WILMINGTON – Lilianna DiMarco had a breakout game, scoring 25 points to lead Padua to a thrilling 54-40 victory over archrival Ursuline on Dec. 4 in the basketball season debut for both teams.
DiMarco (St. John the Beloved Parish) didn’t wait long to get her night started. She opened the scoring with a three-pointer and had Padua’s next field goal as well. The host Raiders stuck close, however, thanks to Amoree Anderson. The freshman showed off several moves and scored all 12 of Ursuline’s points in the first quarter, which ended in a tie.
Ursuline lost the shooting touch in the second, and the Pandas took advantage. Molly Mager had the first points of the second with a three-point shot, but the Pandas kept feeding DiMarco, who rewarded their largesse with 10 points in the stanza. Naiya Murphy hit both of Ursuline’s field goals in the second, but they trailed by nine at the break.
The Raiders came out of halftime with an improved shot, and after falling behind by a dozen, they began to chip away at Padua’s lead. Anderson was foremost in the scoring, draining a pair of triples, and her classmate, Georgia Rassias, picked up her first high school points on another three. The cut the deficit to five heading into the fourth. Gianna Graham (St. Thomas the Apostle, Glen Mills, Pa.) picked up the scoring slack for the Pandas with seven in the third.
DiMarco, who was held scoreless in the third, was the go-to option for the Pandas in the fourth. She helped Padua keep the lead, although it got a bit tenuous. Jada Miskowic gave the Raiders an inside presence to complement Anderson, and they got Ursuline back to within a pair as time wound down. Padua left the door open for the Raiders to tie or take the lead with two missed free throws late, but DiMarco connected on two from the line to seal the win.
Graham had nine and Kai Dwirantwi eight for Padua (1-0). The Pandas travel to Smyrna on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
Anderson finished with 32 in her Ursuline debut, and Miskowic added eight. The Raiders (0-1) take on Dillard (Fla.) on Saturday at 2 p.m. at St. John’s College High School in Washington, D.C., in the She Got Game Classic.
Photos by Mike Lang.
