For The Dialog
NEWARK – The fourth-seeded St. Thomas More Ravens played in their first-ever girls basketball tournament semifinal game on March 9 at the Bob Carpenter Center, They played hard but fell to top-seeded Caravel, 58-33.
The Ravens scored first on a bucket by Dah’Naija Barnes, and after a Karli Cauley three-pointer for the Buccaneers, the Ravens answered right back with a deep three by Olivia Lynch. Barnes and Lynch would take over as they scored seven points combined to give the Ravens a 12-5 lead with 40 seconds left in the quarter. Cauley hit another three-pointer, but the Ravens’ Aniah Patterson scored in the paint. Kendra Warren answered as the Ravens led, 14-10, at the end of the first quarter.
The Buccaneers showed why they are the top seed as they took control in the second quarter, outscoring the Ravens 16-4 to lead, 26-18. The Bucs scored the first seven points, but a Barnes three-pointer tied it at 17. Cauley hit her third triple of the first half to give Caravel a 20-17 lead. Sasha Marvel and Terea Hunt scored on layups before the half ended.
The Bucs continued the pressure in the third quarter as Marvel scored on a rebound, then Warren converted twice underneath as lead grew to 39-24 after three quarters. Patterson got on a roll for the Ravens to start the fourth quarter, and a Lynch bucket cut it to 41-31. Caravel, however, ended the game on a 17-2 run as Marvel scored three times inside and Hunt hit a deep three-pointer.
The Bucs advance to the championship game on Monday night against third seed Conrad. Warren finished with 14 points and nine rebounds, while Marvel had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
The Ravens finished the season at 16-5. Barnes led the team with 11 points, all in the first half, while Patterson added 10 and Lynch 9.
