Dialog reporter
WILMINGTON – Lexi Bromwell scored 18 points, but it was not enough as St. Elizabeth fell, 58-44, to Roland Park (Md.) Country Day School at the Diamond State Classic at the St. E Center on Dec. 27. The teams are playing for the St. Francis Healthcare Cup, the classic’s national bracket.
The Reds jumped out to a 5-0 lead on two field goals by Aniyah Carpenter before the game was a minute old, but St. Elizabeth rallied to take its only lead at 8-7 on back-to-back three-point shots by Alanna Speaks. The Vikings, however, could not overcome the turnover bug, and Roland Park earned multiple opportunities to score with its offensive rebounding. The visitors from Maryland led by three after the first.
The game turned in the second quarter. The running-and-gunning Reds came out firing. Six players scored for the Reds in the period, led by Jeydah Johnson with seven. Roland Park scored the first 12 points of the second, increasing its lead to 24-9 until Bromwell hit a three-pointer to stop the bleeding. The Reds finished with 23 points in the second, while the Vikings managed a respectable 14.
Bromwell nearly single-handedly kept the Vikings in the game in that quarter. She scored 12 of her team’s points on a pair of threes, an old-fashioned three-point play, and three more foul shots. Julie McCarron added the other field goal.
St. Elizabeth took better care of the basketball after halftime, and Bromwell opened the third with a bucket to make it a 10-point margin. The Vikings ran into some bad luck as several shots looked to be good, only to bounce out of the cylinder, and the Reds used a five-point run to build the lead back to 15 at 42-27.
The deficit was a dozen heading into the final quarter, and Sarah Metz provided some excitement to open with a hoop and harm. The made free throw cut the Reds’ lead to 44-35. After a turnover, Bromwell scored on a layup to make it a seven-point game, but Johnson snuffed out the momentum with a big three-point shot. Roland Park built the lead to as high as 16 to seal the win.
The Vikings (2-2) will play again on Thursday against Msgr. Scanlan (N.Y.) at 12:30 p.m. Carpenter led the Reds with 18. They play again on Thursday at 4 p.m. vs. Ventura (Calif.).
