Dialog reporter
WILMINGTON – Padua got off to a good start Feb. 4 against the Hun School, but the visitors from Princeton, N.J., took control in the middle quarters to earn a 53-41 victory.
Michelle Kozicki paced the Pandas in the first quarter, scoring six points, two of which came on a nice runout where Haley Scott found Kozicki with a length-of-the-court pass. Anna Maguire kept Hun in it, scoring nine of the Raiders’ 13 points as Padua had a two-point advantage after one.
Hun forward Juda Jones caused problems for Padua beginning in the second quarter. Padua’s Bella Julian hit a corner three early on, but Hun climbed back into the game. The Raiders took the lead with 3:18 to go when Jones drained a three-point shot and was fouled on the shot. The four-point play put Hun in front, 22-20. The score was 22-21 at the half.
A short run to open the third made it 28-23 in favor of the Raiders, but Julian hit another three to close the gap. That would be the Pandas’ only field goal of the quarter, however, and Jones scored eight points as Hun took an eight-point advantage into the final stanza.
Padua tightened its defense in the fourth and rediscovered its scoring touch, but could not close the gap. Hun’s lead grew to 14; forward Alexis Howell had eight points in the quarter. Jones finished with 23 for the Raiders, while Howell and Maguire added 11 each.
Julian led the Pandas with 13; Kozicki and Cam Scully each contributed eight. Padua (3-11) is back in action at home on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. against St. Mark’s.
