Photos by Chris Stevens
By Chris Stevens, Editor
We spent a few days at the Diamond State Classic and as usual, the fine folks that run the tournament at St. Elizabeth High School made it a wonderful experience with media access, good food and of course, good basketball. We got to see quite a few Delaware teams play and here are the highlights that followed:
Conrad 55, Seminaire Saint Francois 39: Stefanie Kulesza wasted little time getting a milestone bucket out of the way. Off a feed from Ny Whittlesey, Stefanie’s three point basket 2 minutes into the first quarter gave her 1,000 points for her career, joining older sister Julie as the only girls players in school history to reach that mark. The Red Wolves would on to win third place in the main draw of the tournament with a 43-37 win over St. Basil Academy.
Archmere 70, Caravel 52: It’s been no secret that the Auks and Bucs always have played tight games in the past. That fact is what made Archmere’s 70-52 win in the Delaware Cup so satisfying for them. Senior forward Fiona Teaney started off the fireworks with eight first quarter points and continued shooting on her way to a game-high 23 points. She was joined in double figures by Lauren Kim (15 points) and Madison Stewart (14).
The young Bucs were impressive in spurts, led by sophomore guard India Johnston’s 18 points. Sophomore forward Taylor Wilkins added 10 points while first year players Giniah Gale and Amaya Johnson added 7 points each. Caravel would go on to win third place with a 46-38 win over Ursuline. Archmere lost the Delaware Cup championship game to Central Dauphin of PA 53-23.
St. Mark’s 36, Wilmington Charter 22: If you’re reading this, the Spartans are still undefeated. Senior center Serena Pluta scored 16 points as St. Mark’s defeated Charter in the NC Insurance Cup championship game. The Spartans trailed briefly 3-2, but behind a solid defense and six early points from Ally McGonigle, they pulled ahead to stay for good. Morgan Oliver led the Force with 8 points.
Cape Henlopen 48, Padua 38: Dania Cannon did a little bit of everything for the Vikings in their IAABO Board 11 Cup third place win over the Pandas. The senior guard scored 21 points, grabbed eight rebounds, handed out six assists and collected five steals.
Senior forward Michelle Kozicki scored a game-high 23 points for the Pandas, 19 of which came in a second half rally that pulled Padua to within three (40-37) midway through the fourth quarter. Cape put the game away on free throws and a driving layup by sophomore forward Mehkia Applewhite (11 points and 11 rebounds on the night).
Hornets win main draw at Borowski Tournament
The young and exciting Tatnall Hornets girls’ basketball have made Felton their second home the last two Christmases, winning the main draw of the Pat Borowski Tournament two years running. The Hornets defeated Middletown 76-52 and host Lake Forest 48-33 to remain unbeaten at 6-0.
Sanford, Dover both split games at Slam Dunk to the Beach
Last year’s boys’ hoops state finalists look to be another collision course after solid showings at in Lewes at Slam Dunk to the Beach.
Sanford defeated Lake Clifton of Maryland 53-44 before losing to Roselle Catholic of NJ 52-36, while Dover lost to Maryland powerhouse Eleanor Roosevelt 56-51 and defeating host Cape in a rare scheduled conference game 76-52. Dover sits at 7-1 while Sanford has kept their heads above water at 4-3 with a challenging schedule.
Governor’s Challenge a Showcase for Delaware boys and girls
Several Delaware teams got to show their stuff at the Governor’s Challenge just across the border in Salisbury and Princess Anne, MD last weekend. Delmar’s boys went unbeaten by defeating Mardela (MD) 62-57 and Conrad 64-35 in their bracket.
The defending state champion Sanford girls split their two Governors’ challenge games, handily defeating Woodrow Wilson of DC 64-22 and losing a close one to Winston Churchill (MD) 53-51 on New Year’s Eve.
Tournament Briefs: Delcastle bounced back from their William Penn loss to sweep the state of New Jersey, winning two Boardwalk Classic games and taking a 78-61 victory of Summer Charter Academy (NY) at the Penns Grove High School Showcase…Brandywine defeated Oaklyn NJ (NJ) 59-57 before falling to Cristo Rey Philadelphia 52-45 in the Wildwood (NJ) Classic… in that same tournament, Archmere won their bracket with wins over Cumberland Regional (51-37) and Cape May Regional (25-24).
First State Hoops Radio Vol. 4
This week, we talked to Archmere’s Fiona Teaney following her outstanding Diamond State performance and Caravel head coach Kristin Caldwell gave some great insight on what it means to coach a very young team, a challenge she’s very excited for. We also caught up with Seaford head coach Vince Evans Jr., who has led the Blue Jays to their best start (7-0) since he was a player on their 1997 state title team. Click here to check it out!
Games of the Week
Boys: Salesianum at St. Elizabeth Tuesday 01/07
Girls: Middletown at Delcastle Thursday 01/09
Credits: Photos taken/videos shot and edited/podcast recorded/hosted/produced/edited by Chris Stevens
