Dialog reporter
WILMINGTON – Tatnall and St. Thomas More were tied just once, at 2-2, before the Hornets broke things open in a 58-36 win in girls basketball Thursday afternoon at Tatnall. The Hornets snapped a three-game losing streak and improved to 6-10 on the season.
The game started off a bit helter-skelter, as St. Thomas More committed several turnovers that Tatnall was not able to turn into points. The Hornets’ Michaella Moore opened the scoring 70 seconds in with a short jumper, but that was it until Kelsey Huffman answered with STMA’s first bucket nearly two minutes later.
Tatnall would outscore the Ravens, 10-2, through the balance of the quarter to take a 12-4 lead. The Hornets controlled the glass, turning their offensive rebounding advantage into a bunch of second- and third-chance points. The Ravens showed some life early in the second as Gillian Crawford’s three-pointer and a two-point field goal by Sarah Pool brought them to within 14-9. Pool’s bucket, however, would be her team’s last points of the half as Tatnall scored the final 11 before the break.
The offensive onslaught continued in the second half as the Hornets steadily increased the lead. They doubled the number of field goals made by St. Thomas More, 22 to 11, and hit 12 of 17 free throws, while the Ravens attempted just two foul shots.
Shelby Bailey-Smiley, one of the freshmen, led Tatnall with 14 points, while Mirthe Berends added 10 for the balanced Hornets offense. They finish a five-game homestand Saturday, when William Penn visits for a noon start.
Huffman was a bright spot for St. Thomas More, leading all scorers with 15 points. That came despite Huffman missing several minutes in the first quarter after bruising her knee in a collision, then aggravating the injury in the second quarter. The Ravens, who fell to 5-9 in the first stop on a six-game road trip, are back in New Castle County on Tuesday to play at Red Lion at 5:30 p.m.
