.
Malloy finished with 18, and Mungin added 16 for the Auks, who improved to 2-1. They host Ursuline on Dec. 12 at 6 p.m.
Cooke had 19 points to lead all scorers. The Hornets (0-1) play their next five at home, beginning Saturday against Wilmington Friends at 2 p.m.
Photos by Mike Lang.
