Three-point sharpshooter Caleb Matthews is one of the reasons Smyrna is ranked No. 2 statewide in boys basketball.

THE NEWS JOURNAL/DELAWAREONLINE RANKINGS

BOYS BASKETBALL

1. Mount Pleasant (5-0) prev. 1

2. Smyrna (5-0) 2

3. St. Georges (3-0) 3

4. Salesianum (4-0) 4

5. Appoquinimink (4-1) 5

6. Sanford (1-3) 6

7. A.I. du Pont (5-1) 7

8. St. Elizabeth (4-1) NR

9. Cape Henlopen (3-1) 9

10. Woodbridge (4-0) 8

GIRLS BASKETBALL

1. Ursuline (3-1) 1

2. Sanford (1-1) 2

3. St. Elizabeth (2-1) 3

4. Caesar Rodney (6-0) 4

5. Caravel (4-1) 5

6. Conrad (7-0) 6

7. Archmere (5-1) 8

8. Concord (3-1) 7

9. Hodgson (3-1) 9

10. William Penn (3-0) 10

WRESTLING

DIVISION I

1. Smyrna (2-0) 1

2. Sussex Central (2-0) 2

3. Cape Henlopen (3-0) 3

4. Caesar Rodney (1-2) 4

5. Salesianum (0-0) 5

DIVISION II

1. Milford (2-0) 1

2. St. Georges (0-1) 2

3. Sanford (0-0) 3

4. Hodgson (2-0) 5

5. Laurel (1-2) NR

BOYS SWIMMING

1. Charter of Wilmington (4-0) 1

2. Salesianum (2-0) 2

3. Conrad (2-1) 3

4. St. Andrew’s (3-1) 4

5. Concord (3-1) 5

GIRLS SWIMMING

1. Ursuline (2-0) 1

2. Charter of Wilmington (4-0) 2

3. Cape Henlopen (4-0) 3

4. Archmere (2-0) 4

5. Padua (3-0) 5

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ

The Ursuline basketball team is the defending DIAA champion and currently ranked No. 1 in Delaware.

But that means nothing this week, as the Raiders once again head into the great unknown at the Diamond State Classic.

The 26th annual girls basketball tournament runs Tuesday through Friday at St. Elizabeth, with Ursuline, again entered in the eight-team Saint Francis Healthcare Cup, the event’s national bracket.

“We want to represent our state, and we’re proud of Delaware,” Raiders coach John Noonan said. “We’re proud to be in that bracket, but it’s hard. It’s a tough, tough bracket.

“It could be an 0-3 week, or it could be a 3-0 week. We’ve just got to work hard, get out there and compete.”

Ursuline’s first game comes at 6:15 p.m. Tuesday against Redondo Union (California). The Sea Hawks (2-2) will be 2,733 miles away from home when they take the floor at the St. E Center. That alone is enough to earn Noonan’s respect.

“They’ve got a good crop of returning players,” Noonan said. “They play fast, push the ball, pressure on ‘D,’ so they sound like a very challenging team. You don’t come 3,000 miles to lose.”

The tournament hosts are back in the top bracket as well. St. Elizabeth (2-1), currently ranked third statewide, will meet Roland Park Country School of Baltimore at 8 p.m. Tuesday.

“I put them back up in the top bracket because I want my group to be challenged,” Vikings coach Dan Cooney said. “The more they’re challenged, the better off we’ll be when state tournament time comes. This is going to be a great measure for us.”

Roland Park (6-1) will certainly be a tall order. The Reds opened the season with a 70-60 win over Ossining (New York), which had been ranked No. 5 nationally by USA Today. Their only loss came against nationally top-ranked Paul VI (Virginia).

“It’s nothing but positive,” Cooney said. “To go against great competition from out of state… just the experience of that, I can’t think of anything better.”

The Saint Francis opener at 1:15 p.m. Tuesday features 2014 DSC champion Cumberland Valley (Pennsylvania), which is 5-0, against St. Rose (New Jersey), which is 3-0 with a 69.3-point average margin of victory.

St. Rose, ranked 11th nationally by maxpreps.com, returns much of a team that thumped Ursuline 47-31 in the DSC’s third-place game last season. The Purple Roses had plenty of options but wanted to return for another go in Delaware.

“They were being invited everywhere, Arizona, Florida. Everybody wanted them,” Cooney said. “But the coaching staff and the kids wanted to come back to the Diamond State Classic. That shows a lot about what this group is putting together as a Christmas tournament. It’s one of the best in the country.”

The other Saint Francis opening-round game features Monsignor Scanlan (New York), which is 4-2, against the 9-1 Cougars of Ventura (California) at 3 p.m. Tuesday.

Three other four-team brackets will be contested, as the DSC features a total of 20 teams. St. Mark’s, Wilmington Friends, Cape Henlopen and Perryville (Maryland) will compete Tuesday and Wednesday in the New Castle Insurance Cup.

Howard, William Penn, Padua and Institute of Notre Dame (Maryland) will go in the Delaware Cup, which will be contested on Wednesday and Friday. Caesar Rodney, Hodgson, Caravel and Damascus (Maryland) will play in the First State Orthopaedics Cup on Wednesday and Thursday.

Proceeds from the Diamond State Classic support the B+ Foundation, Special Olympics Delaware and Kay’s Kamp. The tournament is also participating in a food drive in conjunction with the St. Vincent DePaul Society. High school students who bring a canned good or non-perishable food item and show a valid school ID will be admitted free.

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ

DIAMOND STATE CLASSIC SCHEDULE

All games played at the St. E Center, 1500 Cedar Street, Wilmington

TUESDAY’S GAMES

New Castle Insurance Cup: St. Mark’s vs. Wilmington Friends, 9:45 a.m.

New Castle Insurance Cup: Cape Henlopen vs. Perryville (Maryland), 11:30 a.m.

Saint Francis Healthcare Cup: Cumberland Valley (Pennsylvania) vs. St. Rose (New Jersey), 1:15 p.m.

Saint Francis Healthcare Cup: Monsignor Scanlan (New York) vs. Ventura (California), 3

Opening ceremonies, 4:45

Special Olympics game, 5:30

Saint Francis Healthcare Cup: Ursuline vs. Redondo Union (California), 6:15

Saint Francis Healthcare Cup: St. Elizabeth vs. Roland Park Country School (Maryland), 8

WEDNESDAY’S GAMES

New Castle Insurance Cup third-place game: St. Mark’s-Friends loser vs. Cape Henlopen-Perryville loser, 10:45 a.m.

Delaware Cup: Howard vs. William Penn, 12:30 p.m.

Delaware Cup: Padua vs. Institute of Notre Dame (Maryland), 2:15

New Castle Insurance Cup championship game: St. Mark’s-Friends winner vs. Cape Henlopen-Perryville winner, 4

First State Orthopaedics Cup: Caesar Rodney vs. Hodgson, 5:45

First State Orthopaedics Cup: Caravel vs. Damascus (Maryland), 7:30

THURSDAY’S GAMES

Saint Francis Healthcare Cup losers’ bracket: Cumberland Valley-St. Rose loser vs. Ursuline-Redondo Union loser, 10:45 a.m.

Saint Francis Healthcare Cup losers’ bracket: Monsignor Scanlan-Ventura loser vs. St. Elizabeth-Roland Park loser, 12:30 p.m.

Saint Francis Healthcare Cup winners’ bracket: Cumberland Valley-St. Rose winner vs. Ursuline-Redondo Union winner, 2:15

Saint Francis Healthcare Cup winners’ bracket: Monsignor Scanlan-Ventura winner vs. St. Elizabeth-Roland Park winner, 4

First State Orthopaedics Cup third-place game: Caesar Rodney-Hodgson loser vs. Caravel-Damascus loser, 5:45

First State Orthopaedics Cup championship game: Caesar Rodney-Hodgson winner vs. Caravel-Damascus winner, 7:30

FRIDAY’S GAMES

Saint Francis Healthcare Cup seventh-place game: pairings TBA, 9:30 a.m.

Saint Francis Healthcare Cup fifth-place game: pairings TBA, 11:15 a.m.

Delaware Cup third-place game: Howard-William Penn loser vs. Padua-Institute of Notre Dame loser, 1 p.m.

Saint Francis Healthcare Cup third-place game: pairings TBA, 2:45

Saint Francis Healthcare Cup championship game: pairings TBA, 4:15

Delaware Cup championship game: Howard-William Penn winner vs. Padua-Institute of Notre Dame winner, 6

Guard Alisha Lewis (1) will lead top-ranked Ursuline into the Diamond State Classic against Redondo Union (California) on Tuesday at St. Elizabeth.

Top-ranked Mount Pleasant has floated through its first five boys basketball games, racking up a 32.8-point average margin of victory with the closest win of 22 points.

It would be fine with coach Lisa Sullivan if the easy times continued all season, but she knows they won’t. The Green Knights are expecting a major challenge when they play at No. 9 Cape Henlopen at 9 p.m. Tuesday to cap the opening day of the annual Slam Dunk to the Beach showcase.

“The opportunity hasn’t been there, so I don’t know how we’re going to do,” Sullivan said of playing a close game. “I think it will be a great experience. You want to see growth in every game, so this will be great for us. Cape is a good team, well coached.”

The Vikings (3-1) will be playing in front of a jazzed up home crowd, with juniors Randy Rickards (6-foot-5) and Ian Robertson (6-6) sure to provide an all-court challenge. Mount Pleasant counters with a pair of dynamic sophomores in KVonn Cramer (6-5) and point guard Fah’Mir Ali (5-11).

“We’re awfully young,” Sullivan said. “Not really young in age, but in playing experience at this level. Every game, we’re just trying to get better. We want to compete right now, but we want to peak come playoff time.”

Slam Dunk to the Beach will again feature some of the nation’s best boys high school teams and players. Three teams – No. 10 Patrick School (New Jersey), No. 15 Roselle Catholic (New Jersey) and No. 17 Neumann-Goretti (Philadelphia) – are currently ranked in the USA Today Super 25.

The biggest attraction of all may be Westtown School of nearby West Chester, Pennsylvania. The Moose feature 6-7 forward Cameron Reddish, ranked fourth nationally among his class by ESPN; and Mohamed Bamba, a 6-11 senior center who has yet to select a college but is already being projected by many as a top-five pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.

Neumann-Goretti point guard Quade Green, ranked 21st overall in the ESPN 100, recently signed with Kentucky. His teammate, 6-9 forward Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree, is headed to Villanova. Baltimore Poly forward De’Vondre Perry (6-6) has signed with Temple.

Gray Collegiate (South Carolina) guard Jalek Felton, ranked 23rd in the ESPN 100, has signed with North Carolina. Bishop Loughlin (New York) guard Keith Williams (6-4) has signed with Cincinnati.

Patrick School features 6-11 center Nick Richards (rated 12th by ESPN), a Kentucky signee. The Celtics have other seniors who have signed with Tulane, Minnesota and Monmouth.

Paul VI Catholic (Virginia) gets big plays from 6-2 guard Aaron Thompson, who has signed with Pittsburgh. Perennial power St. Benedict’s (New Jersey) is highlighted this season by Bourame Sidibe, a 6-11 center headed to Syracuse.

Smyrna (5-0), ranked second in Delaware, will get the showcase started at noon Tuesday against Bishop McNamara (Maryland). The Eagles will return at 12:30 Thursday to take on defending DIAA champion Sanford, which is off to an uncharacteristic 1-3 start.

Sanford will also meet Archbishop Wood (Pennsylvania) at 6 p.m. Wednesday. Mount Pleasant will return to play St. Michael’s (Ontario, Canada) at 11 a.m. Thursday, with host Cape Henlopen closing the 18-game event at 9 p.m. Thursday against Eleanor Roosevelt (Maryland).

Tickets are $55 for a three-day pass, $25 per day or $15 per three-game session. Tickets are available at the door, online at www.slamdunktothebeach.com or by phone at (800) 441-7223, ext. 2.

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ

SLAM DUNK TO THE BEACH SCHEDULE

TUESDAY’S GAMES

Noon – Smyrna vs. Bishop McNamara (Maryland)

1:30 – Patrick School (New Jersey) vs. St. Raymond (New York)

3 – Bishop Loughlin (New York) vs. Baltimore Poly (Maryland)

6 – Archbishop Wood (Pennsylvania) vs. Roselle Catholic (New Jersey)

7:30 – Neumann-Goretti (Pennsylvania) vs. Paul VI (Virginia)

9 – Cape Henlopen vs. Mount Pleasant

WEDNESDAY’S GAMES

Noon – Eleanor Roosevelt (Maryland) vs. St. Michael’s (Ontario)

1:30 – Our Savior New American (New York) vs. Bishop McNamara (Maryland)

3 – Bishop Loughlin (New York) vs. Paul VI (Virginia)

6 – Archbishop Wood (Pennsylvania) vs. Sanford

7:30 – Sagemont School (Florida) vs. St. Benedict’s Prep (New Jersey)

9 – Westtown School (Pennsylvania) vs. Gray Collegiate (South Carolina)

THURSDAY’S GAMES

11 a.m. – Mount Pleasant vs. St. Michael’s (Ontario)

12:30 p.m. – Sanford vs. Smyrna

2 – Sagemont School (Florida) vs. Baltimore Poly (Maryland)

6 – Our Savior New American (New York) vs. Westtown School (Pennsylvania)

7:30 – Gray Collegiate (South Carolina) vs. St. Benedict’s Prep (New Jersey)

9 – Cape Henlopen vs. Eleanor Roosevelt (Maryland)

Mount Pleasant guard Fah’Mir Ali (left), shown here against Glasgow, will lead the Green Knights against Cape Henlopen on Tuesday at Slam Dunk to the Beach.

WILMINGTON – The Cape Henlopen girls basketball team had been having trouble getting off to good starts this season.

That wasn’t a problem Tuesday during the Vikings’ first game in the Diamond State Classic.

Cape screamed out to a 14-1 lead in the first 2:46 and never looked back on the way to a 52-19 victory over Perryville (Maryland).

“It was almost as if we were taking the first hit, and then we were having to fight our way back,” Vikings coach Lauren Carra said. “We were putting ourselves in a hole, and with as young as this team is, mostly sophomores and juniors, it’s hard to have to bounce back like that.”

There was no need to bounce back this time. Cape controlled the Panthers (0-3) from the opening tip, hitting six of its first eight shots, including 3 of 4 from behind the 3-point arc.

“When we practice, our coach helps us with our shot,” said junior Sydney Pedersen, who hit three 3s on the way to a game-high 13 points. “We just hype each other up when it comes to shooting, and when you’re open, shoot it.”

The Vikings got open early and often. Pederson dropped a 3 from the right wing, Niya Mosley converted a turnover into a fast-break layup, Carly Truitt canned a 3 from the right corner and Pederson swished another deep 3 for a 14-1 lead with 5:14 still remaining in the first quarter.

“It’s been a work in progress for us this season,” Carra said. “We’re hitting our stride right now, which is a good time.”

The Vikings created much of their offense with their defense, forcing Perryville into seven turnovers in the first four minutes. Abby E’Nama, a 6-foot-2 senior, added an intimidating presence inside with eight blocked shots for the game.

“We’ve been putting a lot of emphasis on the defensive end of the floor,” Carra said. “Putting pressure on the basketball, making teams uncomfortable.”

The Vikings led 22-5 after the first quarter and stretched it to 35-8 at the half.

Cape Henlopen (4-2) advanced to meet Wilmington Friends in the championship game of the New Castle Insurance Cup bracket at 4 p.m. Wednesday. Carra said tempo will be key against the Quakers.

“At times, we let teams take us out of our game,” said Carra, a former University of Delaware standout. “We’re looking to just play Cape basketball and play the way we’re capable of playing.”

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ

Cape Henlopen freshman guard Dania Cannon goes up for a layup in the second quarter against Perryville in the opening round of the New Castle Insurance Cup at the Diamond State Classic Tuesday.

Cape Henlopen guard Carly Truitt tries to maintain possession while surrounded by Perryville defenders in the third quarter of the opening round of the New Castle Insurance Cup at the Diamond State Classic Tuesday.

Cape Henlopen guard Dania Cannon puts up a shot in the third quarter while surrounded by Perryville defenders in the opening round of the New Castle Insurance Cup at the Diamond State Classic Tuesday.

Cape Henlopen forward Phelisha Scott secures the rebound from Perryville forward Teri Wennersten in the opening round of the New Castle Insurance Cup at the Diamond State Classic Tuesday.

Delaware’s top-ranked team appeared to be cruising to victory at the Slam Dunk to the Beach boys high school basketball showcase on Tuesday night.

Mount Pleasant built an 11-point halftime lead, only to see the hosts from Cape Henlopen totally erase it in the third quarter. But the Green Knights pulled it back together and grinded out a 48-42 victory to cap the opening night of the three-day, 18-game hoops festival in Lewes.

Guard Fah’Mir Ali finished with 13 points and high-flying forward KVonn Cramer hit all five of his shots from the field on the way to 11 points and seven rebounds for Mount Pleasant (6-0).

A layup by Randy Rickards gave Cape Henlopen (3-2) its first lead, 30-28, with 1:09 left in the third quarter. Two free throws by Izaiah Dadzie pushed the Vikings ahead 32-28 going into the final frame.

Ali rallied for a layup and a jumper to give the Green Knights a 35-32 advantage with 4:59 to play. The Vikings tied it at 37 on a 3-pointer by Ian Robertson at the 4:02 mark. But Ali’s layup pushed Mount ahead for good, and a dunk by Cramer made it 41-37 with 3:10 remaining.

Another Robertson 3-pointer pulled Cape within one, but the Vikings couldn’t regain the lead. Cory Barnes led Cape with 12 points, while Rickards had nine points and 12 rebounds and Robertson had eight points and eight rebounds.

Bishop McNamara 52, Smyrna 49: A fast start wasn’t enough to sustain Delaware’s No. 2-ranked team, as Smyrna lost to Bishop McNamara of Forestville, Md., in the opening game of the day.

The Eagles (5-1) jumped out to a 17-9 lead after one quarter, as they shot 7 of 13 from the floor (53.8 percent) and hit three 3-pointers.

Bishop McNamara (2-8) quickly closed the gap, outscoring Smyrna 22-9 in the second quarter to lead 31-26 at halftime. The Mustangs stretched the margin to 47-38 after three quarters.

Caleb Matthews and Jaymeir Garnett led Smyrna with 13 points each. Garnett added a team-high six rebounds, and Dymere Richardson scored 12 points. Azubuike Nwanko, the Eagles’ promising 7-foot junior center, hit all four of his shots from the field and finished with eight points and five rebounds.

Bishop McNamara got 21 points from Garrett Kirkland, 14 from Makhi Mitchell and 11 from Johnathan McGriff.

Archbishop Wood 83, Roselle Catholic 72: Collin Gillespie’s 21 point led four scorers in double figures as the Vikings (5-2) from Warminster, Pa., survived a fourth-quarter rally to knock off the Lions (3-1) from Roselle, N.J., who are ranked 15th nationally by USA Today.

Tyree Pickron scored 19, and Matt Cerutti and Andrew Funk each added 15 as Archbishop Wood built a 65-47 lead through three quarters. Nazeron Reid, ranked the No. 6 junior power forward by ESPN, led Roselle with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Kahlil Whitney scored 19 and Temple signee Nate Pierre-Louis added 17 points and four assists for Roselle.

Paul VI Catholic 56, Neumann-Goretti 50: Pittsburgh signee Aaron Thompson finished with 11 points, six assists and five steals as the Panthers (7-1) from Fairfax, Va., downed the Saints (2-4) from Philadelphia, who are ranked 17th nationally by USA Today.

Brandon Slater, rated the No. 10 junior small forward by ESPN, added 14 points and eight rebounds and Jeremy Roach also scored 14 for Paul VI.

Point guard Quade Green, a Kentucky signee, was not in the lineup for Neumann-Goretti. The Saints got 21 points and 12 rebounds from Villanova signee Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree and 11 points and seven boards from Mike Milsip.

Patrick School 70, St. Raymond 65: Minnesota signee Jamir Harris pumped in 16 points and Kentucky signee Nick Richards, a 6-11 center, added seven points and 15 rebounds as the Celtics (4-4) from Elizabeth, N.J., got past the Ravens (2-3) from Bronx, N.Y.

St. Raymond’s Isaiah Washington, signed to be Harris’ teammate at Minnesota next season, finished with 23 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

Bishop Loughlin 73, Baltimore Poly 67: Cincinnati signee Keith Williams finished with 26 points and six rebounds as the Lions (6-2) from Brooklyn, N.Y., outlasted the Engineers (4-4).

Bishop Loughlin’s Markquise Nowell, rated the No. 14 junior point guard by ESPN, added 16 points. Tyrese Gaffney contributed 15.

Temple signee De’Vondre Perry led Baltimore Poly with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Demetrius Mims added 21 points and Torrin Stephens had 12 points and six rebounds.

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ

The Annual Slam Dunk to the Beach Basketball Tournament started at Cape Henlopen High School in Lewes on Tuesday December 27th with Smyrna HS (white) hosting Bishop McNamara HS from Forestville, Md.

Smyrna’s #10 Caleb Matthews pass’s the ball around Bishop McNamara’s Makhel Mitchell as The Annual Slam Dunk to the Beach Basketball Tournament started at Cape Henlopen High School in Lewes on Tuesday December 27th with Smyrna HS (white) hosting Bishop McNamara HS from Forestville, Md.

Smyrna’s Anthony Watson grabs a rebound as The Annual Slam Dunk to the Beach Basketball Tournament started at Cape Henlopen High School in Lewes on Tuesday December 27th with Smyrna HS (white) hosting Bishop McNamara HS from Forestville, Md.

Smyrna’s #5 Jaymeir Garnett gets 2 points as Bishop McNamara’a Makhel Mitchell attempts block as The Annual Slam Dunk to the Beach Basketball Tournament started at Cape Henlopen High School in Lewes on Tuesday December 27th with Smyrna HS (white) hosting Bishop McNamara HS from Forestville, Md.

Smyrna’s #14 Anthony Watson goes up for points as The Annual Slam Dunk to the Beach Basketball Tournament started at Cape Henlopen High School in Lewes on Tuesday December 27th with Smyrna HS (white) hosting Bishop McNamara HS from Forestville, Md.

Smyrna’s #10 Caleb Matthews goes for 2 points against Bishop McNamara’s #34 Makhel Mitchell as The Annual Slam Dunk to the Beach Basketball Tournament started at Cape Henlopen High School in Lewes on Tuesday December 27th with Smyrna HS (white) hosting Bishop McNamara HS from Forestville, Md.

Smyrna’s #14 Anthony Watson pass’s the ball to #3 Zion Cole as The Annual Slam Dunk to the Beach Basketball Tournament started at Cape Henlopen High School in Lewes on Tuesday December 27th with Smyrna HS (white) hosting Bishop McNamara HS from Forestville, Md.

Smyrna’s #23 Akeem Ferrell drives for the basket as Bishop McNamara’s #32 Makhi Mitchell moves in as The Annual Slam Dunk to the Beach Basketball Tournament started at Cape Henlopen High School in Lewes on Tuesday December 27th with Smyrna HS (white) hosting Bishop McNamara HS from Forestville, Md.

Smyrna’s #33 Azubuike Nwankwo grabs a rebound as The Annual Slam Dunk to the Beach Basketball Tournament started at Cape Henlopen High School in Lewes on Tuesday December 27th with Smyrna HS (white) hosting Bishop McNamara HS from Forestville, Md.

Smyrna’s #5 Jaymeir Garnett makes a basket past Bishop McNamara’s Brandon Joyner as The Annual Slam Dunk to the Beach Basketball Tournament started at Cape Henlopen High School in Lewes on Tuesday December 27th with Smyrna HS (white) hosting Bishop McNamara HS from Forestville, Md.

Smyrna’s #5 Jaymeir Garnett goes for points as Bishop McNamara’s Brandon Joyner defends as The Annual Slam Dunk to the Beach Basketball Tournament started at Cape Henlopen High School in Lewes on Tuesday December 27th with Smyrna HS (white) hosting Bishop McNamara HS from Forestville, Md.

Smyrna’s #24 Iyair Hinson-Purnell moves the ball past Bishop McNamara defenders as The Annual Slam Dunk to the Beach Basketball Tournament started at Cape Henlopen High School in Lewes on Tuesday December 27th with Smyrna HS (white) hosting Bishop McNamara HS from Forestville, Md.

Smyrna’s #10 Caleb Matthews drives for the basket as The Annual Slam Dunk to the Beach Basketball Tournament started at Cape Henlopen High School in Lewes on Tuesday December 27th with Smyrna HS (white) hosting Bishop McNamara HS from Forestville, Md.

WILMINGTON – Superior guard play can take you a long way.

It took Ursuline to a 39-26 victory over Redondo Union (California) on Tuesday night at the Diamond State Classic.

The opening-round victory in the Saint Francis Healthcare Cup, the tournament’s eight-team national bracket, moved the Raiders (3-1) into the semifinals against St. Rose of Belmar, New Jersey, at 2:15 p.m. Thursday.

Junior Maggie Connolly and sophomore Alisha Lewis handled the ball expertly against the Sea Hawks’ ferocious pressure and combined for 32 points as Delaware’s top-ranked team proved to be too much for the visitors from California.

“We have two very experienced, very skilled, confident guards,” Raiders coach John Noonan said. “In high school, they can control a game. That’s exactly what those two kids did tonight.”

Redondo Union came charging at the ball at all times early, but Ursuline knew what to expect.

“We knew they were going to be a good team. We practiced against their pressure,” said Connolly, who finished with 22 points. “From the scouting report, we knew they were a high-pressure defense. I think we were well-prepared from our coaching staff.”

The Raiders led 8-5 after one quarter, with both teams playing lockdown ‘D.’ Ursuline began to assert itself a little more offensively in the second quarter, as Lewis fed Connolly for a layup with 1:11 to play and Connolly hit an off-balance scoop shot with the clocking ticking down for a 20-12 halftime lead.

“They were up in our face, hands up all the time,” Lewis said.

The Raiders led 28-20 with 2:14 left in the third quarter, but Redondo Union made a major push. The Sea Hawks scored four points in the final 4.4 seconds of the quarter, as Jasmine Davis hit two free throws and Alyssa Munn turned a turnover into a buzzer-beating layup to pull the Californians within 28-26.

“We had some lapses, for sure,” Noonan said. “We gave them a layup, threw the ball away underneath the basket. … We were a little concerned with the depth, because they have more than we do.”

There was no need to worry. Connolly scored all 11 points in the fourth quarter, as the Raiders played some stout defense of their own. Ursuline held Redondo Union to 9 of 33 from the field (27.3 percent) for the game.

Connolly salted it away from the free-throw line, making 6 of 6 over the final 3:35.

“We shoot a lot of them in practice,” she said. “We practice them, and I want to score for my teammates.”

Lewis added 10 points for the Raiders, who will be looking to avenge a 47-31 loss to St. Rose in last year’s third-place game in this tournament.

“They’re a good team,” Noonan said of the Purple Roses. “They’re definitely a challenge, and we’re looking forward to it. This is all a measuring stick.”

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ

DIAMOND STATE CLASSIC SCHEDULE

All games played at the St. E Center, 1500 Cedar Street, Wilmington

TUESDAY’S SCORES

New Castle Insurance Cup: Wilmington Friends 52, St. Mark’s 43

New Castle Insurance Cup: Cape Henlopen 52, Perryville (Maryland) 19

Saint Francis Healthcare Cup: St. Rose (New Jersey) 44, Cumberland Valley (Pennsylvania) 29

Saint Francis Healthcare Cup: Ventura (California) 53, Monsignor Scanlan (New York) 44

Saint Francis Healthcare Cup: Ursuline 39, Redondo Union (California) 26

Saint Francis Healthcare Cup: Roland Park Country School (Maryland) 58, St. Elizabeth 44

WEDNESDAY’S GAMES

New Castle Insurance Cup third-place game: St. Mark’ vs. Perryville (Maryland), 10:45 a.m.

Delaware Cup: Howard vs. William Penn, 12:30 p.m.

Delaware Cup: Padua vs. Institute of Notre Dame (Maryland), 2:15

New Castle Insurance Cup championship game: Wilmington Friends vs. Cape Henlopen, 4

First State Orthopaedics Cup: Caesar Rodney vs. Hodgson, 5:45

First State Orthopaedics Cup: Caravel vs. Damascus (Maryland), 7:30

THURSDAY’S GAMES

Saint Francis Healthcare Cup losers’ bracket: Cumberland Valley (Pennsylvania) vs. Redondo Union (California), 10:45 a.m.

Saint Francis Healthcare Cup losers’ bracket: Monsignor Scanlan (New York) vs. St. Elizabeth, 12:30 p.m.

Saint Francis Healthcare Cup winners’ bracket: St. Rose (New Jersey) vs. Ursuline, 2:15

Saint Francis Healthcare Cup winners’ bracket: Ventura (California) vs. Roland Park, 4

First State Orthopaedics Cup third-place game: Caesar Rodney-Hodgson loser vs. Caravel-Damascus loser, 5:45

First State Orthopaedics Cup championship game: Caesar Rodney-Hodgson winner vs. Caravel-Damascus winner, 7:30

FRIDAY’S GAMES

Saint Francis Healthcare Cup seventh-place game: pairings TBA, 9:30 a.m.

Saint Francis Healthcare Cup fifth-place game: pairings TBA, 11:15 a.m.

Delaware Cup third-place game: Howard-William Penn loser vs. Padua-Institute of Notre Dame loser, 1 p.m.

Saint Francis Healthcare Cup third-place game: pairings TBA, 2:45

Saint Francis Healthcare Cup championship game: pairings TBA, 4:15

Delaware Cup championship game: Howard-William Penn winner vs. Padua-Institute of Notre Dame winner, 6

Ursuline’s Magie Connolly puts up a shot in the second half of Ursuline’s 39-26 win over Redondo Union High School in the Diamond State Classic at St. Elizabeth High School in Wilmington on Tuesday night.

Ursuline’s Alisha Lewis is fouled as she drives to the basket between Redondo Union’s Dylan Horton (left) and Alyssa Munn (right) in the second half of Ursuline’s 39-26 win over Redondo Union High School in the Diamond State Classic at St. Elizabeth High School in Wilmington on Tuesday night.

Ursuline’s Alisha Lewis (right) collides with Redondo Union’s Anna Johnson (left) as they chase down a loose ball in the second half of Ursuline’s 39-26 win over Redondo Union High School in the Diamond State Classic at St. Elizabeth High School in Wilmington on Tuesday night.

Ursuline’s Yanni Hendley-Mccalla drives to the basket against Redondo Union’s Nicole Swift in the first half of Ursuline’s 39-26 win over Redondo Union High School in the Diamond State Classic at St. Elizabeth High School in Wilmington on Tuesday night.

Ursuline’s Yanni Hendley-Mccalla puts up a shot in the first half of Ursuline’s 39-26 win over Redondo Union High School in the Diamond State Classic at St. Elizabeth High School in Wilmington on Tuesday night.

Ursuline’s Alisha Lewis (No. 1) drives to the basket through a group of Redondo Union defenders in the first half of Ursuline’s 39-26 win over Redondo Union High School in the Diamond State Classic at St. Elizabeth High School in Wilmington on Tuesday night.

Ursuline’s Magie Connolly is fouled as she cuts to the basket through a pair of Redondo Union defenders in the first half of Ursuline’s 39-26 win over Redondo Union High School in the Diamond State Classic at St. Elizabeth High School in Wilmington on Tuesday night.

WILMINGTON – St. Elizabeth girls basketball coach Dan Cooney knew Roland Park Country School was going to hit the boards hard.

And sometimes, even if you know what’s coming, you’re unable to stop it. The rebounding of the visitors from Baltimore made the difference in a 58-44 victory for the Reds on Tuesday night at the Diamond State Classic.

St. Elizabeth (2-2), ranked third in Delaware, fought valiantly but couldn’t recover from a 12-0 run that opened the second quarter for Roland Park (7-1).

“I had tape on them and just saw how athletic they were,” Cooney said. “We tried to stress about their rebounding, but we got killed with rebounding because they want to rebound. They beat us there.”

The Reds turned a 12-9 lead into a 24-9 lead, with Christyn Robinson appropriately capping the run with a score off an offensive rebound.

Aniyah Carpenter led Roland Park with 16 points. Jeydah Johnson scored 12 and 5-foot-10 freshman Mir McLean pounded away for 11 points and 15 rebounds as the Reds advanced to play Ventura (California) in the semifinals of the Saint Francis Healthcare Cup, the tournament’s eight-team national bracket, at 4 p.m. Thursday.

Senior guard Lexi Bromwell repeatedly drove into the Reds’ defense on the way to a game-high 18 points for St. Elizabeth, which will face Monsignor Scanlan (New York) in a losers’ bracket game at 12:30 Thursday.

“Lexi Bromwell played incredibly,” Cooney said. “If it wasn’t for her, this game is not even at 58-44. She did absolutely everything for us tonight. Now if I can get the others to join her, we’ll be all right.”

Wilmington Friends 52, St. Mark’s 43: Natalie DePaulo pumped in 23 points and Jayna Jones added 14 as the Quakers (1-2) got past the Spartans (1-3).

Friends hit 21 of 28 free throws to pull away. The Quakers will meet Cape Henlopen in the championship game of the four-team New Castle Insurance Cup at 4 p.m. Wednesday.

Angel Lorang and Kayla Wolff each scored 11 points for St. Mark’s, which will play Perryville (Maryland) in the third-place game at 10:45 a.m. Wednesday.

Ventura (California) 53, Monsignor Scanlan (New York) 44: Jazmin Carrasco scored 14 points and Aubrey Knight and Emily Herring added 12 each as the Cougars (10-1) won a Saint Francis Healthcare Cup opener.

Ventura will meet Roland Park in the national bracket semifinals at 4 p.m. Thursday. Monsignor Scanlan (4-3) got 13 points from Channel Williams.

St. Rose (New Jersey) 44, Cumberland Valley (Pennsylvania) 29: The Purple Roses (4-0) built a 16-5 lead after one quarter and never looked back in a first-round Saint Francis Healthcare Cup win.

St. Rose, which got 13 points from Mikayla Markham and 12 from Luciana Thomas, will meet Ursuline in the national bracket semifinals at 2:15 p.m. Thursday.

Addison Kirkpatrick scored 13 for Cumberland Valley, which will take on Redondo Union (California) in a losers’ bracket game at 10:45 a.m. Thursday.

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ

St. Elizabeth’s Alanna Speaks (No. 30) drives to the basket against a pair of Roland Park defenders in the first half of St. Elizabeth’s 58-44 loss to Roland Park Country School in the Diamond State Classic at St. Elizabeth High School in Wilmington on Tuesday night.

St. Elizabeth’s Alanna Speaks (No. 30) steals the ball from Roland Park’s Aniyah Carpenter in the first half of St. Elizabeth’s 58-44 loss to Roland Park Country School in the Diamond State Classic at St. Elizabeth High School in Wilmington on Tuesday night.

St. Elizabeth’s Sarah Metz loses the ball as she collides with Roland Park’s Jeydah Johnson under the basket in the first half of St. Elizabeth’s 58-44 loss to Roland Park Country School in the Diamond State Classic at St. Elizabeth High School in Wilmington on Tuesday night.

WILMINGTON – The Wilmington Friends girls basketball team came into the Diamond State Classic at 0-2.

The Quakers left as the New Castle Insurance Cup champions on Wednesday after holding off Cape Henlopen 31-26 in the four-team bracket’s championship game at the St. E Center.

“It totally changes the spirit of this team,” Friends coach Carolyn Connors said. “It gives us a ton of confidence to go into the rest of the season, to know that we can compete with teams like Cape Henlopen and teams like St. Mark’s.”

Friends (2-2) got past St. Mark’s 52-43 in its tournament opener on Tuesday, as Natalie DePaulo scored 23 points. DePaulo was at it again Wednesday, finishing with 13 points and 18 huge rebounds on the way to the bracket’s MVP honors.

“It was tough,” DePaulo said. “They had a couple of really tall people. I just tried to work my strength inside, box out and get those loose balls.”

The Quakers got off to an incredible start. Margaret Sullivan drove for a layup, Jayna Jones scored on an inbounds play, DePaulo hit a free throw, Alice Irwin banked in an 18-footer and Sullivan dropped a 15-footer as Friends took an 11-0 lead.

“That was a big confidence booster for us, because we knew they were going to be tough coming in,” Connors said. “That was a really good start for us.”

Cape Henlopen (4-3) couldn’t get the lid off its basket until Niya Mosley made a jumper with 2:07 left in the first quarter. It was totally different than Tuesday, when the Vikings scored 14 points in the first 2:46 on the way to a 52-19 victory over Perryville (Maryland).

“The last two days was a perfect example of what we’ve been going through this season, our inconsistency,” Cape coach Lauren Carra said. “We had a high yesterday, and today was one of the lows.”

The Vikings trailed 18-4 with 4:22 left in the first half, but scored the next seven points and climbed within 18-11 on an NBA-range 3-pointer from Sydney Pedersen at the halftime buzzer.

Friends’ lead fluctuated between five and seven points for much of the second half, but Cape pulled within 28-26 on a free throw by Dania Cannon with 2:18 to play.

But the Vikings, who hit just 12 of 44 (27.3 percent) from the field, couldn’t score again. DePaulo scored off of Sullivan’s assist to put it away.

“It’s going back to the fundamentals,” Carra said of her team’s approach going forward. “It’s playing the game of basketball and knowing where you’re supposed to be and when you’re supposed to be there.”

Jones added nine points and six rebounds for Friends, while Mosley scored eight for Cape.

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ.

Cape Henlopen guard Alia Marshall (right) guards Margaret Sullivan of Wlimington Friends who lead late in the second half.

Cape Henlopen guard Alia Marshall drives to the basket and scores.

Wilmington Friends coach Carolyn Connors gestures to her players from courtside.

Cape Henlopen guard Alia Marshall (left) grabs the jersey of Wilmington Friends guard Alice Irwin as they set up for the inbound pass with seconds left in the game. Wimington Friends wins with a final score of 31-26.

Cape Henlopen guard Alia Marshall gets all kinds of contact as she drives to the basket in the second half.

Cape Henlopen coach Lauren Carra at courtside as they trail Wilmington Friends in the second half.

Cape Henlopen guard Dania Cannon watches her opponent as they take on Wilmington Friends in the Diamond State Classic at St. Elizabeths School.

Cape Henlopen guard Alia Marshall drives for two in the first half.

Wilmington Friends center Jayna Jones (center) battles for the rebound.

Cape Henlopen guard Alia Marshall dribbles around a defender and scores.

Cape Henlopen guard Dania Cannon (right) drives around Wilmington Friends’ Natalie DePaulo and sinks the basket for two.

Wilmington Friends center, Jayna Jones gets immediate pressure after getting the ball.

Cape Henlopen guard Alia Marshall gets around several defenders in the first half.

Wilmington Friends forward Natalie DePaulo (center) is sandwiched between two Cape Henlopen players, Alia Marshall (left) and Melanie McCloy in the Diamond State Classic at St. Elizabeths School.

Cape Henlopen stand arm and arm during the singing of the National Anthem as they take on Wilmington Friends in the Diamond State Classic at St. Elizabeths School.

Wilmington Friends guard, Margaret Sullivan drives to the basket for the first points of the game against Cape Henlopen.

Cape Henlopen guard Carly Truitt (right) makes contact with Wilmington Friends center Jayna Jones who passes the ball off in the first half.

Caesar Rodney Kylie Kornegay (15), RIGHT, defends Hodgson Vo-Tech Guard Imani Henry-Butler (23) during a Diamond State Classic game Wed. Dec. 28, 2016 at Saint Elizabeth’s High School in Wilmington.

WILMINGTON – The Caesar Rodney girls basketball team kept its hot start rolling on Wednesday, rolling past Hodgson 46-31 in the Diamond State Classic at the St. E Center.

The fourth-ranked Riders (7-0) held the No. 9 Silver Eagles 22 points below their season scoring average. Hodgson hit only 15 of 54 (27.8 percent) shots from the field.

“Our defense was good, and we shared the ball,” CR coach Bill Victory said. “It was a good effort all the way around.”

The victory in the opening round of the First State Orthopaedics Cup moved the Riders into the four-team bracket’s championship game against Damascus (Maryland) at 7:30 p.m. Thursday.

CR jumped out to a 7-2 lead midway through the first quarter, as Kylie Kornegay made a layup and Brionna Brooks scored on a fast break and bombed a 3-pointer. The Silver Eagles’ Ja-Naiah Perkins-Jackson went coast to coast to pull Hodgson within 9-8 after one frame.

The Riders scored the last six points of the half, as Alissa Haith hit a 10-footer and Kornegay turned a steal into a layup and made two free throws for a 21-16 lead.

CR kept it rolling after the break, opening the second half on a 10-2 run. Alexis Reid dropped a couple of foul shots and Haith made an off-balance jumper for a 31-18 cushion.

It was the second time the non-conference foes had played this season, as the Riders also defeated Hodgson 70-61 at home on Dec. 6.

“I hope I don’t see them ever again,” Victory said with a laugh. “They’re a tough bunch to deal with, really physical and aggressive. I love the way they play.”

Haith led CR with 14 points, and Brooks added 11. Kayla Braxton-Young scored 14 for the Silver Eagles.

Damascus (Maryland) 39, Caravel 38: The Hornets (7-1) erased a four-point deficit in the final 2:28 and rallied to win the other opening-round game in the First State Orthopaedics Cup.

Tori Marella scored 13, Kalynn Sefcik added 12 and Tiana Stewart chipped in 11 for Damascus. Kaylee Otlowski led the fifth-ranked Buccaneers (4-2) with 10 points.

Institute of Notre Dame 41, Padua 15: Ja’Lyn Armstrong scored 12 points – including 6 of 8 free throws – as the visitors from Baltimore dominated the Pandas in a Delaware Cup game.

Anastasia Marvridis scored four points for Padua (1-4), which will meet William Penn in the third-place game at 1 p.m. Friday.

St. Mark’s 53, Perryville (Maryland) 31: Kendra Schweizer dropped in 17 points and Kayla Wolff added 10 as the Spartans (2-3) cruised to an easy victory in the third-place game of the New Castle Insurance Cup. Brianna Yadlosky led Perryville with 14 points.

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ.

DIAMOND STATE CLASSIC SCHEDULE

All games played at the St. E Center, 1500 Cedar Street, Wilmington

WEDNESDAY’S GAMES

New Castle Insurance Cup third-place game: St. Mark’s 53, Perryville (Maryland) 31

Delaware Cup: Howard 43, William Penn 32

Delaware Cup: Institute of Notre Dame (Maryland) 41, Padua 15

New Castle Insurance Cup championship game: Wilmington Friends 31, Cape Henlopen 26

First State Orthopaedics Cup: Caesar Rodney 46, Hodgson 31

First State Orthopaedics Cup: Damascus (Maryland) 39, Caravel 38

THURSDAY’S GAMES

Saint Francis Healthcare Cup losers’ bracket: Cumberland Valley (Pennsylvania) vs. Redondo Union (California), 10:45 a.m.

Saint Francis Healthcare Cup losers’ bracket: Monsignor Scanlan (New York) vs. St. Elizabeth, 12:30 p.m.

Saint Francis Healthcare Cup winners’ bracket: St. Rose (New Jersey) vs. Ursuline, 2:15

Saint Francis Healthcare Cup winners’ bracket: Ventura (California) vs. Roland Park, 4

First State Orthopaedics Cup third-place game: Hodgson vs. Caravel, 5:45

First State Orthopaedics Cup championship game: Caesar Rodney vs. Damascus, 7:30

FRIDAY’S GAMES

Saint Francis Healthcare Cup seventh-place game: pairings TBA, 9:30 a.m.

Saint Francis Healthcare Cup fifth-place game: pairings TBA, 11:15 a.m.

Delaware Cup third-place game: William Penn vs. Padua, 1 p.m.

Saint Francis Healthcare Cup third-place game: pairings TBA, 2:45

Saint Francis Healthcare Cup championship game: pairings TBA, 4:15

Delaware Cup championship game: Howard vs. Institute of Notre Dame (Maryland), 6

Hodgson Vo-Tech Guard Kayla Braxton-Young (3), (RIGHT) walks off the court in tears after a 46-31 Diamond State Classic lost to Caesar Rodney Wed. Dec. 28, 2016 at Saint Elizabeth’s High School in Wilmington.

Hodgson Vo-Tech Guard Ja-Naiah Perkins-Jackson (1) dribbles the ball up the floor during a Diamond State Classic game Wed. Dec. 28, 2016 at Saint Elizabeth’s High School in Wilmington.

Caesar Rodney Kylie Kornegay (15) defends Hodgson Vo-Tech Guard Kayla Braxton-Young (3) during a Diamond State Classic game Wed. Dec. 28, 2016 at Saint Elizabeth’s High School in Wilmington.

Caesar Rodney Center Zoe Scott (3) blocks Hodgson Vo-Tech Guard Kayla Braxton-Young (3) shot attempt during a Diamond State Classic game Wed. Dec. 28, 2016 at Saint Elizabeth’s High School in Wilmington.

Caesar Rodney Alissa Haith (21) attempts a outside jump shot during a Diamond State Classic game Wed. Dec. 28, 2016 at Saint Elizabeth’s High School in Wilmington.

WILMINGTON – It had been 13 days since the girls basketball teams from Howard and William Penn had played a game, so there was some rust to shake off.

The Colonials got off to the better start, but the Wildcats ruled the final three quarters as Howard exploited its size advantage in a 43-32 victory over 10th-ranked William Penn on Wednesday at the Diamond State Classic.

The Wildcats (3-2) fell behind 10-4 after one quarter, but coach Curtis Clack wasn’t worried.

“We just dug deep,” Clack said. “We’ve been off for a week and a half almost, so I expected us to come out a little slow, a little sluggish. But I told them to just maintain what we normally do, and we should be all right.”

Howard chipped away in the second quarter, pulling within 14-12 on a 15-footer by Ronnasia Blatch-Huggins and taking an 18-17 halftime lead on Kaamilah Diabate’s layup off a nice assist from Na’Leigha Wright.

Then the Wildcats really cranked it up, scoring 15 of the first 17 points in the third quarter. Kayla Rouse had three of the buckets, and Blatch-Huggins assisted on Wright’s layup to push the Howard lead to 33-19 with 3:02 remaining in the third quarter.

“We passed the ball more, and we just hustled,” said Rouse, who dominated inside with 17 points and 14 rebounds.

Rouse, a 6-foot-1 junior, starts alongside 6-foot senior Ronnasia Blatch-Huggins and 6-foot sophomore Ronnay Blatch-Huggins on the Wildcats’ front line. Those three combined for 23 rebounds as the Wildcats won the battle of the boards 36-29.

“We definitely try to utilize our size advantage as much as possible,” Clack said. “But we also have some pretty decent guards, and we try to get them featured as well. We play inside out.”

Ronnasia Blatch-Huggins added 10 points for Howard, which advanced to play Institute of Notre Dame from Baltimore in the championship game of the Delaware Cup bracket at 6 p.m. Friday.

William Penn (3-1) got 15 points and six rebounds from Shanira Mitchell, and five points, five rebounds and nine steals from speedy senior Alize Felton. The Colonials will meet Padua in the Delaware Cup third-place game at 1 Friday.

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ.

William Penn Micah Yarbray (left) and teammate Alize Felton battle for the loose ball with Howard guard Na’Leigha Wright battles for the loose ball in the second half. William Penn loses to Howard high with a final score of 43-32.

William Penn guard Alize Felton is surrounded by two Howard defenders Shannon Winnington and Ronnasia Blatch-Huggins in the second half.

William Penn coach Neil Webster shouts from the bench as they trail Howard High in the second half.

William Penn forward Jessica Behomar (right) makes contact with Howard center Kayla Rouse as she drives to the basket.

William Penn guard Alize Felton (center) gets pressure from Howard defenders Jaymail Hollis (right) and Shannon Winnington (left).

LEWES – Archbishop Wood of Warminster, Pa., closed out a spectacular two-day run in the Slam Dunk to the Beach boys high school basketball showcase with a 72-47 victory over perennial Delaware power Sanford on Wednesday at Cape Henlopen High.

The Vikings (6-2) knocked off Roselle Catholic (N.J.) – ranked 15th in the latest USA Today Super 25 – 83-72 on Tuesday. Archbishop Wood kept it rolling against the defending Delaware state champs, building a 24-14 lead after one quarter and stretching it to 38-23 at the half.

Matt Cerutti led the Vikings with 20 points, including 3 of 4 behind the 3-point arc. Collin Gillespie added 18 points, nine rebounds and six assists, and Keith Otto and Tyree Pickron scored 10 each.

Sanford (1-4) was led by promising 6-foot-5 freshman Jyare Davis’ 18 points and six rebounds.

Westtown School 70, Gray Collegiate 68: Mo Bamba, a spectacular 6-11 senior rated as the nation’s No. 2 high school player by ESPN, hit a layup at the buzzer and finished with 27 points and 13 rebounds as the Moose (13-2) from West Chester, Pa., overcame the War Eagles (3-5) from West Columbia, S.C., in the night’s final game.

Bamba has yet to make a college selection, but is already seen by many as a top-five pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. The senior went 12 for 12 from the field and added three assists. Jake Forrester added 17 points and seven rebounds, and Arizona signee Brandon Randolph scored 13 for Westtown. Cameron Reddish, rated the nation’s No. 1 junior small forward by ESPN, added six points, five assists and four rebounds.

North Carolina signee Jalek Felton had a monster game for Gray Collegiate, hitting 7 of 9 3-pointers on the way to 39 points, six rebounds and four assists. Juwan Gary, rated the No. 5 sophomore small forward by ESPN, added 16 points and eight rebounds.

St. Benedict’s Prep 70, Sagemont School 53: Syracuse signee Bourama Sidibe put up 13 points and eight rebounds as the Grey Bees (9-1) from Newark, N.J., erupted for 28 points in the first quarter and cruised past the Lions (9-6) from Weston, Fla.

St. Benedict’s also got 17 points, six rebounds and six assists from Najja Hunter and 16 points and five boards from Matthue Cotton. Sagemont was led by 13 points and six rebounds from Connecticut signee Tyler Polley and 13 points from Samir Stewart.

Bishop Loughlin 82, Paul VI Catholic 79: Cincinnati signee Keith Williams cranked out 32 points and 11 rebounds as the Lions (8-1) survived a back-and-forth battle for their second win in two days.

The lead changed hands seven times in the fourth quarter. A layup by Tyrese Gaffney gave Bishop Loughlin, from Brooklyn, an 80-76 lead with 29 seconds to play. Brandon Slater’s 3-pointer pulled Paul VI, from Fairfax, Va., within 80-79 with 19 seconds remaining.

Jordan Thomas hit two free throws to push the Lions’ lead back to 82-79 with 12 seconds to go, and the Panthers missed a potential tying 3-point attempt in the final seconds.

Markquis Nowell added 14 points and 10 assists for Bishop Loughlin, which defeated Baltimore Poly 73-67 on Tuesday. Freshman guard Jeremy Roach scored 26 for Paul VI (6-3). Anthony Harris and Slater each added 20 points.

Bishop McNamara 57, Our Savior New American 52: Johnathan McGriff had 15 points and six rebounds as the Mustangs from Forestville, Md., completed a 2-0 Slam Dunk appearance with a narrow victory over the Pioneers from Centereach, N.Y.

Garrett Kirkland added 13 points and Mahkel Mitchell contributed 11 points and six rebounds for Bishop McNamara (3-8), which slipped past Smyrna 52-49 in the showcase’s opening game on Tuesday. Boubacar Diakite, a 6-foot-8 junior who has committed to St. John’s, led Our Savior New American (4-1) with 20 points and 13 rebounds.

Eleanor Roosevelt 65, St. Michael’s College School 45: Jaden Faulkner and Augustine Okafor each scored 12 points as the Raiders (3-2) from Greenbelt, Md., pulled away with a 14-3 run in the third quarter.

Harvard signee Danilo Djuricic led the Blue Leprechauns (10-6) from Toronto with 17 points and 12 rebounds.

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ.

Sanford School’s Jyare Davis with the jumper against Archbishop Wood during the Slam Dunk to the Beach on Wednesday, Dec 28, 2016. Final Score Sanford School- 47 ,Archbishop Wood- 72

Sanford School’s Marcus McCollum with the jumper over Archbishop Wood during the Slam Dunk to the Beach on Wednesday, Dec 28, 2016. Final Score Sanford School- 47 ,Archbishop Wood- 72

Sanford School’s Sean Williams with the jumper against Archbishop Wood during the Slam Dunk to the Beach on Wednesday, Dec 28, 2016. Final Score Sanford School- 47 ,Archbishop Wood- 72

Sanford School’s Jyare Davis with the jumper against Archbishop Wood during the Slam Dunk to the Beach on Wednesday, Dec 28, 2016. Final Score Sanford School- 47 ,Archbishop Wood- 72

Sanford School’s Stan Waterman during the match up against Archbishop Wood during the Slam Dunk to the Beach on Wednesday, Dec 28, 2016. Final Score Sanford School- 47 ,Archbishop Wood- 72

Sanford School’s Jyare Davis with the jumper against Archbishop Wood during the Slam Dunk to the Beach on Wednesday, Dec 28, 2016. Final Score Sanford School- 47 ,Archbishop Wood- 72

Sanford School’s Jyare Davis drives to the net against Archbishop Wood during the Slam Dunk to the Beach on Wednesday, Dec 28, 2016. Final Score Sanford School- 47 ,Archbishop Wood- 72

Sanford School’s Corey Perkins with the jumper against Archbishop Wood during the Slam Dunk to the Beach on Wednesday, Dec 28, 2016. Final Score Sanford School- 47 ,Archbishop Wood- 72

Sanford School’s Jyare Davis drives to the net against Archbishop Wood during the Slam Dunk to the Beach on Wednesday, Dec 28, 2016. Final Score Sanford School- 47 ,Archbishop Wood- 72

Smyrna’s Jaymeir Garnett (5) makes a basket over Sanford’s Marcus McCollum.

LEWES – Sanford came into its second game at the Slam Dunk to the Beach boys high school basketball showcase with a very uncharacteristic 1-4 record.

Then the Warriors sent a statement to the rest of the First State:

We’re still here. And we’re still pretty good.

Sanford fell behind early, then roared past No. 2-ranked Smyrna on Thursday afternoon at Cape Henlopen High. The sixth-ranked Warriors broke a four-game losing streak in a big way, leading by 14 late before cruising to a 64-54 victory.

“I think a lot of people after seeing us lose a couple of games were kind of like, ‘They’re not as good as they were last year,’” said 6-foot-5 freshman Jyare Davis, who led the Warriors with 26 points and 12 rebounds. “Maybe that is true, but I think we still have a chance to win a state championship this year.”

Just like they did last year, when Sanford collected its eighth DIAA title. But Delaware Player of the Year Mikey Dixon graduated from that team, and the Warriors started two freshmen, a sophomore and two seniors on Thursday.

Sanford lost three games at a tournament in Potomac, Md., by an average of 22.3 points two weekends ago, then lost 72-47 to Archbishop Wood of Warminster, Pa., here on Wednesday night. But when the Warriors got back in the ring with a Delaware opponent, it was a different story.

Smyrna (5-2) got off to a hot start, as Jaymeir Garnett hit a 14-footer and Anthony Watson dropped a deep 3-pointer and two more buckets for a 9-2 lead. But Sanford got a corner 3 from Ryan Friedman and running jumper from Connor Rufo to pull within 9-7 after one quarter.

“I think guys were actually beginning to press a little bit,” Warriors coach Stan Waterman said. “I think you saw that in the first quarter, coming off a four-game losing streak, really having not played well. But they maintained their composure, they stayed with it and began to execute a little bit better.”

Davis hit two free throws, Rufo popped off a screen for a layup and Davis drained a 3 off Rufo’s assist as Sanford closed the second quarter on a 7-2 run for a 30-23 halftime lead.

“Now he’s one of the older guys, and we need him to step up and be one of the major cogs,” Waterman said of Rufo, a senior who complemented Davis with 11 points. “Today was probably the first time we’ve seen it from him this year, but that’s the kind of effort we have to get from him.”

They got more of it in the third quarter, as Rufo hit a 3 from the left corner to blunt a Smyrna rally and push the margin back to 42-36.

“They were double teaming Jyare, and it just so happened I was open in the corner and I knocked it down,” Rufo said. “I was in the right place at the right time.”

The Warriors scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter to put it away. Corey Perkins dropped a 3 from the left wing, Davis hit a running floater off a steal and Marcus McCollum’s fast-break layup made it 49-36 with 6:37 to go.

Waterman said the key was slowing Eagles sharpshooter Caleb Matthews. The junior led Smyrna with 15 points, but seven came in the final 3:34 as he went 5 of 13 from the field and 1 of 6 from beyond the 3-point arc.

“We wanted to be intentional about not letting Matthews get started,” Waterman said. “I thought if we could keep him under control, everybody else we may be able to cancel out.”

Smyrna, which also lost to Bishop McNamara of Forestville, Md., 52-49 on Tuesday, was left to regroup.

“We got a healthy dose of adversity down here this week, which is great,” Eagles coach Andrew Mears said. “It will give us something to work on and some ways to just kind of retool, reset and refocus as we move forward.”

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ.

Sanford’s Sean Williams (4) drives to the basket as Smyrna’s Caleb Matthews defends.

Sanford’s Ryan McKeon (5) makes a play for the ball against two Smyrna defenders.

Smyrna’s Azubuike Nwankwo (33) blocks a Sanford player’s shot .

Smyrna’s Caleb Matthews (10) moves the ball against the Sanford defense.

Sanford’s Marcus McCollum (24) gets teamed up on by Smyrna players during Thursday action at the Slam Dunk to the Beach, held at Cape Henlopen.

Mt. Pleasant’s Keon Taylor (3) shoots against St. Michael’s defender Chimelie Chibututu as Mount Pleasant defeated St. Michael’s College School from Toronto, Ontario in the opening game at the Slam Dunk to the Beach on Thursday.

LEWES – There were a lot of things that could have derailed the Mount Pleasant boys basketball team on Thursday.

An 11 a.m. tipoff. An opponent from a foreign country. An illness that sidelined their head coach.

The Green Knights overcame it all with ease, dispatching St. Michael’s College School of Toronto 69-43 at the Slam Dunk to the Beach showcase at Cape Henlopen High.

“It was kind of rough. We had to get up and get going,” Mount Pleasant’s KVonn Cramer said. “We knew we had to bring up the energy.”

It turned out to be smooth sailing for Delaware’s top-ranked team. Cramer, a 6-foot-5 sophomore, dominated inside with 22 points as the Green Knights improved to 7-0. And he did it against a Blue Raiders team that started 6-9 senior Atik Gilao and added a couple of big guys off the bench.

“I saw their size and I said, ‘We’re going to have a little competition down low,’” Cramer said. “But it worked out.”

St. Michael’s (10-7) had it going early, jumping to a 7-2 lead in the first two minutes. But the Green Knights quickly took control, closing the first quarter on a 13-2 run. Cramer dropped in three consecutive layups, Brian Miles bombed a 3-pointer from the top of the key and Fah’Mir Ali banked in a runner for a 20-12 lead.

Mount Pleasant was fueled by its struggles in its first game here, as the Green Knights had to erase a fourth-quarter deficit to overcome host Cape Henlopen 48-42 on Tuesday.

“We kind of didn’t play well in that first game against Cape, so the kids were eager to get back on the floor and show everybody how we can really play,” said assistant coach Will Johnson, who filled in ably for ailing head coach Lisa Sullivan.

Mount kept it rolling in the second quarter, scoring the first 13 points. Keon Taylor capped the run with a three-point play for a 33-12 lead with 3:21 left in the half.

The Blue Raiders made 9 of 39 3-point attempts in a 65-45 loss to Eleanor Roosevelt of Greenbelt, Md., on Wednesday night, so the Green Knights knew what was coming. They held St. Michael’s to 7 of 24 beyond the arc.

“When we saw them play yesterday, we knew they shot the ball well, took almost 40 3s,” Johnson said. “So we knew we had to contest everything with our guards and kind of help from the inside out. The kids really bought into what I asked them to do defensively, and I think that got our offense going.”

Miles added 11 points, and Ali controlled the tempo with six points, eight assists and four steals. Kyle Duke-Simpson led St. Michael’s with 16 points.

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ.

Mt. Pleasant’s Ny’Jere Hodge (5) throws ball to Brian Miles (5) during the opening game at the Slam Dunk to the Beach on Thursday.

Mt Pleasant’s #33 KVonn Cramer goes for 2 points as St. Michael’s Chimelie Chibututu attempts block as Mount Pleasant HS (white) defeated St. Michael’s College School from Toronto, Ontario in the opening game on Thursday December 29th at the Slam Dunk to the Beach, held at Cape Henlopen HS near Lewes.

Mt Pleasant’s #32 Isaiah McCready gets congratulated after scoring the final basket as Mount Pleasant HS (white) defeated St. Michael’s College School from Toronto, Ontario in the opening game on Thursday December 29th at the Slam Dunk to the Beach, held at Cape Henlopen HS near Lewes.

Mt Pleasant’s #33 KVonn Cramer drives for the basket as St. Michael’s defenders Kobey Lam and Nana Akuamoah-Boateng as Mount Pleasant HS (white) defeated St. Michael’s College School from Toronto, Ontario in the opening game on Thursday December 29th at the Slam Dunk to the Beach, held at Cape Henlopen HS near Lewes.

Mount Pleasant HS (white) defeated St. Michael’s College School from Toronto, Ontario in the opening game on Thursday December 29th at the Slam Dunk to the Beach, held at Cape Henlopen HS near Lewes.

WILMINGTON – Nine years ago, 6-foot-5 Elena Delle Donne led the Ursuline basketball team to the national bracket championship at the Diamond State Classic.

The Raiders didn’t have anyone within five inches of that height Friday, but they all stood tall.

Alisha Lewis fed Olivia Mason for a huge bucket with 20 seconds left, and Ursuline scored the final six points to edge away for a 47-40 victory over Roland Park Country School of Baltimore in the championship game of the Saint Francis Healthcare Cup – DSC’s eight-team top bracket – at the St. E Center.

The Raiders became the first Delaware team to win it since Delle Donne, now a WNBA MVP and Olympic gold medalist keyed their sweep in 2007. St. Elizabeth came close in 2013, falling to McDonogh School (Md.) in the final.

Ursuline has been in the national bracket every year, chasing another title. The Raiders (6-1), the defending DIAA champions and currently the state’s top-ranked team, got it done behind 14 points from Maggie Connolly, 11 from Mason and nine from bracket MVP Lewis.

“We’ve been here. We’ve been 0-3, we’ve been 1-2, we’ve been 2-1, but we’ve never been 3-0,” Ursuline coach John Noonan said. “The competition was phenomenal, very tough. I’m just really proud of our kids.”

Roland Park (8-2) had only lost to Paul VI Catholic of Fairfax, Va., the nation’s top-ranked team. The Reds got off to a flying start, as Jeydah Johnson splashed a 3-pointer and Aniyah Carpenter drove the baseline for a 5-0 lead.

But Ursuline quickly found its stride, as Kryshell Gordy drove for a score, Connolly scored on an inbounds play and Lewis hit a free throw for an 11-9 lead after one quarter.

It was nip and tuck all the way, with four lead changes and four ties through the second and third quarters. Yanni Hendley-McCalla drove for the first score of the final period to put the Raiders up 35-32.

Johnson, who led the Reds with 15 points, missed eight 3-point attempts in a row in the first half. But the LIU-Brooklyn signee heated up when it counted most, dropping back-to-back 3s to pull Roland Park within 39-38 with 1:38 to play.

The Raiders were clinging to a 41-40 lead in the final minute and appeared to be running the clock down awaiting a Roland Park foul when Lewis unexpectedly drove into the lane and dished to Mason for a giant layup and a three-point lead with 20 seconds to go.

“She makes a one-handed bounce pass. Oh man, what do you say?” Noonan said. “People are yelling at me, ‘Take a timeout!’ It was crazy. But I’m a believer in let the kids play. I believe in them. They’ve proven it time and time again.

“I don’t want them overthinking. You see somebody open, give it to them. You catch it, finish it.”

Lewis followed Noonan’s aggressive approach to perfection.

“That play was amazing,” she said. “… I wanted to score it, keep going, and then she made the layup and that kept us up for the rest of the game.”

Mason, who scored all of her points in the second half, took Lewis’ pass in stride and converted.

“Alisha had a great drive, and then I was just in the right spot at the right time and I finished it,” she said.

Trailing 43-40, the Reds were trying to free Johnson for a potential tying 3-point attempt when they were whistled for a moving screen with 9.3 seconds left. Roland Park coach Scott Buckley ran onto the court to object and, after being given an opportunity to back off by a second official, ultimately was given a technical foul.

Connolly, who has repeatedly made big late-game foul shots the last two seasons, dropped two more. Then she did it again after a Reds foul with 6.3 seconds remaining to put it away.

“I get nervous, so I don’t know how it keeps going in,” Connolly said. “My teammates are always backing me, so it’s a confidence booster.”

The Raiders won three games in four days, downing Redondo Union (Calif.) 39-26 on Tuesday and holding off St. Rose (N.J.) – ranked 11th nationally by maxpreps.com – 54-51 in the semifinals on Thursday. When Friday’s game was finished, Lewis recapped the week perfectly.

“It’s crazy special,” she said.

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ

Ursuline’s Kryshell Gordy holds the championship trophy as she celebrates with teammates following Ursuline Academy’s 47-40 win over Roland Park Country School in the Diamond State Classic at St. Elizabeth High School in Wilmington on Friday evening.

Ursuline’s Alisha Lewis celebrates following Ursuline Academy’s 47-40 win over Roland Park Country School in the Diamond State Classic at St. Elizabeth High School in Wilmington on Friday evening.

Ursuline’s Maggie Connolly drives to the basket in the second half of Ursuline Academy’s 47-40 win over Roland Park Country School in the Diamond State Classic at St. Elizabeth High School in Wilmington on Friday evening.

Teammates celebrate a basket by Alisha Lewis in the second half of Ursuline Academy’s 47-40 win over Roland Park Country School in the Diamond State Classic at St. Elizabeth High School in Wilmington on Friday evening.

Ursuline’s Alisha Lewis puts up a shot over Roland Park’s Rain Green (No. 5) in the second half of Ursuline Academy’s 47-40 win over Roland Park Country School in the Diamond State Classic at St. Elizabeth High School in Wilmington on Friday evening.

Ursuline head coach John Noonan leans back as he watches a shot in the second half of Ursuline Academy’s 47-40 win over Roland Park Country School in the Diamond State Classic at St. Elizabeth High School in Wilmington on Friday evening.

Ursuline’s Yanni Hendley-Mccalla fights for rebound position with Roland Park’s Christyn Robinson (left) in the second half of Ursuline Academy’s 47-40 win over Roland Park Country School in the Diamond State Classic at St. Elizabeth High School in Wilmington on Friday evening.

Ursuline’s Olivia Mason (right) fights for a loose ball with Roland Park’s Christyn Robinson (left) in the first half of Ursuline Academy’s 47-40 win over Roland Park Country School in the Diamond State Classic at St. Elizabeth High School in Wilmington on Friday evening.

Ursuline’s Maggie Connolly (left) fights for a loose ball with Roland Park’s Christyn Robinson (right) in the first half of Ursuline Academy’s 47-40 win over Roland Park Country School in the Diamond State Classic at St. Elizabeth High School in Wilmington on Friday evening.

Ursuline’s Maggie Connolly drives to the basket against Roland Park’s Aniyah Carpenter in the first half of Ursuline Academy’s 47-40 win over Roland Park Country School in the Diamond State Classic at St. Elizabeth High School in Wilmington on Friday evening.

The Howard Wildcats are all smiles after winning the Delaware Cup at the Diamond State Classic girls basketball tournament on Friday at the St. E Center.

WILMINGTON – The Howard girls basketball team completed a little history on Friday at the Diamond State Classic.

Na’Leigha Wright scored all eight of her points in the fourth quarter as the Wildcats broke open a close game and defeated the Institute of Notre Dame 48-38 to win the Delaware Cup at the St. E Center.

It marked the first time in the Diamond State Classic’s 26-year history that Delaware teams swept all four brackets of the four-day, 20-team event. In addition to Howard, Ursuline won the Saint Francis Healthcare Cup, Caesar Rodney took the First State Orthopaedics Cup and Wilmington Friends earned the New Castle Insurance Cup.

“We were able to utilize our size, try to get them in foul trouble, and we made our foul shots in the second half,” Howard coach Curtis Clack said.

Bracket MVP Ronnay Blatch-Huggins scored 14 points, and the Wildcats (4-2) hit 7 of 10 free throws in the final quarter.

“I hope this takes us to the next level because that’s the whole idea,” Clack said. “That’s what we’ve been trying to build for the last few years, continue to get better and continue to grow.”

Ja’Lyn Armstrong led Notre Dame (8-4), from Baltimore, with 14 points.

Padua 40, William Penn 37: Chioma Njoku scored 14 points as the Pandas (2-4) held off a fourth-quarter rally from the Colonials (3-2) in the Delaware Cup third-place game. Shanira Mitchell scored 16 for William Penn.

Cumberland Valley 45, St. Elizabeth 33: Katie Jekot scored 15 and Addison Kirkpatrick added 14 as the Eagles (6-2) from Mechanicsburg, Pa., outlasted the Vikings (2-4) in the seventh-place game of the Saint Francis Healthcare Cup. Alanna Speaks led St. E with 11 points.

St. Rose 56, Ventura 30: Luciana Thomas scored 15 points as the Purple Roses (6-1) from Belmar, N.J., dominated the Cougars (10-3) from Ventura, Calif., in the Saint Francis Healthcare Cup third-place game.

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ

NATALIE DePAULO, junior, Wilmington Friends girls basketball

THE WEEK: Was named MVP of the New Castle Insurance Cup as the Quakers (2-2) won their four-team bracket at the Diamond State Classic. Scored 23 points – including 14 of 18 free throws – in a 52-43 victory over St. Mark’s, then had 13 points and 18 rebounds in a 31-26 win over Cape Henlopen.

THE VERSATILITY: “Nat is a small power forward, but she can shoot 3s from the outside, so she swings on our team,” Friends coach Carolyn Connors said. “Sometimes she’s a guard, sometimes she plays inside. We know if we get it into her inside, she’s going to make that basket. She uses her body incredibly well.”

THE STRENGTH: “I’ve always been a little bit smaller, but that’s OK,” DePaulo said. “I just use my strength and I use what I have to make myself an effective player inside.”

Wilmington Friends junior Natalie DePaulo was named MVP of the New Castle Insurance Cup as the Quakers defeated Cape Henlopen 31-26 for the title at the Diamond State Classic.

THE WORK: “Nat worked the entire summer and totally transformed her game,” Connors said. “She was a good player last year. She has totally brought a new game, a new Natalie, to Friends School basketball this year. She worked on everything we asked her to work on, and she made tons of improvement.”

THE TITLE: “We don’t get a lot of opportunities to do this,” DePaulo said. “So I’m just really proud of how our team pulled together. I think this is really good, and it’s going to give us some confidence to go forward in the season.”

THE SKILL: “She can post up inside,” Connors said. “She’s got a hook, she can shoot with her right, she can shoot with her left. She is really good inside.”

THE CLASSROOM: DePaulo’s favorite subject is English. “I think it’s interesting,” she said. “I like reading and those kinds of things.”

THE FUTURE: DePaulo is contemplating a career in business or going to law school. But first, she would love to keep playing her favorite sport. “I just love playing basketball, so if I could get to keep doing that in college that would make me really happy,” she said.

Send Athlete of the Week nominations to Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ

Mount Pleasant’s Isaiah McCready (32) is congratulated after scoring the final basket in the Green Knights’ 69-43 win over St. Michael’s of Toronto at Slam Dunk to the Beach on Dec. 29

THE NEWS JOURNAL/DELAWAREONLINE RANKINGS

BOYS BASKETBALL

1. Mount Pleasant (7-0) 1

2. Sanford (2-4) 6

3. St. Georges (3-1) 3

4. Appoquinimink (5-0) 5

5. Smyrna (5-2) 2

6. Salesianum (4-2) 4

7. A.I. du Pont (5-1) 7

8. St. Thomas More (4-3) NR

9. Newark (6-2) NR

10. St. Elizabeth (4-2) 8

GIRLS BASKETBALL

1. Ursuline (6-1) 1

2. Sanford (2-2) 2

3. Caesar Rodney (8-0) 4

4. St. Elizabeth (2-4) 3

5. Caravel (5-2) 5

6. Conrad (7-0) 6

7. Archmere (6-2) 7

8. Concord (3-1) 8

9. Hodgson (3-3) 9

10. Sussex Central (7-1) NR

WRESTLING

DIVISION I

1. Smyrna (2-0) 1

2. Sussex Central (2-0) 2

3. Cape Henlopen (3-0) 3

4. Caesar Rodney (1-2) 4

5. Salesianum (0-0) 5

DIVISION II

1. Milford (2-0) 1

2. St. Georges (0-1) 2

3. Sanford (0-0) 3

4. Hodgson (2-0) 4

5. Laurel (1-2) 5

BOYS SWIMMING

1. Charter of Wilmington (4-0) 1

2. Salesianum (2-0) 2

3. Conrad (2-1) 3

4. St. Andrew’s (3-1) 4

5. Concord (3-1) 5

GIRLS SWIMMING

1. Ursuline (2-0) 1

2. Charter of Wilmington (4-0) 2

3. Cape Henlopen (4-0) 3

4. Archmere (2-0) 4

5. Padua (3-0) 5

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ

PENNY HILL – Going against the Mount Pleasant boys basketball team can be like riding a roller coaster.

The Green Knights can soar to incredible highs, then plunge to inexplicable lows. Then their depth and intensity often pushes them up again to a level the opposition struggles to match.

Fourth-ranked Appoquinimink got off the ride feeling dizzy on Tuesday night, as top-ranked Mount Pleasant thrilled its home fans by pulling away for a 79-60 victory in an early Blue Hen Flight A showdown.

The Green Knights (8-0 overall, 2-0 Flight A) got off to an overwhelming start, as seven of the 11 Mount Pleasant players to play in the first quarter scored early. They reeled off 13 straight points – including an alley-oop slam by KVonn Cramer, a 3-pointer by Ny’Jere Hodges and a straight-off-the-bench jumper by Douglas Sneh for a 13-3 lead with 4:19 left in the opening period.

“It’s defense. Everything starts around our defense and rebounding,” Green Knights coach Lisa Sullivan said. “When we’re out running, playing hard and everybody’s into the game and excited, our energy level is up and a lot of things can go our way.”

It kept going Mount Pleasant’s way, as Ty’Reek Johnson bombed a 3 from the right corner and scored off the offensive glass. Then Keon Taylor hit a floater in the lane and Hodges made a free throw for a 27-11 lead with 6:25 remaining in the second quarter.

“We were playing excellent defense,” Cramer said. “The intensity was up there, and it was just high-paced.”

But suddenly, the Green Knights stopped doing all the things that led to the big lead. And Appo (5-1, 2-1), led by Seton Hall signee Myles Cale and Keith DeLoatch, quickly got back in it.

The Jaguars went on a 22-6 run, including a 9-0 burst on Max Somelofske’s offensive board, two layups by Amir Richardson and a DeLoatch 3-pointer, to tie it at 33 with 1:16 left in the half.

“We’re playing against a pretty good team with a Division I basketball player,” Sullivan said. “I told them it’s going to be a game of runs, and it’s who can run the longest and the fastest is the one that’s going to win the game.”

Sullivan made some adjustments during a quick timeout, and Taylor sandwiched two free throws and a fast-break layup around Hodges’ score off a rebound for a 39-35 halftime lead.

“It’s very important because we get our easy fast breaks and our layups,” Taylor said of the fast-paced first half.

The Green Knights kept pressing that pace in the third quarter. A 12-2 run provided separation, as Cramer, Hodges, and Fah’Mir Ali scored on fast breaks, Cramer banked in a layup and wowed the crowd with an all-alone dunk, and Johnson scored off a rebound to push the lead to 57-43.

“We’re going to have stretches where we don’t play well,” Sullivan said. “We’re still building team chemistry. There are a lot of new kids in our program.”

Two veterans made it click to start the fourth quarter, as Cramer curled off his defender and jammed Taylor’s alley-oop pass for the second time.

“It’s a nice sight to see,” Taylor said Cramer cutting to the basket. “The crowd’s going to go crazy, and he’s going to dunk it.”

Cramer, a 6-foot-5 sophomore, finished with 18 points, 13 rebounds, and four blocks. Taylor scored 14, Johnson had 13, Hodges chipped in 10 and 6-4 DeJon Backus added four points and eight rebounds as Mount Pleasant piled up a 51-24 advantage on the boards. Cale led the Jaguars with 19 points and eight rebounds.

“Knowing that we have the No. 1 ranking, it was a big game,” Cramer said. “Everybody is going to be coming at us, and that was a hard-fought game.”

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ

Mount Pleasant’s Keynon Fetlow (left) blocks a shot from Appoquinimink’s Keith DeLoatch in the first half of Mount Pleasant’s 79-60 win over Appoquinimink High School at Mount Pleasant High School in Wilmington on Tuesday evening.

Mount Pleasant’s Douglas Sneh goes up for a shot over Appoquinimink’s Darrell Jenkins (left) in the first half of Mount Pleasant’s 79-60 win over Appoquinimink High School at Mount Pleasant High School in Wilmington on Tuesday evening.

Mount Pleasant’s Fah’Mir Ali cuts to the basket in the first half of Mount Pleasant’s 79-60 win over Appoquinimink High School at Mount Pleasant High School in Wilmington on Tuesday evening.

Mount Pleasant’s KVonn Cramer goes up for a dunk in the first half of Mount Pleasant’s 79-60 win over Appoquinimink High School at Mount Pleasant High School in Wilmington on Tuesday evening.

Appoquinimink’s Myles Cale (left) leaps to block a shot from Mount Pleasant’s Keon Taylor (right) in the first half of Mount Pleasant’s 79-60 win over Appoquinimink High School at Mount Pleasant High School in Wilmington on Tuesday evening.

Mount Pleasant’s Ny’Jere Hodges celebrates a basket after hitting the floor in the first half of Mount Pleasant’s 79-60 win over Appoquinimink High School at Mount Pleasant High School in Wilmington on Tuesday evening.

Mount Pleasant’s Fah’Mir Ali (right) steals the ball from Appoquinimink’s Myles Cale (left) in the first half of Mount Pleasant’s 79-60 win over Appoquinimink High School at Mount Pleasant High School in Wilmington on Tuesday evening.

Mount Pleasant fans celebrate a dunk by Mount Pleasant’s KVonn Cramer in the first half of Mount Pleasant’s 79-60 win over Appoquinimink High School at Mount Pleasant High School in Wilmington on Tuesday evening.

Newark’s Michael Drumgo-Sharpe is fouled driving through William Penn’s Terin Cochran (center) and Jermal Crumel in the second half of Newark’s 57-53 win Thursday.

NEWARK – Newark’s Michael Drumgo-Sharpe came into Thursday’s game averaging 15.1 points, so William Penn tried to make it tough for the junior guard to score.

The Colonials were having success until Drumgo-Sharpe hit a huge 3-pointer with 1:34 left, then added two clinching free throws as the Yellowjackets edged away for a 57-53 home victory in a key Blue Hen Flight A meeting.

“I don’t believe in pressure,” Drumgo-Sharpe said. “I’ve been here for three years. I know when the ball gets in my hands in a situation like that, my team believes in me and I believe in myself.”

Drumgo-Sharpe wound up reaching his average with 15 points as ninth-ranked Newark (7-2, 3-0) won its fifth in a row. The Yellowjackets’ only losses have come to Pennsylvania heavyweights Cheltenham and Chester, who are a combined 12-4.

“I’m just glad that we were able to hold out,” Newark coach Shannon McCants Sr. said. “A lot of our kids were playing with emotion. … Every game is not going to be a blowout, so I think this was a great test for us.”

William Penn (4-3, 3-1) provided a stern challenge, but went 2:20 without a point in the final 3½ minutes to see its four-game winning streak vanish.

“They’ve got four guards that are really good,” Colonials coach Steve Christensen said. “… We tried to make it difficult on them, but those guys, eventually they’re going to make some shots. They did at the right times for them.”

William Penn’s Brahin Riley (left) and Terin Cochran fight for a rebound with Newark’s Nick Zegna (second from left) and Chaz Knox in the first half of Newark’s 57-53 win Thursday.

William Penn jumped to a 9-2 lead in the first four minutes, only to see Newark go ahead 20-18 on back-to-back layups by Roland Byrd. The Colonials regained the momentum going into halftime, as Dasir King’s 3-pointer beat the buzzer for a 27-23 advantage.

But the Yellowjackets scored the final nine points of the third quarter, surging to a 38-32 lead on a layup by Eric Marshall, steal and layup by Chaz Knox, cutting layup by Kineph Turner and 3-pointer by Drumgo-Sharpe.

“I thought the third quarter really hurt us,” Christensen said. “They outscored us 15-5, so it gave them momentum and then we were trying to catch the game.”

William Penn caught up, taking a 47-46 lead when Terin Cochran muscled in for a layup with 3:29 to play. But the Colonials’ next score didn’t come until King’s offensive rebound with 1:09 remaining.

Newark capitalized. Turner fed Marshall for a layup that became a three-point play. Drumgo-Sharpe hit a free throw, Marshall drove for another score and Drumgo-Sharpe shook free for a 3-ball that stretched the Yellowjackets’ advantage to 55-47 with 1:34 to go.

“A big 3-pointer right there,” McCants Sr. said. “I knew sooner or later, they collapse a lot on defense. So I had one of our guys penetrate in, and he hit a very big 3-pointer.”

Newark’s Kineph Turner goes to the basket against William Penn’s Gerrad Wall and Jordan Harding in the second half of Newark’s 57-53 win Thursday.

The Colonials rallied again, as Cochran hit two foul shots and King scored off the glass again to pull his team within 55-53. But Drumgo-Sharpe’s two free throws clinched it with 5.3 seconds left.

“This is the first team that has played me this close this year,” Drumgo-Sharpe said. “They tried to slow our game down. … Once we started playing our game, started getting aggressive, started getting in their head, started running the floor, they couldn’t keep up with us.”

Marshall added 12 points and Shannon McCants Jr. had nine – all on 3-pointers – for Newark. William Penn won the rebounding battle 36-22, as Cochran had 12 points and seven boards, Absalom Bowling and Gerrad Wall each scored 11 and King added seven points and eight rebounds.

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ.

Newark’s Michael Drumgo-Sharpe is fouled driving through William Penn’s Terin Cochran (center) and Jermal Crumel in the second half of Newark’s 57-53 win Thursday.

NEWPORT – The Conrad girls basketball team hadn’t played a game in 17 days going into Friday’s home showdown against Caravel.

The Buccaneers had played four games in that timeframe, and that continuity showed as No. 5 Caravel screamed to an 18-point lead after one quarter and held sixth-ranked Conrad at bay the rest of the way for a 50-33 victory.

Caravel’s Karli Cauley (left) and Conrad’s Stefanie Kulesza tangle in the second half of Caravel’s 50-33 win at Conrad Friday.

“It’s still not perfect. We still haven’t put it together for four quarters,” Buccaneers coach Kristin Caldwell said. “But for one quarter, and a great start that just uplifted the whole group, that’s what we had today.”

Caravel (6-3) took control immediately. Maia Bryson hit a 12-footer, Kaylee Otlowski banked in a layup and Grace Lange scored off Otlowski’s steal and assist for a 6-0 lead that prompted a Conrad timeout just 1:13 into the game.

“We came out flat, didn’t take care of the ball,” Conrad coach John Kulesza said. “But you’ve got to give Caravel credit. They’re a very talented team, they go deep, and very well coached.”

The onslaught continued, as Otlowski made a 15-footer and Bryson dropped a 3-pointer after Lange’s rebound started a fast break. Sasha Marvel and Otlowski canned jumpers, and Bryson and Marvel made layups off of turnovers for a 20-2 lead.

“Sometimes this season we’ve gotten turnovers and ended up getting nothing out of it at the other end,” Caldwell said. “In the first quarter, we got turnovers and layups. The girls shared the ball. We had forwards running the break and getting assists.”

The Buccaneers’ plan was to run early and often. It worked even better than expected.

“We try to get a lot of baskets off transition, and when all of our teammates are running the floor like we should, we always get a good basket in transition,” Bryson said.

Caravel led 22-4 after one quarter, and 30-15 at the half. But the Buccaneers knew Conrad (7-1) wasn’t going to give in.

“We came out knowing that they were 7-0,” Otlowski said. “We had to play really well, and we came out with a fast start. We just had to keep going from there.”

Conrad pulled within 36-24 on a free throw and jumper by Alyssa Faville with 6:46 remaining. Then Conrad got the ball again with a chance to cut the lead to single digits, but Bryson responded. The junior made a steal that led to Marvel’s layup, then scored off another turnover. Then Karli Cauley drove for a layup that pushed the lead back to 42-24 with 4:17 to play.

Kulesza’s team took the same 17-day break last season, and wound up winning three DIAA tournament games to make a surprising run to the semifinals.

“We use it as a second preseason,” the Conrad coach said. “Last year, we felt it kind of helped us in the middle to the end of the season. Hopefully that does the same this year. Obviously, it didn’t show tonight.”

Caldwell has taken a different scheduling strategy. Caravel’s losses have come to top opponents from Wisconsin, Maryland and Pennsylvania, and the Buccaneers’ next game is at No. 4 St. Elizabeth next Friday.

“Sometimes that’s tough on the kids mentally. It’s hard for them to see the bigger picture that I see,” Caldwell said. “But tough game after tough game after tough game, we’re going to come out all right in March, at the end of it.”

Bryson scored 13, Marvel had 12 points and eight rebounds and Otlowski added 10 points and eight boards for Caravel. Faville led Conrad with 17 points.

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ.