By Chris Stevens, Editor
Just about past the season’s halfway point, we figured it was time for a review of who’s leading the pack, who’s stepping up and who’s lurking in the shadows this season. With an open tournament format on the way, everyone’s in, but who will rise above the crowd? Here’s our best guesses coming down the stretch.
Standout teams – St. E, Sanford, Conrad, Cape Henlopen, Ursuline, Archmere
St. Elizabeth hasn’t played a game in weeks thanks to COVID protocol, but Vikings North is just as good as they were last year, even after graduating Ber’Nyah Mayo and Juli McCarron. Naia Pulliam and Olivia Lynch are the two main guns for St. E, but Rory Cizskowski, Januarie Tate and Farrah White are capable of getting buckets when necessary. St. E also plays very tough defense, making them an early favorite in the girls’ race.
Sanford’s only loss this season was at the hands of St. Elizabeth, but not much else has been able to slow down a Warriors team that features just one senior. Guards Dallas Pierce and Zy Kilgoe offer an intriguing change of pace depending on whoever handles the ball on a given possession and Amiya Carroll and eighth-grader Jada Snow make post scoring a breeze. Experience might be the only thing that holds Sanford back this season…and even that might not be a problem come tournament time.
Conrad losing Stefanie Kulesza to early graduation hurts, but they’re still a dangerous team with DSU-bound Ny Whittlesey in the paint. It will be up to the surrounding players – Erin Ranegan and sisters Kate and Erin Glanz – to step up down the stretch.
Cape Henlopen is far and away the best team south of the Canal and have a pretty good case for the best team in the state overall. Newcomer Julia Saleur has made a team with returning stars Mehkia Applewhite, Morgan Mahoney and Destiny Kusen that much stronger. Vikings South may not face much of a challenge from their Henlopen peers, but even when a tougher game arrives in March, there’s no doubt they’ll be ready for it.
Ursuline and Archmere were set to play last Monday before the snow interrupted things, so we can’t see them head-to-head, but the similarities are easy to spot:
Great coaching – John Noonan and Dan Pisani constantly have their teams prepared for battle.
Certified lead player – for Ursuline, Emily Rzucidlo does everything except sell concessions and Ellie Angiullo has been a scoring force the Auks this season.
Role players – each team has three or four players that can step up on a given night, which is huge. Either one of these teams could be that fourth final four team Delaware media has a hard team deciding on. Or maybe the third and fourth…
Sleeper teams – Caravel, Caesar Rodney, Appoquinimink, Woodbridge, Delmarva Christian
Caravel’s growing pains are starting bear fruit as first-year guards Jasiyah Crawford and Anaya Price are capable scoring threats alongside POTY candidate India Johnston. The Bucs also have two seniors – Caitlin St. Leger and Julia Nask – who provide leadership, defense and timely outside shooting. Putting them in the sleeper category could be an injustice to them, but it’ll make us look good once they reach the latter rounds of the tournament.
CR’s got a big three of their own – DSU-bound Jada McCullough, Stacey Deputy and Teri Bell have teamed up for over 70 percent of the Riders’ scoring this season. Depending on how a draw goes, CR could be one of those teams that busts a bracket and ends up in the quarters or even the semis.
Appoquinimink is another team the upper-echelon squads should be wary of as Kevin Smith’s girls 1 through 9 can get a bucket, inside or outside. Walking away with Flight A seems to be a foregone conclusion, the key for the Jaguars will staying sharp heading into the tournament.
The same goes for Woodbridge, who played Ursuline tough after a slow start two weeks ago. The Blue Raiders have the senior trio of Janeira Scott, Cha’Kya Johnson and Sierra Smith to lead the way, but sophomore De’Asya Jones and first-year shooter Reghan Robinson could be the key to an extended tourney run. The Henlopen South is theirs for the taking, but can they get over the tournament hump this year?
Delmarva Christian deserves a ton of credit for playing a tough schedule in lieu of the ESIAC punting their season, and it can only make them better as the season goes on. The Royals are led by Grace Fetterman and Ainsley Bell, both capable 20-point scorers. If they both have it going any given night, that will be enough for a tournament win and then some.
Surprise teams – Wilmington Friends, Brandywine, Howard, Wilmington Charter, Tatnall, Newark Charter
Friends doesn’t have the size or speed of many of their opponents, but what they do have is the ability to shorten a ball game and make any team pay from three-point range, led by guards Margo Gramiak, Caelan Grubb and Moira Marcozzi. Forward Kayla Farley can knock down those shots as well, making the Quakers a tough matchup for anyone who doesn’t take them seriously.
Brandywine was Flight B’s best team last season but lost a heartbreaking conference title game to A.I. duPont. This season the Bulldogs have regrouped and jumped out to a 7-0 start behind the trio of Armani Bell-Jackson, Layla Dallam and Arionna Williams. Brandywine has a game at Howard this coming weekend that will likely be the best test they’ll have this regular season. How they walk out of that one could determine their tourney potential.
Speaking of Howard, Curtis Clack’s girls finished the 2020 season winning eight of their last nine games and have continued that hot streak with a 5-1 start in 2021. Senior Janel Washington and junior Makayla Ellerbe are the Wildcats’ leading scorers and getting back to the top of Flight B would do wonders for their confidence heading into the postseason.
Wilmington Charter is a model of consistency under Eileen Voltz’s guidance, but thanks to postponements, the road gets tougher from here. Starting Tuesday, they’ll play eight games in 16 days, leading to a real test of endurance. Juniors Emma Brown and Sophia Meara lead the way, with first year guard Catherine Cole supplying extra scoring punch. If the Force can survive this two-week sprint, they’ll be another team no one wants to play in March.
Tatnall has the talent to be a sleeper or a standout team, but a slow start has them in the surprise category for the moment. The Hornets’ size advantage with sisters Emma and Sophie Kirby and Breionna Dodson make them tough to drive on and almost impossible to snatch rebounds from and guard Kali Clayton continues her heads up play in the backcourt. Tatnall likely is the next best team in the Independent Conference and stringing some wins together will help their cause come tournament time.
Newark Charter is a surprising 6-2, their two defeats courtesy of Archmere and Wilmington Charter. Seniors Tristan Snellings and Amari Boddie and juniors Aiyana Ross-Vaughn and Riley Hevelow give the Patriots four players that can lead the team in scoring on a given night and in a highly competitive conference like the Diamond State, that’s a necessary key.
