For The Dialog
NEWARK – The most successful seasons for both the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams at St. Thomas More came to an end over the weekend at the Bob Carpenter Center. The Ravens’ boys, seeded 14th, lost on March 6 to St. Georges Tech, 45-39, while the fifth-seeded girls fell to Concord, 60-47, the day before.
The boys, fresh off an upset of the third seed, Dover, fell behind early, 5-0, but went on a 14-4 run and led at the end of the first period, 14-9. That run included three-pointers by Alvin West and Greg Bloodsworth. Another triple by Bloodsworth and two putbacks by big man Aaron Scott fueled a 12-4 start to the second quarter, but the Hawks scored the final four points of the half and trailed, 26-17, at intermission.
St. Georges opened the third quarter on an eight-point run, with five of those points coming from Kyson Rawls. The Ravens, however, finished the quarter by scoring seven of the final 10 points, including an NBA-range three-pointer from Bloodsworth, and led by five entering the final eight minutes.
The fourth quarter was not a good one for St. Thomas More, as they could not score from the field, and Rawls took over. He outscored the Ravens, 9-6, including seven of eight from the foul line.
Bloodsworth finished the game with 14 points, while Scott added nine. St. Thomas More finished the season at 17-6, including its first ever tournament wins. Bloodsworth and West are sophomores, while Scott, Corey Gordon and Elias Revelle are juniors, and the roster lists just one senior, so the Ravens might be a playoff regular in the future.
St. Georges, led by Rawls with 20, advances to the semifinal on Thursday night, taking on Delcastle at 6:30 p.m. at the Bob Carpenter Center.
St. Thomas More’s girls team held close to experienced Concord for three quarters before falling.
The Raiders jumped to an 8-2 lead after a Holly Panchak jumper as St. Thomas More acclimated to the surroundings. The Ravens regrouped and scored the next eight points, including six for Aniah Patterson, and the first quarter ended in a 12-12 tie.
The second quarter was a back-and-forth affair, with Panchak giving Concord a lead, only to see Sasha Marvel answer for St. Thomas More. The Raiders had a three-point lead late in the quarter, but Patterson hit a huge jumper at the buzzer to send the teams to the locker rooms tied at 27.
The Ravens grabbed a quick lead after the half as DahNaija Barnes hit a triple and a jumper for a 32-27 advantage, but the tone of the game changed when Patterson – who had 12 first-half points – picked up her fourth foul with 6:23 left in the third. Aahliyah Selby scored five points to pace a 15-8 Raiders run to end the quarter, with Concord leading, 42-40.
It was all Concord in the fourth, which opened the fourth by outscoring the Ravens, 8-2. The Raiders kept up the pressure, and a deep three by Jamiyah Dennis put them ahead, 57-45.
Selby led Concord with 17 points, and Panchak had nine. The Raiders advance to meet No. 1 Ursuline in Wednesday’s second semifinal, which starts at approximately 8 p.m. The teams met in the regular-season finale, which Ursuline won by nine.
Patterson paced the Ravens with 14 points, while Barnes added 11. The Ravens finished the season 17-3 – they won just 16 games combined over the past three seasons – and made the state tournament for the first time since 2010-11. They also appear to have a bright future. The roster includes just two seniors and one junior. Patterson and Marvel have three seasons remaining, as does Jessica Simmons, and Barnes and Sarah Pool will provide the veteran leadership.
