WILMINGTON – Padua Academy might have been taking on the final team to earn a berth in the DIAA girls basketball state tournament, but the eighth-seeded Pandas surely knew No. 24 Archmere would be a battle. The Auks made a late run to get within a point, but Padua is moving on to the semifinals after a 44-38 second-round home win on Feb. 26.
Padua will take on the top seed, Caravel, in a quarterfinal-round game this weekend. The game will be Saturday or Sunday at a site and time to be determined.
The Auks held a 22-21 lead at halftime after a free throw by Bridget Malloy (St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, Glen Mills, Pa.) with no time left on the clock. The third quarter, however, belonged to the Pandas.
Abby Grillo (St. John the Beloved Parish) scored early, and a three-pointer later in the quarter extended the Pandas’ scoring run to 7-0 and gave Padua a 28-22 lead. Archmere was held to a single Malloy free throw until the last 30 seconds of the third. Rita Hartman made a three-point shot, and Malloy scored before the quarter ended to cut the Padua lead to 33-28 heading into the fourth.
Malloy, playing with four fouls, hit a triple a minute and a half into the final quarter to get Archmere to within two, drawing loud cheers from the Archmere students in attendance. Padua scored the next six, stretching over some four minutes of game play, with four free throws before a layup for Kai Dwirantwi with 2:33 to go.
The Auks answered again. Maddie Benson (Incarnation Parish, Mantua Twp., N.J.) scored underneath, and after a Padua turnover, Emily Mayo got open for a corner three. The Auks got the ball back following another Pandas miscue, and Malloy drained a 15-footer with 1:12 to go and Archmere trailing, 39-28.
Padua missed a pair of free throws after that, but they retained possession on a held ball. Dwirantwi capitalized, finding a lane for a layup. The Pandas put the game away with 12.9 seconds to go when Grillo got open for a layup and was fouled, sinking the free throw to complete the three-point play.
Dwirantwi led the Pandas with 13 points, and Grillo added 11. Padua improved to 17-4 and advances to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2020.
Malloy had 18 to pace the Auks. Archmere finished the season 11-11.
In other games involving Catholic schools, No. 5 Ursuline defeated No. 12 Howard, 63-32. The Raiders will play No. 4 Seaford in the quarterfinals. Seventh-seeded St. Elizabeth knocked off No. 10 Indian River, 56-11, and moves on to meet the second seed, Delaware Military Academy. Those games will be either Saturday or Sunday at a time and site to be announced.
Photos by Mike Lang.
