Home Local Sports Smyrna High School basketball uses second-half comeback to stun Ursuline Academy: Photo...

Smyrna High School basketball uses second-half comeback to stun Ursuline Academy: Photo gallery

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Olivia O'Hara (22) and Jasmine Butler of the Raiders battle Smyrna's Kai Burnette for a rebound. Dialog photo/Mike Lang

WILMINGTON – Ursuline had little trouble scoring while playing without their top scorer on Jan. 30 against Smyrna, but the Raiders could do little to stop the Eagles as the visitors made a fourth-quarter comeback and left Wilmington with a 70-67 victory. It was Ursuline’s first loss in six games against Delaware opponents this season.

The Raiders started five seniors on senior night, just one of whom is normally in the top five. They fell behind, 15-4, with Smyrna using a balanced scoring attack and a big rebounding edge to take the lead. But after the regular starters entered the game with 2:46 remaining in the first, the Raiders stormed back. Olivia O’Hara and Sanai Johnson nailed back-to-back three-point shots as Ursuline cut the Eagles’ lead to 15-13 after one.

The scoring streak continued into the second. Johnson opened the quarter with two free throws to tie the contest, and Jasmine Butler hit a three to give the Raiders their first lead. A second-chance layup from Naiya Murphy extended the run to 16 points and the lead to five. Kai Burnette, the Eagles’ 1,000-point scorer, ended the run with a mid-range jumper, but Ursuline took a 33-26 lead into halftime. Butler scored 10 points in the second.

The Raiders kept the momentum going into the second half, and after a Claire Gordon field goal, their lead was 42-29. The advantage reached 14 points before Amiyah Ellerbe began to will Smyrna back into the contest. She scored five straight points to cut the Ursuline lead to 47-38, and a three-pointer a bit later got Smyrna to within six. They trailed by seven at the end of three, the same deficit as at halftime.

Johnson picked up her fourth foul early in the fourth quarter, and the Eagles took advantage. Their press resulted in multiple Raiders turnovers, and they capitalized with a mix of inside shots and three-pointers. They cut the Raiders’ lead to 55-54, only to watch Gordon drill a triple. That didn’t faze Gabrielle Royal, who calmly hit one of her own the next time down the court.

Ursuline scored five of the next six points to take a 63-58 lead, but the Eagles would not go away. A corner three from Royal got Smyrna to within a pair, and with 1:45 to go, Divya Savaga scored after an offensive rebound to tie it at 65. Murphy scored on a second-chance layup at the 1:16 mark, but the Eagles scored the final five points of the night. Ellerbe drove for the tying bucket, and Me’Aziah James converted a steal into points to put the Eagles in front after a steal. Smyrna added a free throw with a few seconds to go, and once more, their defense came through, preventing the Raiders from taking a game-tying attempt.

Burnette finished with 20 points, while Ellerbe had 19 and Royal 18, including five three-pointers. The Eagles (9-2) will battle Howard on Saturday at 10:!5 a.m. at the Chase Fieldhouse as part of the SL24 Memorial Classic.

For the Raiders, five players scored in double figures, led by Butler with 15. Johnson had 13, and three players – Olivia O’Hara, Murphy and Gordon – added 11. Ursuline also plays at the SL24 on Saturday; they have a 4 p.m. tipoff against Baltimore Poly (Md.).

Photos by Mike Lang.