Dialog reporter
GREENVILLE – St. Thomas More rode a dominating first half in a 47-35 nonconference girls basketball win Feb. 2 at Tatnall.
With junior DahNaija Barnes not available, the Ravens’ starting five included three sophomores and two freshmen, but that talented quintet was able to pound the Hornets early. Jessica Simmons put St. Thomas More up, 6-2, halfway through the first quarter when she followed a teammate’s miss, but Tatnall’s Kennedy Brown answered with a three-pointer.
Those, however, would be the Hornets’ last points for a while. A long three-point shot by Aniah Patterson kicked off a 16-0 run to put St. Thomas More in control. Kaylah Barnes followed Patterson’s triple with one of her own, and the first quarter ended with the Ravens in front, 12-5.
Barnes opened the second with a runner, and Patterson took advantage of St. Thomas More’s offensive rebounding the next time down the floor, hitting a baseline three. Simmons capitalized on a Tatnall turnover with a transition layup, and Barnes hit two free throws to close out the run.
Tatnall was down, 26-9, at the half, but the Hornets found their offense after intermission. They scored 13 points in each of the final two quarters, five more than the Ravens, but the deficit was too large to overcome.
Patterson finished with 22 to pace St. Thomas More, which improved to 10-5. Barnes added 15, and Simmons had 10. The Ravens travel to Dickinson on Tuesday at 4 p.m. for the opening game of a girls and boys doubleheader against the Rams.
For Tatnall, Shelby Bailey-Smiley was the leading scorer with nine, while Erica Hager had eight. The Hornets (7-9) will meet the state’s second-ranked team, Sanford, at home on Tuesday at 3:45 p.m.
