Dialog reporter
WILMINGTON – Ursuline used its superior defense and solid free-throw shooting to defeat Jamesville Dewitt (N.Y.), 43-39, in the Diamond State Classic on Sunday evening at the St. E Center. The Raiders advance in St. Francis Healthcare Cup bracket of the annual Christmas tournament.
Ursuline took a 29-28 lead into the final quarter, and the advantage remained one point when freshman Alisha Lewis hit one of two free throws to make the score 37-35. The Raiders kept the Red Rams at bay the remainder of the contest by hitting all six of their subsequent free throw attempts. Maggie Connolly was good on all four of her shots, and Sabriya Harris hit both ends of a one-and-one late in the quarter.
The Raiders put themselves into position for the free throws by causing numerous turnovers with their half-court pressure defense, and by consistently outrebounding Jamesville Dewitt. It was a tough shooting night for both teams; the Raiders would have had a comfortable lead had they shot with their normal accuracy. Lewis was bothered by an injured right wrist. She had it taped at halftime, and after the game she had it covered with a bag of ice.
A nice crowd was on hand to see the game, which began with a putback by the Raiders’ Kryshell Gordy. After Ursuline scored one more on a free throw, the quarter was a series of six-point runs. The Red Rams’ Meg Hair drilled a pair of three-point shots to give her team a 6-3 lead, but Ursuline answered with six straight. The quarter ended with another 6-0 run for Jamesville Dewitt.
Defense was the story of the second quarter. Ursuline began harassing the Red Rams all over the court, but despite what seemed like a dozen turnovers, the Raiders struggled to convert them into points. They held the Red Rams to two points for the quarter and took a 17-14 lead into the locker room.
Jamesville Dewitt’s Carly O’Hern asserted herself in the third quarter, scoring six points as the Red Rams cut the deficit to one. Ursuline, however, did enough to pick up the victory, including hitting 15 of 17 free throw shots.
Connolly led the winners with 15 points, the only Raider in double figures. Ursuline plays again on Tuesday at 4 p.m. vs. Long Island Lutheran (N.Y.). O’Hern had 11 for Jamesville Dewitt, while Hair finished with 10. The Red Rams play Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. vs. Central Dauphin East (Pa.).
