By Chris Stevens, Editor
After overcoming a determined Delmarva Christian challenge to secure a lead Tuesday afternoon, the Charter School of Wilmington girls’ basketball team needed some clutch free throw shooting to hold on.
They were able to get it as senior guard Emma Brown and sophomore guard Catie Cole nailed six of eight between them in the final minute as the Force held off the Royals in a battle of the unbeatens 53-47.
“Coach Voltz stresses free throws a lot in practice because she knows at the end of the game they really count,” said Cole, who finished with a team-high 19 points. “I think all the practice paid off.”
“Coach tells us to take our time, take a deep breath and shoot the shot,” added Brown, who added 9 points and the assist on the winning basket.
The Force (3-0) fell behind early thanks to three-point baskets from Ainsley Bell, Kaela Mitchell and Sierra Troyer, who made five as a part of her game-high 21 points. Cole took charge in the second and third quarters, scoring on two fast-break layups to spark Charter to a 30-29 lead at the half, then two third-quarter three-pointers helped open up a 38-30 lead for the Force late in the third quarter.
Delmarva Christian (4-1) got back into the game behind Troyer and Ainsley Bell (15 points), who capped a 13-5 run with a three-point shot halfway through the fourth quarter to tie the game at 43. Two Troyer foul shots gave the Royals a brief lead until Cole broke some backcourt pressure, flipped the ball to Brown who drove and found sophomore guard Dani Kanse open in the corner for three and a 46-45 lead for the Force at the 2:34 mark. After Veronica Sanchez-Wright added a basket, Brown came up with two deflections that led to turnovers from DCHS and the free throws that salted the game away.
“This helps us go through the rest of the season,” Brown said. “It shows how good we are when we’re playing as a team, not just one on one.”
Check out the game highlights below:
