For The Dialog
The top four seeds in the girls’ high school basketball tournament have reached tonight’s semifinal round at the Bob Carpenter Center, and all four have played each other during the regular season. To get an idea of how good these teams are, they have seven losses against each other and no other defeats to a Delaware school.
No. 3 Caravel vs. No. 2 Sanford, 6:30 p.m. These teams met on Jan. 28 at Sanford, with Sanford winning easily, 57-30. The Buccaneers have not lost since, winning 10 straight.
A trio of juniors leads Caravel: Caroline Davis, Micah Morgan and Ky-Asia Stanford. In that first game with Sanford, Davis was held scoreless and Morgan had six points, all on free throws, but that was uncharacteristic of these players. They will need to step up against a tough Sanford defense if their team is to have a chance tonight.
For Sanford, player of the year candidate Alison Lewis scored 10 points in the first game against Caravel. Lewis is a prolific scorer and defender, but she is not alone. The Warriors get big contributions from sophomores Chrishyanah Alston, Taylor Sparks-Faulkner and Taylor Samuels and others.
When these teams met in the semifinals last year, Caravel took a 48-40 victory.
No. 4 St. Elizabeth vs. No. 1 Ursuline, approximately 8 p.m. This will be the third meeting this year between the teams. Ursuline will be looking for the sweep against the Vikings, winning 55-50 Jan. 6 at home and 51-42 Feb. 11 at the St. E Center.
St. Elizabeth has a balanced team that plays well together, having returned all but one starter from last year. Seniors Macy Robinson and Sabrina Hackendorn provide scoring and leadership for their young teammates. Starters Gabby Julian and Alex Thomas also return from last year’s starting lineup, with junior Jordyn Humes and freshman Alanna Speaks also playing big minutes.
For Ursuline, the biggest weapon is junior Adrianna Hahn, the returning player of the year. She has the green light to shoot and is particularly effective from three-point range. Sophomore Kailyn Kampert is an effective offensive option, as is her classmate, Alyssa Irons. The lone senior in the starting lineup, Laura Hurff, is a defensive stalwart and leader on the floor.
The teams met under similar circumstances in last year’s semifinals. Ursuline had won both regular-season games, but the Vikings eked out a 44-42 win in the tournament on their way to the state championship.
Tickets for tonight’s doubleheader are $8 and available at diaa.ticketleap.com or at the Bob. The championship game is Friday night at 7 p.m. at the Bob Carpenter Center.
