Dialog reporter
WILMINGTON – Zhan’e Snow scored 20 points off the bench to lead Concord to a 56-41 nonconference girls basketball win over St. Thomas More on Jan. 16. The teams, each of which entered with just one loss, met as part of a Martin Luther King Jr. Day showcase at Howard High School.
Snow, who usually starts for the Raiders, helped her team to a 15-10 lead at the end of one quarter with two three-point shots. Concord put its height and bulk advantage to good use, consistently outrebounding the Ravens and getting good looks inside. Jamiyah Dennis scored eight in the first, including a layup just seconds after the opening tap.
Dennis began the second quarter with a field goal to stretch the lead to seven, and St. Thomas More struggled mightily with the ferocious Concord man-to-man defense. Still, the visitors from Magnolia managed to stay close thanks in large part to guard DahNaija Barnes, a junior who is the oldest player on the team. The point guard, the smallest girl on the court, drove the paint consistently against much larger players and scored six points in the second.
The Ravens drew to within 31-28 midway through the third quarter on a three by Nicole Rainford, but Concord responded with the next five points, and the margin would remain in the seven- to 10-point range much of the rest of the way. Snow was effective from the outside for Concord, displaying a mid-range jumper, while Breanna Grant patrolled inside. Grant grabbed rebound after rebound, scoring twice on putbacks.
The Raiders’ lead was five after three quarters, but they would not let the Ravens back into the contest. Dennis, Snow and Grant prevented St. Thomas More from mounting a serious comeback, and the Raiders had their eighth win – their fifth in a row – against one loss.
Dennis scored 17 for Concord, and Grant added 11. The Raiders face another challenge on Friday, when they welcome Conrad to Brandywine Hundred for a 5:15 p.m. start.
For St. Thomas More, Kaylah Barnes had 12 points, including three three-pointers, and DahNaija Barnes had 11. The Ravens fell to 8-2 and saw their seven-game winning streak come to an end. They won’t have to wait long to try to start a new one, traveling to Cape Henlopen on Tuesday for a 6:15 p.m. tip.
