For The Dialog
The girls’ and boys’ basketball state tournaments start this week, and a bunch of Catholic schools are among the 24 in each vying for the top prize.
GIRLS
First Round
Tuesday, all games at 7 p.m.
(23) Friends (12-8) at (10) Archmere (14-6). The Auks open with a home game against an experienced Quakers team. The Quakers start three seniors and two juniors and are a balanced team. Junior Natalie DePaulo leads the team in scoring and will be the focus of the Auks’ defense. The Auks have a mixture of youth and experience; freshman Madison Stewart has improved and is one of the scoring leaders on this team.
(19) St Thomas More (13-7) at (14) Sussex Central (14-6). The Ravens have a tough road test as they travel to Sussex Central in a first-round matchup. The Ravens are a young team that played all season without the injured Sarah Pool. Aniah Patterson is a dangerous player that could score from anywhere. St. Thomas More beat Sussex Central at home on Jan. 19, 51-40. Patterson led the Ravens with 13 points.
Second Round
Thursday, all games at 7 p.m.
Friends-Archmere winner at (7) St. Elizabeth (13-7). The Vikings earned a first-round bye thanks to a strong finish and a quality schedule. They won 11 of their last 13 games. The Vikings beat Archmere, 45-41, on Feb. 4 as senior Lexi Bromwell scored 10 fourth-quarter 
points. The experienced Vikings also feature seniors Sarah Metz and Alanna Speaks, along with junior Alexis Lee. The Vikings and Quakers did not meet during the regular season.
St. Thomas More-Sussex Central winner at (3) Caravel.
Lake Forest-Milford winner at (1) Ursuline (19-1). The Raiders are the top seed and went unbeaten in the state. They have the best backcourt in the state in Alisha Lewis, Maggie Connolly and Yanni Hendley, and their defense is air-tight. Ursuline didn’t play either Lake Forest or Milford this year, but their challenging schedule should have them ready to advance to the Bob Carpenter Center for the quarterfinal round.
Quarterfinals:
Saturday, times to be determined, Bob Carpenter Center
Delaware Military Academy-Laurel-Sussex Tech winner vs. Lake Forest-Milford-Ursuline winner
Friends-Archmere-St. Elizabeth winner vs. Dover-Howard-Caesar Rodney winner
St. Thomas More-Sussex Central-Caravel winner vs. Delcastle-A.I. DuPont-Concord winner
Delmarva Christian-Hodgson-Conrad winner vs. Mount Pleasant-Cape Henlopen-Sanford winner
BOYS
First Round
Wednesday
(18) Indian River (12-8) at (15) St. Mark’s (15-5), 7 p.m. The Spartans earned a home first-round playoff game with a solid finish to the season. They only lost once at home. The Indians should be prepared to face a solid Spartans defense, and on offense, senior senior Chris Ludman leads the way. If the Spartans are making their three-point shots, they are tough to beat. It will be a contrast of styles, as the Indians like to push the tempo, while the Spartans are the epitome of patience.
Second Round
Friday, all games at 7 p.m.
Indian River-St Mark’s winner vs. (2) St. Thomas More (17-3), site to be announced. The Ravens had an excellent season against a very tough out-of-state schedule. They will push the ball and look to score early and often. St. Thomas More has multiple weapons, including Greg Bloodsworth and Eric Montanez, who can take over a game. A game against a St Mark’s team that likes to slow things down could be interesting.
(19) Caravel (14-6)-(14) Hodgson (15-5) winner at (3) Salesianum (15-5). The Sals are one of the hottest teams coming into the tournament, winners of eight straight and 10 of 11. They were undefeated at home and will play stingy defense. On offense they can shoot the deep ball well and can also go inside to junior Paul Brown. Hodgson had a strong season; the Silver Eagles and the Sals both have wins over top-seeded Mount Pleasant. Caravel features high-scoring O’Koye Parker.
(22) Laurel (12-8)-(11) Sanford (12-8) winner at (6) St. Elizabeth (13-7). The Vikings are a deep team that finished the regular season with four straight wins. Senior Jordan Money can score from anywhere on the court and can take over any game. He’s got a nice supporting cast that includes Elijah Dockery and Nate Thomas. The Vikings are a good foul shooting team which helps them in close games. St. Elizabeth defeated Sanford, 57-56, on Jan. 12 thanks to a late bucket from Money.
Quarterfinals
Sunday, times to be determined, Bob Carpenter Center
Howard-Appoquinimink-Newark winner vs. Indian River-St Marks-St Thomas Moore winner.
Laurel-Sanford-St Elizabeth winner vs. Caravel-Hodgson-Sallies winner.
Red Lion-Milford- Smyrna winner vs. Lake Forest-William Penn-Woodbridge winner.
Friends-St. Georges Tech-Glasgow winner vs. Cape Henlopen-Caesar Rodney-Mount Pleasant.
Tickets to first- and second-round games will be sold at the individual schools and at the door if any remain. Tickets to the quarterfinals, semifinals and final are available at statechamps.com/clients/diaa. The quarterfinal rounds will be spit into two sessions requiring two tickets.
