Home Local Sports Fourth-quarter run carries Howard High School past Archmere Academy in girls basketball:...

Fourth-quarter run carries Howard High School past Archmere Academy in girls basketball: Photo gallery

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Anaya Mungin handles the ball for the Auks during a road game at Howard on Jan. 15. Dialog photo/Mike Lang

WILMINGTON – Howard fell behind Archmere by a point after an Auks run, but the Lady Wildcats bounced back and took a tough 47-39 win over the Auks in girls basketball action on Jan. 15. The Lady Wildcats remained unbeaten against Delaware competition with the victory.

That was the second of two stretches during which Howard overcame a one-point deficit. In the first half, Anaya Mungin hit a three-pointer with 1:20 to go in the half to put Archmere on top, 16-15. Lykira Davis, however, drained a corner three to give Howard a two-point halftime lead, and they picked up where they left off as the second half opened.

Glory Forbi-Mbunwe hit a long three ball to extend the Lady Wildcats’ lead to 25-17, and another from long distance, this one by Noel Edwards, made it 28-18. The Auks scored six straight – four Bridget Malloy points sandwiched around a transition bucket by Rita Hartman – but Howard took an eight-point advantage into the fourth.

Both teams played strong defense, and the Auks turned theirs into points as the fourth began. Emily Mayo converted a steal into a three-point shot, and Malloy (St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, Glen Mills, Pa.) grabbed a defensive rebound on Howard’s next possession, then fired a long pass ahead to Ellie DeLuca as Archmere climbed to within three at 33-30.

The Auks’ good fortune continued after a Howard miss. A shot by the Lady Auks missed everything, but Hartman was there to catch the ball and lay it in. Finally, Malloy hit a mid-range jumper to put the Auks back on top, 34-33.

The Lady Wildcats turned to the three things that allowed them to build the first-half lead. First, Forbi-Mbunwe hit another triple, ending the Auks’ run at 10 points and giving Howard the lead. She had seven points in a 9-0 Lady Wildcats run that was fueled by Howard’s rebounding dominance and turnover-causing defense. When the run was done, the Lady Wildcats were up by eight. That was the final margin.

Forbi-Mbunwe had 17 points for the Lady Wildcats, who improved to 7-2. They play the third of six straight at home on Thursday against Newark at 3:30 p.m.

For the Auks, Malloy had 20, including all eight of their first-quarter points. Archmere (2-6) is home against Delaware Military on Thursday at 6:15 p.m.

Photos by Mike Lang.