ALAPOCAS — The Archmere girls’ basketball team could only watch on Jan. 30 as Wilmington Friends sharpshooter Caelen Grubb swished three-pointers around an Auks field goal, giving the Quakers an early 6-2 lead. But those would be Friends’ only points for more than nine minutes of game action.
Over that time span, the Auks scored 18 consecutive points, taking a 20-6 lead, and they would never look back in a 42-30 win.
Archmere used a commanding advantage in rebounding, along with a solid defense that created several offensive opportunities, to generate scoring. It was a steal that led to a 15-foot bank shot from Ava Scarpaci that tied the game at 6 with 3:35 to go in the first.
Before the period ended, the Auks would put another 13 points on the board. Ellie Angiullo spotted Archmere to a 9-6 lead with the first of her four three-pointers, and both Lucy Oliver and Sara Denning added a pair of field goals. The lead was 19-6 after one.
Oliver added a free throw to extend the lead to 14, but the Archmere offense cooled after that. The Quakers’ Kayla Farley connected on an up-and-under with 5:18 left in the half to end the visitors’ run, but Friends also struggled to score. The teams combined for just 11 points in the quarter.
The Quakers found some success in the third by sending players cutting to the basket, with Farley scoring seven in the period. But they were able to cut just one point off the deficit heading into the fourth.
Grubb drained a triple to open the final quarter, and the Auks’ lead was just 10. They took the ball to the basket more consistently, but Friends missed all three free throws it attempted in the fourth. Archmere scored just eight points, but that was enough to prevent the Quakers from chipping away any further at the lead.
Angiullo finished with 16 points, including a three-pointer in each quarter. Ava Scarpaci added nine, and she also had 13 rebounds and three blocked shots. The Auks (6-0) face a stiff test at Ursuline on Monday evening at 6:15, although the weather forecast is not encouraging.
Grubb led the Quakers with 13 points, and Farley had nine. Friends fell to 3-3 and is scheduled to host Wilmington Christian on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.
All photos by Mike Lang.
