Dialog reporter
BEAR – St. Elizabeth boys’ basketball team built up a 12-point lead with just over two minutes to go in a nonconference game Feb. 2 at Caravel, and the Vikings made enough free throws down the stretch to hang on for a 65-59 win over the Buccaneers.
The Vikings (9-5) entered the fourth quarter against the Bucs with a 47-40 lead, and after the teams split four buckets to open the stanza, St. Elizabeth put some distance between the teams with an 8-3 run. Justin Money drained a pair of free throws, and Nate Thomas laid one in after a scramble under the hoop.
After a Caravel free throw, Jordan Money found Elijah Dockery open for a short field goal, and Justin Money followed a Buccaneers shot with one of his own to put the Vikings up, 59-47.
The Buccaneers repeatedly sent the Vikings to the free-throw line in the final 90 seconds, hoping to cut into the lead if St. Elizabeth was unable to convert its opportunities at the charity stripe. The Vikings did miss six of the 12 free throws they attempted in that span, but Caravel was not able to take advantage.
St. Elizabeth held an eight-point lead after the first quarter, but Caravel opened the second with six straight points, all scored from the paint. The Vikings responded with seven in a row, the final three coming on an old-fashioned three-point play from Dockery. After a Caravel free throw, Dockery scored three the long-distance way to give St. Elizabeth its biggest lead of the first half at 25-14.
The lead grew to 12 as the second half opened thanks to a steal and transition layup by Dockery, but Caravel fought back. Okoye Parker led the charge, scoring 10 of the Buccaneers’ 15 points in the quarter. They got as close as three points on three different occasions, but the Vikings were able to go home with the win.
Dockery led St. Elizabeth with 22 points, including a pair of three-pointers. Jordan Money and Jordan Brown each added a dozen for the Vikings, who travel to St. Mark’s on Tuesday for a 7:15 p.m. tip.
For the Buccaneers, Parker finished with 17 points; Brandon Sengphachanh and Mandela Montgomery each had 12. The loss ended a four-game winning streak for Caravel, which is now 10-4. A four-game road trip begins Monday at 5:15 at Red Lion.
