By Chris Stevens, Editor
The DIAA girls’ basketball state championship tournament has given us the two teams we thought would be here at the end of the season and today at 2 p.m., they will face off against each other for the privilege of being called champions.
Top seeded Caravel (19-3) will play No. 2 Ursuline (17-6) in a rematch of a hotly contested game won by the Buccaneers 67-63 Feb. 8. Caravel and Ursuline have mostly taken care of business since then and will look to settle the debate of who’s better for this season.
The Buccaneers, now in their second season under the guidance of veteran coach Larry Banks, have become a cohesive unit highlighted by their four outstanding guards – seniors Jasiyah Crawford and Anaya Price and juniors Chasity *Speedy” Wilson and Cherish Bryant.
Each of the four is capable of affecting the game in different ways – Wilson and Price are the scorers while Crawford and Bryant are both solid defenders (Bryant rebounds very well for a 5’6 guard) and are capable of setting up their teammates for good looks offensively.
The X-factors for Caravel will be their post players – junior Jordin Tate and sophomore Brycelyn Stryckning both have big-game potential, with Stryckning serving as a defensive force in the Bucs’ semifinal win over A.I.
Ursuline, led by John Noonan, of course features two of the top ninth graders in these United States, Jezelle Banks and Taylor Brown.
Banks is a revelation, a 5’10 guard who handles the ball unlike any of her peers, shoots accurately from longer distances than any of her peers and has court vision unlike any of her peers. If you’re looking for someone equal to Banks, look no further than her own teammate.
Brown at 5’6 is just as quick with the ball and guards everybody 94 feet. She also can make big shots and does a fine job distributing to her teammates as well as Banks does.
The Raiders are not a two-player team, either. 6’1 senior forward Jazlynn Wesley has come on strong in recent weeks, highlighted by a 10-point/11-rebound/5-block effort in the semifinal win over Sanford. Shooters Emma Anthony and Claire Gordon can’t be left alone for a split second and junior Olivia O’Hara has done a solid job filling in for an injured Skylar Bolden.
Overall, this is the dream matchup observers have been thinking about since preseason practice began in November. We’ve had the chance to see it in a competitive regular season environment, now we’ll see it again at the Bob for the big trophy. Should be a great one.
