WILMINGTON – Padua came out firing and never looked back in a 67-36 win over Appoquinimink in girls basketball on Dec. 5 on Broom Street. It was the Pandas’ season debut, while Appo fell for the second time in two days.
Senior Abby Grillo (St. John the Beloved Parish) opened the scoring with a free throw, on her way to eight points in the first quarter. She added the first field goal, which was followed by a steal and hoop from Kai Dwirantwi. Sophia Baffone (St. John the Beloved Parish), playing her first game for the Pandas, added a three-pointer during the quarter, as the lead quickly grew to a dozen.
Appo cut down on its turnovers and tried to trim the lead. Back-to-back triples from Giselle Smith and Addison Costello Grant helped the Lady Jaguars stick close, although they were down 10 after a quarter.
Padua kept up with the balanced scoring in the second, and their pressure defense stymied the Appo offense. Pandas coach Denise Sackett was helped by a deep bench, with players like Riley Bransfield (Sacred Heart Parish, Oxford, Pa.) , Rose Casey (St. Mary Magdalen Parish) and Molly Mager (Our Lady of Charity Parish, Brookhaven, Pa.) contributing.
Grillo was a force in the third as the lead continued to grow. She had eight points in the quarter, including one after a rebound of a missed free throw. She finished with a game-high 25. Dwirantwi added 13. Padua (1-0) will host Caesar Rodney on Saturday at 12:30 p.m.
Smith had 10 to lead the Lady Jaguars. A total of 10 players scored for Appo, who is off until Dec. 13, when they play at 5:40 p.m. against Gwynn Park (Md.) at Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C., as part of the She Got Game Classic.
Photos by Mike Lang.
