A.I. du Pont’s Nasir Comeger (left) scrambles for a loose ball with St. Mark’s Chris Ludman in the second half of the Tigers’ win Saturday.

GREENVILLE – The A.I. du Pont boys basketball team brushed up on its history before Saturday’s home game against St. Mark’s.

The Tigers knew the Spartans had beaten them three years in a row, a fact that provided the motivation for A.I. to rally in the fourth quarter for a 41-38 victory.

A late defensive surge led by junior Nasir Comeger made the difference as the seventh-ranked Tigers improved to 8-1 and handed St. Mark’s (5-1) its first loss.

“Our main focus is defense,” said Comeger, who counted two big fourth-quarter buckets among his six points. “When I’m on the floor I try to play defense first, because that leads to offense.”

The Spartans lost despite shooting 56.5 percent (13 of 23) from the floor, compared to A.I.’s 45.2 percent (14 of 31). St. Mark’s coach Nick Sanna said his team didn’t rebound enough of the misses.

“I really think the difference in the game was they beat us up on the glass,” Sanna said. “To me, in close games, little things are magnified. They did a great job on the glass, and they made some big plays in the clutch.”

Neither team led by more than five points through three quarters, with eight lead changes and three ties. Chris Ludman’s off-balance layup sent the Spartans into the final period with a 28-25 lead.

Julius Inge, who led the Tigers with 12 points, drove for a layup to push A.I. ahead 33-32 with 3:22 left. Then Comeger made a steal and hit a 15-footer. Then a steal by Jude Gulotti led to Comeger’s fast-break layup to give the Tigers a 37-32 advantage with 2:30 to play.

“We want our guys to pressure the ball, and if you can poke it out, poke it out,” Tabb said. “… We did it with defense.”

Ludman, who hit 8 of 9 from the field, drove for the last of his 23 points to pull St. Mark’s within 39-38 with 38 seconds remaining. But A.I.’s Jaisan Wilmore broke free for a layup to push the margin back to three, and the Spartans missed two late 3-point attempts that would have tied the game.

The Tigers’ only loss was a 79-64 setback to No. 4 Appoquinimink on Dec. 13. A.I. has won five straight since.

“Usually, for our team, we have a lot of points,” Inge said. “People sometimes worry about getting theirs. This game, we came at it as a team and played hard and got the win.”

The Tigers are learning to play at different speeds, ringing up 72 and 67 points in wins over Tatnall and St. Elizabeth, and winning with just 38 against Wilmington Friends and 40 against Middletown.

“I use a boxing term, styles make fights, and it’s always a good matchup with the two of us,” Tabb said. “… We don’t mind playing the slow-it-down type of game. We understand that’s what teams are going to try to do, because our guards are pretty skilled.”

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

Salesianum’s Joe Miller (left) and Caravel’s Keith Medley each reached 100 career victories with wins in the Delcastle Invitational finals on Saturday.

BELVEDERE – Snow prompted Delcastle Invitational officials to speed up the timetable Saturday, in an effort to get 21 wrestling teams from around the state home sooner.

That allowed two of the state’s top individual wrestlers to reach a key milestone faster, as both Salesianum’s Joe Miller and Caravel’s Keith Medley earned their 100th career victories in the finals.

Miller, last year’s DIAA champion at 182 pounds, hit the century mark by pinning Caravel’s Colin Adams in 3:04 for the 195-pound title.

“Starting as a freshman, it was a journey to get to the 100th win,” said Miller, who also was voted the tournament’s outstanding wrestler. “Took me awhile, senior year, so it feels good to get it. I was lucky that I got it in the finals at a local tournament.”

Medley, who finished second in the state at 220 last season, got his 100th win the hard way. The senior gritted out a 1-0 decision over Sussex Central’s John Morris, who was third in the state at 195 last year.

“I feel like I’ve been in more situations where it’s a close match, things are chippy,” Medley said. “I worked my way through it, mentally, physically and emotionally. We both worked for it, and I came out on top.”

Sussex Central came out on top in the team race, although longtime coach Phil Shultie was disappointed to see only one of his six finalists take home a title. The Golden Knights racked up 246½ points to easily outdistance Salesianum (196), Polytech (159½) and Sussex Tech (149½).

“Some of the guys wrestled extremely well. Some of them have work to do,” Shultie said. “But it’s always a good tournament here. We enjoy coming up here. It gives us a reason to practice over Christmas vacation.

“We still have a lot of work to do, like everybody else. Sometimes you need to get beat, and we had some guys taste that. That should make them work harder.”

Rashad Stratton was the only individual winner for Sussex Central, taking the title at 126. Polytech’s Avery Mayan knocked off the Golden Knights’ Brandon Bautista — last year’s DIAA champ at 152 — 3-2 in the 160-pound final.

In addition to Miller, Salesianum’s Zach Spence (106) and Logan Montgomery (170) also scored pins in the finals.

Other weight-class winners were William Penn’s Anthony Rispoli (113) and Ryan Juarez-Robertson (138), Indian River’s Ta’Jon Knight (120) and Zeke Marcozzi (182), Sanford’s Kyle McDonough (132) and Timmy Griffith (152) and A.I. du Pont’s Jamier Schaener (145) and Jay’Juan Jones (285).

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

William Penn’s Brahin Riley (left) and Terin Cochran fight for a rebound with Newark’s Nick Zegna (second from left) and Chaz Knox during Newark’s 57-53 win last Thursday. The Yellowjackets jumped to No. 2 in The News Journal’s rankings.

THE NEWS JOURNAL/DELAWAREONLINE RANKINGS

BOYS BASKETBALL

1. Mount Pleasant (9-0) prev. 1

2. Newark (7-2) 9

3. St. Georges (4-2) 3

4. Appoquinimink (6-1) 4

5. Sanford (4-5) 2

6. Smyrna (7-2) 5

7. A.I. du Pont (8-1) 7

8. St. Thomas More (5-3) 8

9. St. Elizabeth (5-2) 10

10. Salesianum (5-3) 6

GIRLS BASKETBALL

1. Ursuline (7-1) 1

2. Sanford (4-2) 2

3. Caesar Rodney (10-0) 3

4. St. Elizabeth (3-5) 4

5. Caravel (6-3) 5

6. Conrad (7-1) 6

7. Archmere (8-2) 7

8. Concord (6-1) 8

9. Hodgson (5-3) 9

10. Sussex Central (7-2) 10

WRESTLING

DIVISION I

1. Smyrna (3-0) 1

2. Cape Henlopen (4-0) 3

3. Sussex Central (2-1) 2

4. Caesar Rodney (2-2) 4

5. Salesianum (0-0) 5

DIVISION II

1. Milford (3-0) 1

2. St. Georges (0-1) 2

3. Sanford (0-0) 3

4. Indian River (1-0) NR

5. Hodgson (4-0) 4

BOYS SWIMMING

1. Charter of Wilmington (5-0) 1

2. Salesianum (3-0) 2

3. Conrad (2-1) 3

4. St. Andrew’s (3-1) 4

5. Mount Pleasant (6-0) NR

GIRLS SWIMMING

1. Ursuline (2-0) 1

2. Charter of Wilmington (5-0) 2

3. Cape Henlopen (5-0) 3

4. Archmere (4-0) 4

5. Padua (4-0) 5

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

TONY WUEST, junior, Smyrna wrestling

THE WEEK: Pinned Azim Opare in 1:09 as Smyrna downed Dover 41-19 last Wednesday to improve to 3-0 in dual meets. Has been at his best in individual tournaments, winning the 195-pound title at the Ray Oliver Invitational, Milford Invitational, and Mount Mat Madness, and taking third in the prestigious Beast of the East at the University of Delaware.

THE EXCITEMENT: “You don’t want to be caught out at the concession stand when 195 is being wrestled,” Smyrna coach Kurt Howell said. “You’re going to miss the fireworks. He’s so exciting. You never know what he’s going to do.”

THE IMPULSE: “It sounds bad, but I don’t think about things a lot,” Wuest said. “I just do them. And if they don’t work, I’ll scramble my way out of it. … I just create scrambles, create shots, create openings. Whatever is there, I take it.”

THE DEFENSE: Wuest has worked against Smyrna’s lighter wrestlers, especially 145-pound Chase Archangelo and 152-pound Nathaniel Bryant, to improve his defense. “They do a lot of shooting. That’s what I’m trying to get more into my style,” he said. “If they shoot, I’m working on my sprawling, I’m working on my defense. In a lot of my matches, I’ve scored off of my defense. That’s where it helps.”

Smyrna junior Tony Wuest has already won three major tournaments this season, and is on track to be one of the top contenders for a DIAA championship at 195 pounds.

THE AGGRESSION: “I’ve seen everything he does, but everything I teach him, he tries it,” Howell said. “… That’s one of the greatest assets he’s got, is that he’s a risk taker. You teach him something, and he’ll try it in the next match.”

THE BEAST: Wuest’s third-place showing at Beast of the East, one of the nation’s toughest tournaments, added to his confidence and stoked his desire. “It boosted my work ethic,” he said. “It showed me how much I could accomplish if I worked harder.”

THE STATES: Wuest won the 182-pound title and was named outstanding wrestler at the DIAA tournament as a freshman. He suffered an injury in last year’s state semifinals but is gearing up for another title chase. “It’s the same goal every practice, every tournament,” he said. “Finish the practice and get 10 times better… I want to see everything I do wrong, fix everything before states, where if you mess up it’s over.”

THE CLASSROOM: Wuest enjoys Social Studies and History, especially studying the history of wrestling.

THE FUTURE: Wuest wants to continue wrestling in college while studying athletic training. He has already received some recruiting interest. “I’ve been keeping my eye out. There are a couple of schools I like,” he said.

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

The amount of dribbling by Delaware’s high school basketball teams during the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday is about to double.

The annual Concord Classic will roll on next Monday with five boys games at Concord High, benefitting Coaches vs. Cancer. It will be joined by a new event, the Howard MLK Showcase, featuring five girls games at Howard High School of Technology.

Both events will give fans a chance to see some of the state’s top teams take on stout out-of-state competition. Top-ranked Mount Pleasant and No. 10 Salesianum will be involved at Concord, while No. 2 Sanford and No. 8 Concord will be playing at Howard.

The Concord Classic tips off at noon with William Penn against Our Saviour Lutheran of Bronx, New York. Salesianum will follow against Flint Hill of Oakton, Virginia, at 1:30, followed by Dover vs. American History of Newark, New Jersey, at 3:30.

The marquee matchup tips off at 5:15 with Mount Pleasant (9-0) against Hazleton (Pennsylvania), which is 6-2 with two close losses. Host Concord will take on Henlopen South opponent Lake Forest in the finale at 6:45. Admission is $10, which covers all five games.

The new girls event at Howard starts at 10 a.m. with Upper Darby taking on Chester in an all-Pennsylvania matchup. Seaford will follow at noon against Benjamin Banneker of Brooklyn, New York. Then Concord will take on St. Thomas More at 2 p.m., followed by Sanford against Community Arts and Media High of Brooklyn at 4 and Howard vs. Delcastle in the final game at 6. Admission is $10, which covers all five games.

Mini Max winners

A total of 35 players from throughout Delaware have been announced as Mini Max award winners by the Philadelphia-based Maxwell Football Club. Each of the players, nominated by their coaches, will be eligible for the Maxwell Football Club Delaware High School Player of the Year award, to be announced Jan. 23 at the DIFCA All-State football banquet at Dover Downs.

The Mini Max award winners are Avery Roberts, Concord; George Martin, Indian River; Kerry Galloway Jr., A.I. du Pont; Kenyon Yellowdy, Appoquinimink; Nolan Henderson, Smyrna; Sean Carroll, Mount Pleasant; Luis Burgos Jr., Caesar Rodney; Patrick Udovich, Archmere; Henry Gise, Wilmington Friends; Karl Holler, Tatnall; Duncan Stevens, Dickinson; Cory Lawson, Cape Henlopen; A.J. Falco, Tower Hill; Oladayo Adeleke, Hodgson; Bill Stradley, Salesianum; David Balint, St. Mark’s; Michael Credle, Glasgow; Larry Benson, Polytech; Cameron Lewis, Lake Forest; William Kimmel, Milford; David Hazelton, St. Elizabeth; Jake Reed, Caravel; Justin Jones, Sussex Central; Isaiah Brown, Sussex Tech; Jacob Hudson, DMA; Colin Cool, St. Andrew’s; Jeremy Hartnett, Brandywine; Zakaria Barnes, Christiana; Elijah Walton, Conrad; John Rodel Castro, Dover; Jashon Coleman, McKean; Brian Sutton, Newark; Daniel McNeil, Red Lion Christian; Shymere Vessels, Woodbridge; and Jason Stewart, St. Georges.

The Delaware winner will be a candidate along with the Pennsylvania and New Jersey players of the year for the Maxwell Club’s 31st Jim Henry Award as the outstanding player in the region. That award will be announced at the club’s national awards gala March 10 in Atlantic City, N.J.

New Hall of Fame class

The Delaware Basketball Hall of Fame will induct seven new members at its 11th annual induction ceremony, to be held at 11 a.m. Jan. 28 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Newark.

The new class joins 65 players, coaches, officials and friends of the sport already in the hall. The new inductees are:

— Bruce Kelleher, the state’s player of the year at Salesianum in 1956 and ’57. He went on to rank seventh on the University of Maryland’s all-time scoring list upon graduation in 1961.

— Leon Wilson, All-State at De La Warr in 1976, helped Cheyney to the NCAA Division II semifinals in 1980. Went on to play professionally in the Continental Basketball Association, Charles Baker League and overseas.

— Kelly Wickes, a three-time All-State selection at William Penn. Scored 1,516 points, a state record when she graduated in 1987. Was second in the Atlantic 10 in 3-point percentage as a sophomore at Temple.

— Tail Davis, All-State as a senior in 1995 and second team All-State the previous two years at William Penn. Still, holds the school’s career scoring record with 1,866 points. Also a two-time all-conference selection at both Gulf Coast Community College and Virginia Union.

— Davineia Payne, two-time All-State pick and state player of the year in 2002 at Caravel, where she scored 1,567 career points. Started all 113 games of her career at La Salle, scoring 1,124 points, then played professionally in Europe for five years.

— Don Haman, who coached Glasgow to a 235-97 record in 14 seasons, including state titles in 1993 and 2003. Led the state in scoring (29.9 points per game) as a senior at Gunning Bedford in 1964. Excelled in three sports at Delaware State.

— Mike Wynn, a 25-year official with IAABO Board 11. Served as the board’s president for four years and co-founded the Northern Basketball Officials Association, of which he remains vice president.

Tickets for the induction ceremonies are available at https://debbhof.ticketleap.com/hof/.

Rounding it up

— More than 12,000 spectators filled the gym at Cape Henlopen High for the six sessions of the Slam Dunk to the Beach high school boys basketball showcase last month. The Delaware Sports Commission has announced that the event will return for its fourth year Dec. 27-29, 2017.

DSC has also released Slam Dunk’s all-tournament team, which includes seven players from the 20 teams who participated. The team consists of Mohamed Bamba (Westtown), Jyare Davis (Sanford), Collin Gillespie (Archbishop Wood), Jalek Felton (Gray Collegiate Academy), De’Vondre Perry (Baltimore Poly), Jeremy Roach (Paul VI Catholic) and Keith Williams (Bishop Laughlin).

— All tickets for the Mount Pleasant at Howard boys basketball game at 5 p.m. Tuesday will be sold in advance only. Tickets ($5) will be sold at both schools on Tuesday.

— Jim Moore, the longtime Kent County resident who attended more than 100 basketball games per season since the 1950s, died Jan. 2. He was 92.

Moore was profiled by The News Journal’s Kevin Tresolini last spring. He was a fixture at high school gyms in Kent County, and also attended many games at Wesley College, Slam Dunk to the Beach and DIAA state basketball tournaments. He was known for his outstanding memory and annually received a ballot from the Delaware Basketball Hall of Fame to help choose its members.

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

Howard guard Na’Leigha Wright shoots a foul shot against William Penn at the Diamond State Classic. Wright and the Wildcats will host their own girls basketball event – the Howard MLK Showcase – next Monday.

Salesianum’s Tariq Ingraham is double teamed by Smyrna’s Anthony Watson (No. 14) and Azubuike Nwankwoand in the first half of Smyrna’s 53-40 win over Salesianum at Smyrna High School on Tuesday night.

SMYRNA – Smyrna turned on the defense in the first quarter.

Then the Eagles turned on the offense in the second quarter.

It was too much for Salesianum, as sixth-ranked Smyrna zoomed to a 17-point halftime lead and cruised to a 53-40 victory over the 10th-ranked Sals in a nonconference basketball game on Tuesday night.

“It was a credit to our guys, just trying to play our game,” Eagles coach Andrew Mears said. “They know what we expect offensively, and defensively, that’s where we’re going to hang our hat. That’s where it starts for us, and I thought we established that early.”

Smyrna played lockdown ‘D’ early, holding Sallies to 2 of 11 from the field in the opening period. The Eagles didn’t shoot that well either (3 of 14), but still led 9-5.

Smyrna (8-2) started to hit more shots in the second quarter, while still keeping the Sals (5-4) off the board. Azubuike Nwankwo, the Eagles’ 7-foot junior center, started an 11-0 run with a tip-in. Then Caleb Matthews hit two 3-pointers and Dymer’e Richardson splashed another for a 23-8 lead with 2:46 left in the half.

“I think they played pretty good defensively,” said Matthews, who hit five 3-pointers on the night and led all scorers with 23 points. “But when we move the ball like that, I don’t see anybody being able to stop us.”

Salesianum, which has lost four of its last five games, trailed 30-13 at the half after hitting just 5 of 27 (18.5 percent) from the floor.

“The game has to be played with passion, and we’re just disappointed that we didn’t bring more passion,” Sals coach Brendan Haley said. “We have some gifted kids, some great kids. We’ve got to do a little more with using our gifts more fully.”

Smyrna’s lead reached 40-18 when Iyair Hinson-Purnell converted a Matthews assist with 54 seconds left in the third quarter.

Sallies tried to get back in it by trapping on defense and pressing the pace in the final period. Jumpers by Michael Kempski and Duncan Trerotola and two foul shots by Tariq Ingraham pulled the Sals within 40-27 with 6:07 to play.

“Second half, we at least played the game hard,” Haley said. “We tried a little harder, and we’ll try to take something from that.”

But the Eagles quickly made their cushion comfortable again. Matthews drove for a layup, Nwankwo hit a reverse layup and Matthews dropped his final 3 of the night to make it 47-27.

Nwankwo dominated the boards, finishing with 10 points, 21 rebounds and five blocks as the Eagles piled up a 46-29 advantage on the glass. Trerotola led the Sals with eight points.

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

Smyrna’s Caleb Matthews puts up a shot past Salesianum’s Tariq Ingraham (No. 30) in the second half of Smyrna’s 53-40 win over Salesianum at Smyrna High School on Tuesday night.

Salesianum’s Tariq Ingraham takes a forearm to the face from Smyrna’s Azubuike Nwankwo in the first half of Smyrna’s 53-40 win over Salesianum at Smyrna High School on Tuesday night.

Smyrna’s Dymer’e Richardson drives to the basket past Salesianum’s Michael Kempski in the first half of Smyrna’s 53-40 win over Salesianum at Smyrna High School on Tuesday night.

Smyrna’s Azubuike Nwankwo and Iyair Hinson-Purnell (No. 24) force Salesianum’s Tariq Ingraham to turn the ball over after a double team in the first half of Smyrna’s 53-40 win over Salesianum at Smyrna High School on Tuesday night.

Smyrna quarterback Nolan Henderson (2), who led the Eagles to their second straight DIAA Division I title, is among those named to participate in the 62nd annual DFRC Blue-Gold All-Star football game on June 17 at Delaware Stadium.

Caravel’s John Reed will coach the Blue team and Smyrna’s Mike Judy will coach the Gold team for the 62nd annual Blue-Gold All-Star football game, to be played June 17 at Delaware Stadium.

A total of 73 seniors has been named to the rosters of the two teams, representing all of the high school football programs in Delaware. The game, which also showcases cheerleaders, band members and school ambassadors, benefits the Delaware Foundation Reaching Citizens with intellectual disabilities (DFRC).

Reed guided Caravel to an 8-4 record and appearance in the DIAA Division II semifinals this season. Caravel assistants J.T. Laws and Chris Moxley, Howard’s Rahsaan Matthews and William Penn’s Marvin Dooley will serve as Reed’s assistants on the Blue coaching staff.

Judy coached Smyrna to a perfect 12-0 record and its second consecutive DIAA Division I state championship this season. He will be joined by Smyrna’s Mike Marks and Dan Wagner, Laurel’s Eston Ennis and Middletown’s Mark DelPercio on the Gold coaching staff.

Tatnall coach Jody Russell will return as camp director, assisted by Howard’s Dan Ritter and Preston Grace of Woodbridge.

The game’s opening ceremonies will begin at 5 p.m. June 17, with kickoff at 6. For more information on DFRC or the game, go to www.dfrc.org or call (302) 454-2730.

BLUE ROSTER

Oladayo Adeleke, Hodgson

David Balint, St. Mark’s

William Beaudet, Concord

Justin Beneck, Wilmington Friends

Matthew Bowe, Caravel

Rajae Britt, Brandywine

Sean Carroll, Mount Pleasant

Mike Cicconi, Charter of Wilmington

Jashon Coleman, McKean

D’mir Copeland, William Penn

Kerry Galloway, A.I. du Pont

Henry Gise, Wilmington Friends

David Hazelton, St. Elizabeth

Brennan Hazewski, Delaware Military Academy

Mickey Henry, St. Elizabeth

Karl Holler, Tatnall

Charlie Hope, William Penn

Maverick Jackson, Caravel

Andrew Jaworski, Wilmington Friends

Jashawn Johnson, Mount Pleasant

Korey Kent, Howard

Carter Lamey, Charter of Wilmington

Curtis Linton, Caravel

Darin Matthews, Howard

Matthew McCary, Delcastle

A.J. McGonigle, St. Mark’s

Josh Patrick, Salesianum

Harry Quimby, Tower Hill

Samuel Ragland, Tatnall

Jake Reed, Caravel

Randy Sinnott, Salesianum

Duncan Stevens, Dickinson

Bill Stradley, Salesianum

Billy Sullivan, St. Mark’s

Patrick Udovich, Archmere

Elijah Walton, Conrad

Zebulon Wright, Salesianum

GOLD ROSTER

Emmanuel Kenion, Appoquinimink

Jackson Truitt, Appoquinimink

Kenyon Yellowdy, Appoquinimink

Najee Whitted, Caesar Rodney

Robert Mitchell, Cape Henlopen

Zakaria Barnes, Christiana

Jimmy Atkins, Delmar

John Castro, Dover

Michael Credle, Glasgow

Ja’saan Cunningham, Glasgow

Zion Howard, Indian River

Cameron Lewis, Lake Forest

Antonia Johnson, Laurel

Perez Nichols, Laurel

Anthony DelPercio, Middletown

Spencer Harbert, Middletown

Caleb Weatherford, Middletown

Shane Wilkins, Middletown

Greggory Clark, Milford

Brion Murray, Milford

Andrew DelPercio, Newark

Hunter Poisson, Polytech

Daniel McNeil, Red Lion Christian

Stephon Short, Seaford

Jerren Carter, Smyrna

Nolan Henderson, Smyrna

Josh Hutchinson, Smyrna

Jamier Smith, Smyrna

Doug Phillips, St. Georges

Timothy Jones, Sussex Central

Christian Moore, Sussex Central

Myles Vernet, Sussex Central

Jordan Marvel, Sussex Tech

Terrique Riddick, Woodbridge

Leah Styles, Woodbridge

Shymere Vessels, Woodbridge

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

WILMINGTON – Jordan Money was on the money.

The 6-foot-4 senior banked in a 10-footer while falling down near the lane with four seconds to go, and St. Elizabeth survived a dazzling all-around performance from Sanford freshman Jyare Davis to rally for a 57-56 victory on Thursday night at the St. E Center.

Ninth-ranked St. E (6-3) hadn’t led since the 6:31 mark of the third quarter when Money’s shot changed the score. Then Davis’ desperation heave from half court banked off the rim as time ran out on the stunned Warriors.

Fifth-ranked Sanford (5-6) hit only 3 of 8 foul shots in the final 2:16 to allow the Vikings to creep close. The Warriors’ final two misses came while leading 56-55 with 18.3 seconds remaining.

Senior Jordan Money scored 14 points, including the winning bank shot with four seconds remaining, as St. Elizabeth edged Sanford 57-56 on Thursday night.

Sanford had three fouls to give before sending St. E into the bonus, so the Warriors fouled with 15.3, 12.3 and 10.6 seconds left. That set up the final play to Money.

“Basically, we wanted to spread the floor out and give Jordan room to work,” Vikings coach Matt Rubincam said. “If Jordan is inside, anywhere between 12 and 15 feet, he can make something happen.”

He made it happen, despite a sea of flailing Sanford arms around him.

“My instructions were go straight to the basket,” Money said. “No matter what, go straight to the basket, get fouled, make the shot. And I made the shot. We needed that win.”

The Vikings got it, beating Sanford for what Rubincam said was only the second time in school history.

The 6-5 Davis dominated most of the way, finishing with 31 points, eight rebounds, five blocks and four assists. It wasn’t enough, but the freshman certainly gave the fans their money’s worth.

“We just said, ‘Now we’ve got to look at him for three more years,’” Rubincam said. “And this kid is going to get better. Every time I see him, he’s getting better. He’s tough now, and he’s going to be tougher.”

Davis had 18 points in the first half, 29 through three quarters. He scored inside and out and hit 12 of 21 from the floor – including 4 of 8 from 3-point range.

“It was a phenomenal game for him,” Sanford coach Stan Waterman said. “He played hard. We felt like we could get him the ball inside and we did, and even when he got out on the perimeter he made his 3-point shots.”

Sanford scored the first seven points of the second half to surge to a 37-33 lead, and maintained a four- to five-point lead until guard Corey Perkins – one of the Warriors’ primary ballhandlers – fouled out with 4:23 to play. That’s when Sanford slowed the pace.

“We looked like we were a little bit tired, and I felt like we had kind of gotten the game under control. We wanted to control the tempo,” Waterman said. “… You’ve got to make free throws at the end, and we needed to get stops.”

The Warriors could do neither of those things. Sophomore Justin Money (15 points) made a layup to pull the Vikings within 56-53 with 50.1 seconds remaining. Then his older brother, Jordan (14 points), went coast-to-coast after a rebound to get St. E within 56-55 with 20.1 seconds to go.

Then Jordan Money got his final chance, and made the most of it.

“They wanted to stall the ball, so we’d foul and get in foul trouble and they would win,” Jordan Money said. “But we stayed patient, got what we wanted, and we executed at the end.”

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

NEW CASTLE – William Penn coach Marvin Dooley had this match circled on his calendar for an entire year.

When the night finally came, the Colonials’ biggest wrestlers delivered.

William Penn scored a technical fall and three pins in the final four matches to rally for a 39-31 home victory over Charter of Wilmington in a raucous Blue Hen Flight A showdown Friday.

The Force edged the Colonials 33-30 on Jan. 15, 2016, on the way to their first Flight A title. The William Penn coach had been thinking about it ever since.

“After they beat us last year, I marked my calendar,” said Dooley, sweat pouring down his face after an emotional victory. “We talked about it all summer, all winter.

“I knew it was going to be like this tonight. I knew we’d be down early. I thought we had the horses at the top to do it.”

The Colonials (4-0, 4-0 Flight A) conceded a forfeit in the first match at 106, then got a pin from Brandon Pike at 113 and a major decision from Anthony Rispoli at 120 to take a 10-6 lead.

Then Charter (2-2, 1-1) took control. Jessey Muaka (126) and Quinn Huddleston (132) scored back-to-back pins. Ryan Juarez-Robertson earned a 7-5 decision for William Penn at 138, but the Force answered with a major decision from Jaeah Yoo at 145 and a 12-6 win from David Flanigan at 152 before the Colonials’ Luis Rodriguez won a 12-7 decision at 160.

“I thought our middle weights would bring it a little more than they did,” Charter coach Reese Rigby said. “We expected to get bonus points at 145, 152 and 160, and they just wrestled tougher than we did in those weight classes.”

Still, Carter Lamey’s pin at 170 pushed Charter’s lead to 31-16 with four matches remaining.

They all went to the Colonials – decisively. Nick Lane started it with an 18-3 technical fall at 182.

“We talked about it all week, what our jobs were,” Lane said. “We needed to not just win, but get bonus points. With everyone behind us, it gave us that extra push.”

Messiah El continued to build the Colonials’ momentum with a 45-second pin at 195.

“Everybody was counting on me,” El said. “We see ourselves as a family, and I had to go out there and do what I had to do. It was important.”

Then Myles Goodson-Tatum scored his pin in 2:27 at 220 to send William Penn into the final match with a 33-31 lead.

“I knew if I got anything above a decision, the win was going to be there,” Goodson-Tatum said. “I knew Charlie Hope was going to pin up top.”

Hope did just that, finishing his opponent in just 27 seconds at 285. The All-State linebacker leaped into his teammates’ arms after sealing the victory.

“It was a perfect ending to the night,” Hope said. “Last pin of the night, it makes a statement. We want to get the conference back after losing it the past two years. It just felt really good.”

The Force knew William Penn would be out for revenge. They just couldn’t score enough points in the earlier matches to hold off the Colonials.

“Every year for the last six or seven years, we’ve wrestled really competitive matches,” Rigby said. “It’s really our favorite match. We circle it as well. It’s good old fashioned, old school, kind of slug it out wrestling. We know no matter how good we are, or how good they are, it’s going to be a battle.”

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

William Penn’s Charlie Hope (top) pins Wilmington Charter’s Kyle Lank (bottom) in the 285 pound final match to take a 39-31 win over Charter at William Penn High School.

William Penn’s wrestling team holds Charlie Hope up in the air after defeating Wilmington Charter’s Kyle Lank in the 285 pound match to defeat Charter 39-31.

Wilmington Charter’s David Flanigan (right) wrestles William Penn’s Joe Bedwell (left) in the 152 pound match at William Penn High School.

Wilmington Charter’s Carter Lamey (top) wrestles with his headgear over his eyes in the 170 pound match against William Penn’s Ulises Pizarro at William Penn High School.

SMYRNA – Azubuike Nwankwo hears the same questions all the time.

“Everywhere I go,” he said. “How tall are you? Where are you from?”

The Smyrna High junior is 7-foot-2. He was born in Nigeria, but has lived in the United States for the past three years.

“I tell them I’m 6-2, but actually I’m 7-2,” he said with a laugh.

He is friendly, outgoing, comfortable around strangers. And with a name like Azubuike Nwankwo, he knows you need a nickname.

In his case, it’s Zubi. He is chasing a basketball dream, improving by leaps and bounds as Smyrna reaches the midpoint of its season at 9-2 overall, 6-0 in the Henlopen North, ranked sixth in the state.

“He walks up and down the halls, and it’s hard to miss him,” said Andrew Mears, the Eagles’ boys basketball coach. “But the kids like him. They’re always saying, ‘Zubi, Zubi.’ They’re always calling for him.

“That’s exciting as a coach, to see a kid get planted into this community and be welcomed into this community and school.”

Nwankwo spent his sophomore year at Wesley Christian, a small school in Allen City, Kentucky, a two-hour drive east of Lexington. When his family moved to Delaware over the summer, Smyrna athletic director Bill Schultz called Mears and told him a new, very tall student was enrolling.

“Any time you throw that 7-foot number out there, it’s usually anything over 6-6 we call 7-foot,” Mears said. “So when I saw him walk through the doors, it definitely reaffirmed that rumor.”

He is athletic, nimble, surprisingly agile. But Nwankwo has only been playing basketball for four years, and at this point, his offensive game is limited. He is averaging 9.6 points per game — almost all on dunks, layups and tip-ins — with a season high of 16 in a 63-41 victory at Milford on Dec. 20.

“From a basketball perspective, we weren’t able to touch him until November,” Mears said. “So between November to this moment right here, every single day we feel like he’s improving. The ceiling is incredibly high on this kid. Especially when you put the physical tools with how respectful and coachable he is.”

His defensive game is already unlimited. Last Tuesday, Nwankwo went against 6-8 sophomore Tariq Ingraham of Salesianum, one of the state’s most skilled post players. Nwankwo finished with 10 points, 21 rebounds and five blocked shots as the Eagles won 53-40.

“He affected the game in a big way, obviously,” Sallies coach Brendan Haley said. “He had Tariq probably thinking a little bit too much out there and hesitant. Who can blame him? The kid is 7-2. It was an experience for Tariq to go against him.”

Ingraham hit only 2 of 9 shots from the field, as Nwankwo’s intimidating reach often forced him away from the basket. His rebounding was the key as Smyrna piled up a 46-29 advantage on the boards.

“When he turns on that motor, there’s not a lot of guys who are stopping him,” Mears said. “At 7-foot, the length is obvious. But when he matches that length with his motor, he gets almost every single rebound.”

Haley first saw Nwankwo during the Slam Dunk to the Beach showcase, when he scored a season-low four points in a 64-54 loss to Sanford on Dec. 29. Just two weeks later, he noticed improvement.

“He already looks a little better offensively,” the Salesianum coach said. “Obviously, at that height and that age, he’s a work in progress.

“He’s getting better and better. He’s going to be a nightmare for a couple of years.”

Mears sees the improvement from day to day.

“I just think he feels a little bit more comfortable, so he’s able to just play within his game,” Mears said. “I keep throwing that word coachable out there, but that kind of is the definition of who he is for us. He never wants to do anything that hurts the team, so sometimes he’ll pass up an open shot because he wants to share the basketball. He wants to see team success.”

Nwankwo is putting in extra time, trying to match the skills and footwork of his more experienced teammates. He hopes to land a college basketball scholarship, which – given his size and potential – should definitely be in his future.

“That’s my dream,” he said. “It would mean a lot to me, and my parents back home. I just want to make them proud, try my best, do what I can.”

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

Azubuike "Zoobie" Nwankwo, a 7-foot-2 junior center on the Smyrna basketball team, talks with head coach Andrew Mears in their away game against Dover at Dover High School.

Azubuike "Zoobie" Nwankwo (33), a 7-foot-2 junior center on the Smyrna basketball team, guards Dover’s Jhalil Mosley (10) in their away game at Dover High School.

Azubuike "Zoobie" Nwankwo, a 7-foot-2 junior center on the Smyrna basketball team, in their away game against Dover at Dover High School.

Azubuike "Zoobie" Nwankwo, a 7-foot-2 junior center on the Smyrna basketball team, stands with his teammates during the national anthem at their away game against Dover at Dover High School.

Azubuike "Zoobie" Nwankwo, a 7-foot-2 junior center on the Smyrna basketball team, runs out onto the court for their away game against Dover at Dover High School.

Azubuike "Zoobie" Nwankwo, a 7-foot-2 junior center on the Smyrna basketball team, walks out onto the court as his name is called in their away game against Dover at Dover High School.

Azubuike "Zoobie" Nwankwo (33), a 7-foot-2 junior center on the Smyrna basketball team, looks to make a pass as Dover’s Dimere Gibson-Watts (1) guards him.

GLASGOW – St. Thomas More didn’t want to play at a slow pace. The Ravens just didn’t want to play as fast as Caravel.

St. Thomas More struggled early, then stepped up the defense and regulated the tempo over the final three quarters for a 56-44 road victory in a nonconference boys basketball game on Saturday.

“We kind of let them speed us up. That’s not who we are,” Ravens coach Cheston Boyd. “We’ve got an offense, and we do a pretty good job running our offense. I told the guys in the second half to focus on stops. Get a stop, and then run our offense.”

The eighth-ranked Ravens are 7-3, with their losses coming to top-flight teams from New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. They led 8-4 early, only to see the Buccaneers (5-2) reel off a 15-2 run over the final 3:23 of the first quarter.

“We had to get more into the game,” said center Elias Revelle, who led St. Thomas More with 18 points. “When we first came out, we started struggling with our offense. I think we tried to play their game. … We had to calm down, ease it down because our adrenaline was high.”

O’Koye Parker drove for a layup, Brandon Sengphachanh turned a steal into a layup and Parker scored twice on offensive rebounds as Caravel – the state’s second-highest scoring team at 68.7 points per game – led 19-11 after one quarter.

“Our coach told us to pick it up on defense,” Revelle said. “He said if we play defense, we’ll get to offense.”

The Ravens outscored the Bucs 20-2 in the second quarter. The first two, momentum-changing buckets were dunks by the 6-foot-4 Revelle.

“I just try to play above the rim,” he said. “My coach always tells me, ‘Play above the rim. Don’t just go for soft layups. Go as hard as you can.’”

Corey Gordon hit a short jumper and Eric Montanez cut for a layup to tie it at 19. Trevon Alderman answered with a layup for Caravel, but St. Thomas More scored the last 12 points of the half. Alvin West, who hit five 3-pointers on his way to 17 points, splashed a 3 with six seconds remaining to send the Ravens into the locker room up 31-21.

West made two more 3s in the third quarter as St. Thomas More stretched its lead to 44-29. But the Bucs turned up the pressure in the fourth quarter, and the Ravens became tentative.

“We told our guys to expect the pressure, and that’s something we need to work on,” Boyd said. “Expect the pressure and being smart with the ball doesn’t mean turning down shots. When you turn down a good shot, it leads to turnovers.”

Caravel seized the momentum with a 12-2 run, pulling within 46-41 on Parker’s layup with 4:57 to play. But Revelle unleashed another dunk, Greg Bloodsworth drove for a layup and Revelle made two free throws to push the St. Thomas More lead back to 52-41 with 2:19 left.

It was a welcome sign for Boyd, who guided the Ravens to a 17-6 mark last year. Their season ended when a late lead slipped away in a 45-39 loss to St. Georges in the DIAA quarterfinals.

“That’s the difference between us last year and this year,” Boyd said. “That’s the difference. Last year, we were up on St. Georges with 4:16 left, and we’ve got that hanging up in our locker room. That’s been an emphasis all year.”

Parker, who came in averaging 27.3 points per game, scored 20 but hit only 7 of 21 shots from the field.

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

St. Thomas More center Elias Revelle (35) dunks the ball on a fast break during a game against Caravel.

Caravel Academy Trevon Alderman (2) drives to the basket as St. Thomas More center Elias Revelle (35), left,.

St. Thomas More center Elias Revelle (35) celebrates after dunking the ball against Caravel Academy.

Seton Hall signee Myles Cale, shown here against Hodgson on Dec. 8, has helped the fourth-ranked Jaguars to a 6-1 start.

THE NEWS JOURNAL/DELAWAREONLINE RANKINGS

BOYS BASKETBALL

1. Mount Pleasant (11-0) 1

2. Newark (9-2) 2

3. St. Georges (7-2) 3

4. Appoquinimink (6-1) 4

5. Smyrna (9-2) 6

6. St. Thomas More (7-3) 8

7. Hodgson (8-2) NR

8. St. Elizabeth (6-3) 9

9. Sanford (5-6) 5

10. Woodbridge (7-0) NR

GIRLS BASKETBALL

1. Ursuline (9-1) 1

2. Sanford (7-2) 2

3. Caesar Rodney (11-0) 3

4. St. Elizabeth (4-6) 4

5. Caravel (7-4) 5

6. Conrad (9-1) 6

7. Concord (7-1) 8

8. Archmere (8-3) 7

9. A.I. du Pont (9-2) NR

10. St. Thomas More (8-1) NR

WRESTLING

DIVISION I

1. Smyrna (6-2) 1

2. Cape Henlopen (9-0) 2

3. Sussex Central (2-1) 3

4. Caesar Rodney (2-2) 4

5. Salesianum (0-0) 5

DIVISION II

1. Milford (4-0) 1

2. St. Georges (1-1) 2

3. Sanford (0-0) 3

4. Indian River (7-0) 4

5. Hodgson (4-0) 5

BOYS SWIMMING

1. Charter of Wilmington (6-0) 1

2. Salesianum (3-0) 2

3. Conrad (3-1) 3

4. St. Andrew’s (4-1) 4

5. Mount Pleasant (8-0) 5

GIRLS SWIMMING

1. Ursuline (2-0) 1

2. Charter of Wilmington (6-0) 2

3. Cape Henlopen (6-0) 3

4. Archmere (5-0) 4

5. Padua (4-0) 5

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

BRYCE CIECKO, senior, Mount Pleasant swimming

THE WEEK: Won the 200 freestyle (1:53.58) and 100 backstroke (56.43) in a 94-75 victory over Appoquinimink last Monday, and won the 200 freestyle (1:56.48) and 100 butterfly (59.55) in a 94-64 victory over Newark on Thursday as the fifth-ranked Green Knights moved to 8-0.

THE STRENGTH: “I’m probably best at backstroke and freestyle. I just seem level between the two of them,” Ciecko said. “I struggle with breaststroke the most. It’s the stroke I’ve had to put the most work into.”

THE COACH SAYS: “He’s got a work ethic that is beyond the normal work ethic of being a swimmer,” Mount Pleasant coach Kelli Bradley said. “He has a swimmer’s body, and he just continues to work hard.”

THE RECORD: As a sophomore, Ciecko broke the 500 freestyle school record set in 1979 by Bruce Gemmell, who now coaches Olympic and world champion Katie Ledecky. He lowered it again – to 4:38.10 – as a junior. “I’ve always looked up to him as a role model in this sport, as far as he has gone in it,” Ciecko said. “It was a goal of mine to be able to go after that.”

THE ENDURANCE: Ciecko is at his best in the longer races. “I enjoy being able to go for a long time and be able to hold a quick pace for a long time,” he said. “I’ve always trained doing events like that, so it has ended up being enjoyable for me.”

THE VERSATILITY: Bradley said Ciecko can win any race, at any distance. “I can put him anywhere, any time, and he’s going to win us the race,” Bradley said. “It’s been nice to see that transition throughout the years, where he can really just win any event.”

THE STATE MEET: Ciecko finished second in the 100 backstroke and 500 freestyle last year at the DIAA championships. He has yet to decide which events he will contest in the state meet this year. “I can’t control how other swimmers are going to perform or how I’ll place,” he said. “I just want to go out and go best times and improve myself.”

THE CLASSROOM: Ciecko’s favorite subject is Math. “I’ve always enjoyed numbers and how they work,” he said. “It’s kind of interesting to me to see how mathematics works and how complex it is.”

THE FUTURE: Ciecko is receiving recruiting interest from several college swimming programs. He plans to decide on his destination at the end of this season.

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

Mount Pleasant High School swimmer Bryce Cieko poses for a portrait in the swimming pool at P.S. du Pont Middle School in Wilmington on Wednesday afternoon.

Mount Pleasant swimmer Bryce Cieko poses for a portrait in the swimming pool at P.S. du Pont Middle School in Wilmington.

Mount Pleasant High School swimmer Bryce Cieko poses for a portrait in the swimming pool at P.S. du Pont Middle School in Wilmington on Wednesday afternoon.

Mount Pleasant High School swimmer Bryce Cieko poses for a portrait in the swimming pool at P.S. du Pont Middle School in Wilmington on Wednesday afternoon.

GLASGOW – Add Glasgow to the ever-growing list of boys basketball state title contenders.

The Dragons showed they have as much upside as anyone on Tuesday, leading from start to finish in their home gym and dismantling fourth-ranked Appoquinimink 72-58.

Glasgow (8-4) got off to a 2-3 start, but has won six of its last seven games. The Dragons shot 53.6 percent from the field and outrebounded the Jaguars 35-24 on the way to an easy win.

“We got our chemistry right, and everything is good,” said Dewitt Johnson, who put up 15 points and 10 rebounds. “This helps our confidence a lot. I’m not going to lie, we thought we were going to lose this one. But we came together, put our pride to the side and played with heart tonight.”

Johnson joined fellow senior guards Devon Earl (25 points, six rebounds, four assists) and Lameen Carter (10 points) in repeatedly breaking down the Appo defense.

“They have great speed, they’re very smart basketball players and they understand the game,” Glasgow coach Jeremy Jeanne said of the trio. “When they play together, we’re a tough team.”

The Dragons were tough from the start. Johnson got things rolling with a 3-pointer. Then Earl scored on a fast break, assisted on Darrien Fisher-Logan’s layup and dropped a 3 of his own for a 10-3 lead just 2:33 into the game.

Glasgow closed the first quarter on a 10-4 run to make it 22-13. Then the Dragons held the Jaguars to four points in the second period, and Earl and Ryan Hurlock drove for layups that made it 30-17 at halftime.

“We moved the ball,” Jeanne said. “Defensively, we made sure they didn’t score in transition because that’s their strength. We packed it in a little bit and tried to turn them into a jump shooting team.”

Appo (6-2) was coming off an 11-day break, and the Jaguars got it in gear early in the second half. Darrell Jenkins scored off an offensive rebound, and Seton Hall signee Myles Cale drove for a layup and threw down a monster dunk off of Max Somelofske’s steal to pull Appo within 35-27.

Cale finished with 21 points but was more than matched by Earl. The 5-foot-11 point guard repeatedly drove through the Jaguars’ defense, hitting 7 of 8 shots in the second half. All but one was a layup.

“I just think that nobody can stop me. Nobody can stay in front of me,” Earl said. “I’m fast, so I use that to my advantage.”

Earl’s speed was on full display in a 12-2 late in the third quarter. He turned a steal into a layup, then completely circled his offensive end before scoring on a drive. Then Johnson drove for a layup, Earl scored off of Hurlock’s steal and Johnson dropped a 10-footer for a 47-29 lead with 1:11 left in the third quarter.

“It took us some time. I feel like the chemistry is getting better,” said Jeanne, who also got 12 points and 10 rebounds from 6-6 junior Devin McDowell. “They’re playing harder defensively, and this is a great win for us.”

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

Glasgow’s Dewitt Johnson puts up a shot over Appoquinimink’s Cameron Smollen in the fourth quarter of Glasgow’s 72-58 win over Appoquinimink at Glasgow High School in Newark, Del. on Tuesday night.

Appoquinimink’s Myles Cale dunks the ball in the third quarter of Glasgow’s 72-58 win over Appoquinimink at Glasgow High School in Newark, Del. on Tuesday night.

Glasgow’s Devin McDowell blocks a shot from Appoquinimink’s Myles Cale in the third quarter of Glasgow’s 72-58 win over Appoquinimink at Glasgow High School in Newark, Del. on Tuesday night.

Glasgow’s Zion Taylor puts up a shot between Appoquinimink’s Nicholas Margis (left) and Myles Cale (right) in the second quarter of Glasgow’s 72-58 win over Appoquinimink at Glasgow High School in Newark, Del. on Tuesday night.

Glasgow’s Ryan Hurlock drives past Appoquinimink’s Nicholas Margis in the second quarter of Glasgow’s 72-58 win over Appoquinimink at Glasgow High School in Newark, Del. on Tuesday night.

Glasgow’s Devin McDowell puts a shot up over Appoquinimink’s Darrell Jenkins in the second quarter of Glasgow’s 72-58 win over Appoquinimink at Glasgow High School in Newark, Del. on Tuesday night.

Glasgow’s Devon Earl drives past Appoquinimink’s Amir Richardson in the second quarter of Glasgow’s 72-58 win over Appoquinimink at Glasgow High School in Newark, Del. on Tuesday night.

Glasgow’s Devin McDowell (left) and Zion Taylor (right) leap to block a shot from Appoquinimink’s Keith DeLoatch (center) in the second quarter of Glasgow’s 72-58 win over Appoquinimink at Glasgow High School in Newark, Del. on Tuesday night.

LEWES – Smyrna coach Kurt Howell said Dylan Andruzzi weighs 88 pounds, “on a good day, probably with his socks and shoes on.”

High school wrestling’s smallest weight class is 106 pounds, putting the freshman at a decided disadvantage. But after 11 straight losses, Andruzzi got his first victory in a huge way, in a huge dual meet Wednesday night.

Andruzzi pinned Keith Harmon in 3:23 in the second match of the night, lighting a fire that never burned out as the four-time defending Division I state champion, top-ranked Eagles dominated No. 2 Cape Henlopen 47-13 on the Vikings’ home mat.

“Getting that pin was just unbelievable,” Howell said of Andruzzi. “It’s like a lightning rod going through our team.”

Cape’s Zach Flores gritted out a 1-0 decision in the opener at 285 pounds. Andruzzi fell behind early, but pulled within 8-6 at the end of the first period. Then he made it happen.

“He was just tired, and then I just took the opportunity and got a half and I just stuck him,” Andruzzi said.

Howell has coached dozens of state champions, but it was easy to see this win pleased him as much as any.

“He’s been struggling all year, because obviously he’s little,” the coach said. “He’s been getting frustrated. But we knew if he sucked it up and got on top, it looked like he was getting a little push on top.”

The Eagles (7-2) won by forfeit at 113, and Nick Natarcola kept the momentum going with a stunning pin of Anthony Caruso – last year’s 106 state champ – at 120 pounds.

“How much can you say about him?” Howell said of Natarcola. “It was a great win for him. Caruso, obviously he’s tough, he won the states last year. For him to get a win, let alone a pin like that … that really got us going.”

The match was scoreless after the first period, but Natarcola built a 5-0 lead through two periods. Then he got the pin in 5:03.

“I wasn’t going to go out thinking I was going to lose,” Natarcola said. “I was going to go out there and give it everything I got, and it showed tonight. … I was trying work my takedowns, but he just kept shooting on me. I was just working off that, and eventually I got the cradle and stuck him.”

Cole Sebastianelli followed with another pin at 126, and Greg Baum delivered a major decision at 132. That gave Smyrna a 28-3 lead, and pretty much ended the suspense.

Cape had been flying high at 9-0, and an experienced Vikings team was thought to have a chance to snap Smyrna’s 50-match in-state winning streak. Cape took it to the final match at Smyrna last year before falling 32-26, but this one wasn’t nearly as close.

“You can’t help but notice it when there’s a lot of chatter going on that this is Cape’s year or this is Sussex Central’s year,” Howell said. “… When you see stuff like that, you try to use it. My boys used it the right way, to try to get motivated.”

After Flores, the Vikings won only three more matches – close decisions by Vinnie Diego at 138 and Billy Ott at 220, and a major decision by returning state champ Cory Lawson at 160.

Chase Archangelo (145) added a major decision, Nate Bryant (152), Larsen Wilson (170) and Hunter Moyer (182) won decisions and Tony Wuest (195) and Gavin Sembly (113) won by forfeit for Smyrna.

But it all started with the Eagles’ smallest wrestler – Andruzzi.

“It set the tempo for the match. I think that’s why we did so well,” he said. “… It’s going to help me a lot, knowing that I have my first win, and I’m just going to keep getting better.”

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

Cape’s Zach Flores matches up against Smyrna’s Elijah Taylor during the 285lb match up at Cape Henlopen High School on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017.

Cape’s Cory Lawson matches up against Smyrna’s Dakota Kerr during the 160lb match up at Cape Henlopen High School on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017.

Cape’s Cory Lawson matches up against Smyrna’s Dakota Kerr during the 160lb match up at Cape Henlopen High School on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017.

Cape’s Dante Jacquet matches up against Smyrna’s Nate Bryant during the 152lb match up at Cape Henlopen High School on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017.

Cape’s Zeke Bean matches up against Smyrna’s Chase Archangelo during the 145lb match up at Cape Henlopen High School on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017.

Cape’s Zeke Bean matches up against Smyrna’s Chase Archangelo during the 145lb match up at Cape Henlopen High School on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017.

Cape’s Zeke Bean matches up against Smyrna’s Chase Archangelo during the 145lb match up at Cape Henlopen High School on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017.

Cape’s Zeke Bean matches up against Smyrna’s Chase Archangelo during the 145lb match up at Cape Henlopen High School on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017.

Cape’s Vinnie Diego matches up against Smyrna’s JT Davis during the 138lb match up at Cape Henlopen High School on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017.

Cape’s Vinnie Diego matches up against Smyrna’s JT Davis during the 138lb match up at Cape Henlopen High School on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017.

Cape’s Max Norquest matches up against Smyrna’s Greg Baum during the 132lb match up at Cape Henlopen High School on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017.

Cape’s Max Norquest matches up against Smyrna’s Greg Baum during the 132lb match up at Cape Henlopen High School on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017.

Cape’s Keith Harmon matches up against Smyrna’s Dylan Andruzzi during the 106lb match up at Cape Henlopen High School on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017.

Cape’s Anthony Caruso matches up against Smyrna’s Nick Natarcola during the 120lb match up at Cape Henlopen High School on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017.

Smyrna’s Dylan Andruzzi celebrates with his teammates after winning his first match of the year during the 106lb match up against Keith Harmon at Cape Henlopen High School on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017.

Cape’s Andre Currie matches up against Smyrna’s Cole Sebastianelli during the 126lb match up at Cape Henlopen High School on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017.

Cape’s Anthony Caruso matches up against Smyrna’s Nick Natarcola during the 120lb match up at Cape Henlopen High School on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017.

CAMDEN – Even after building an 11-point lead, Caesar Rodney figured the undefeated Woodbridge boys basketball team was going to come back.

“We knew they were going to go on a run,” senior guard Jaquan Hooks said. “Basketball is a game of runs, and we knew it was coming eventually.”

The Blue Raiders’ surge came late in the third quarter and early in the fourth, but Hooks and junior Davione Robinson created defensive havoc and hit just enough free throws to keep the Riders in front for a 65-62 home victory Friday night.

“Our expectations are we want to be 1-0 every day,” CR coach Freeman Williams said. “Whether it’s practice or a game, we look at it as another opportunity to get better. It was a nice win, because the kids have been working hard, they’ve been listening. Tonight was about executing what we worked on in practice.”

Woodbridge (8-1) had won its first eight games by an average of 30 points and had only one close one — a 43-39 victory at Lake Forest on Jan. 3. The Blue Raiders weren’t accustomed to being behind, but they trailed most of the way.

Najee Watson, Hooks and Robinson each hit a 3-pointer in the first quarter to push the Riders to a 21-14 lead. Woodbridge opened the second quarter with an 11-2 run to go ahead 25-24 on a layup by All-State defensive end Shymere Vessels.

CR led 28-27 at the half, and put together its best stretch early in the third quarter. Four different players scored during a 16-6 run, and Hooks went coast to coast on an aggressive drive for a 44-33 lead with 1:45 left in the period.

“We were moving the ball, sharing it as a team and moving, getting to the rack,” Robinson said. “We did everything as a team.”

But Woodbridge wouldn’t go down easily. The Blue Raiders reeled off 12 of the next 16 points, pulling within 48-45 on a layup and short jumper by Hassan Corbin with 5:26 to play.

That’s when Hooks and Robinson turned up the pressure out front. Joe Williams scored off an inbounds play, and Hooks hit 3 of 4 free throws for a 56-49 lead with 3:01 remaining.

“We just tried to keep our composure, listen to coach, listen to the game plan,” Hooks said.

All but two of the Riders’ remaining points came at the foul line, as they hit 7 of 12 to hold on. Tim Spence’s free throw made it 65-62 with 1.7 seconds to go, and the Blue Raiders couldn’t get a clean look at a potential tying heave as the buzzer sounded.

Robinson scored 19, Hooks added 15 and Kairi Buie had 13 points and seven rebounds for CR (8-3), which has already matched the win total of last year’s 8-13 team. Hassan Corbin and Te’Vion Waters each scored 20 for Woodbridge, and Corey Corbin added five points and 13 rebounds.

“We’ve come a long way from last year, so we’re just trying to build on that,” Robinson said. “We’re trying to put our stamp on everybody we play. This is a big win.”

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

Kejon Mosley of Woodbridge tries to stop Caesar Rodney’s Najee Watson from going to the basket late in the second quarter Friday night.

Caesar Rodney’s Davione Robinson drives the baseline past Cornell Corbin of Woodbridge in the second quarter.

Woodbridge’s Khalil Holliman-Letherwood holds his ground to block Caesar Rodney’s Joseph Williams Friday night.

Davione Robinson of Caesar Rodney tries to go for a layup as he’s defended by Woodbridge’s Te’Vion Waters.

Caesar Rodney’s Davione Robinson looks for help after being blocked by Woodbridge defender Blaize Rayford.

Davione Robinson of Caesar Rodney pulls down a defensive rebound in the first quarter of game with Woodbridge on Friday night.

CR’s Jaquan Hooks blocks shot attempt by Te’Vion Waters of Woodbridge in the first half.

MIDDLETOWN – “I’d say it’s a preview of the state finals, honestly.”

That came from Dover wrestler Anthony Fisher, who had a firm grasp of the situation going into the 138-pound championship match Saturday at the Canal Classic.

Fisher edged Middletown’s Dante Immediato for the second time this season, scoring the only takedown in the second period for a 3-1 decision. It was one of at least three finals at Middletown High that could be replayed five weeks from now at the DIAA Individual Wrestling Championships.

Immediato won the state title at 126 pounds last year, while Fisher finished third at 132. Now they’re in the same, contentious bracket. Fisher nipped Immediato 3-2 in the 138 final at the season-opening Polytech Invitational on Dec. 3, and he did it again Saturday on his rival’s home mat.

“I’ve just got to build on this,” Fisher said. “I came in saying I’ve got to defend this. Now I’ve done it once, and I’ve got to do it at least one more time.”

Down 3-0 entering the third period, Immediato earned an escape and desperately tried to catch up. He had Fisher scrambling in the final seconds.

“He’s tough,” the Dover senior said. “One thing about him, he doesn’t stop. I respect that.”

The 126-pound final was just as intense, as Sussex Central’s Rashad Stratton got past Charter of Wilmington’s Jessey Muaka 4-3. They squared off twice at the state meet last year, with Muaka winning 8-5 in the quarterfinals and Stratton returning the favor with a 5-3 decision in the third-place match.

“It’s good to see where I’m at with him now, see what I need to do next time I wrestle him,” Stratton said. “I’ve got to work on some things and practice. … His misdirections are hard to defend.”

Polytech’s Avery Mayan stretched his margin over Sussex Central’s Brandon Bautista in the 160-pound final, scoring takedowns late in the second period and early in the third for an 8-3 decision.

“You just have to tire him out,” Mayan said. “Once I could weather the storm in the first and second periods, the third is when I could breeze by.”

Bautista won the state title at 152 last year, while Mayan finished third at 170. Now Bautista has moved up and Mayan has moved down, and Mayan won a 3-2 decision over Bautista in the Delcastle Invitational finals two weeks ago.

“He comes out hot,” Mayan said. “It’s tough to defend against. … Our styles clash a lot. I wrestle relatively similar to him, and I think I just come out on top each time because of my aggression.”

But it’s far from over. Mayan and Bautista could meet at least three more times – in a dual meet Feb. 1 at Sussex Central, in the Henlopen Conference championships Feb. 17-18, and at the state meet Feb. 24-25.

Sussex Central won six of the 14 weight classes and dominated the team standings with 286 points, well ahead of runner-up Dover (172½) and Middletown (158½). In addition to Stratton, the Golden Knights got titles from Javon Saffold (106), Blake Chambers (170), Lucas Hudson (182), Michael Wright (195) and Johnny Morris (220).

Middletown got victories from Hunter Hamill at 113 and William Carl at 120. Other weight-class winners were Delcastle’s Liam O’Connor (132), Dover’s Nick Lee (145), Sanford’s Timmy Griffith (152) and A.I. du Pont’s Jay’Juan Jones (285).

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

Blake Chambers of Sussex Central (top) defeats Blake Chambers of Sussex Central in the 170-pound final at the Canal Classic wrestling tournament at Middletown High School.

Blake Chambers of Sussex Central (right) defeats Blake Chambers of Sussex Central in the 170-pound final at the Canal Classic wrestling tournament at Middletown High School.

Avery Mayan of Poly Tech (left) defeats Brandon Bautista of Sussex Central in the 160-pound final at the Canal Classic wrestling tournament at Middletown High School.

Timmy Griffith of Sanford (top) defeats Brian Schneider of Middletown High School in the 152-pound final at the Canal Classic wrestling tournament at Middletown High School.

Nicholas Lee of Dover (left) defeats David Flanigan of Wilmington Charter in the 145-pound final at the Canal Classic wrestling tournament at Middletown High School.

Avery Mayan of Poly Tech (top) defeats Brandon Bautista of Sussex Central in the 160-pound final at the Canal Classic wrestling tournament at Middletown High School.

Rashad Stratton (top) of Sussex Central defeats Jessey Muaka of Wilmington Charter in the 126-pound final at the Canal Classic wrestling tournament at Middletown High School.

Nicholas Lee of Dover defeats David Flanigan of Wilmington Charter in the 145-pound final at the Canal Classic wrestling tournament at Middletown High School.

Liam O`Connor of Delcastle (bottom) defeats Drew Massetti of Kennet High School in the 132-pound final at the Canal Classic wrestling tournament at Middletown High School.

Anthony Fisher of Dover defeats Dante Immediato of Middletown High School in the 138-pound final at the Canal Classic wrestling tournament at Middletown High School.

Anthony Fisher of Dover (left) defeats Dante Immediato of Middletown High School in the 138-pound final at the Canal Classic wrestling tournament at Middletown High School.

Rashad Stratton (top) of Sussex Central edges Jessey Muaka of Charter of Wilmington 4-3 in the 126-pound final at Saturday’s Canal Classic at Middletown. The Golden Knights won the team title, and are currently ranked third in Division I.

BOYS BASKETBALL

1. Mount Pleasant (12-1) prev. 1

2. Newark (10-2) 2

3. Smyrna (10-2) 5

4. St. Georges (9-3) 3

5. Hodgson (9-2) 7

6. St. Thomas More (10-3) 6

7. Glasgow (8-4) NR

8. Appoquinimink (8-2) 4

9. St. Elizabeth (7-4) 8

10. Sanford (6-7) 9

GIRLS BASKETBALL

1. Ursuline (10-1) 1

2. Sanford (9-2) 2

3. Caesar Rodney (13-0) 3

4. St. Elizabeth (6-6) 4

5. Caravel (8-4) 5

6. Conrad (10-1) 6

7. Concord (8-2) 7

8. Archmere (8-3) 8

9. A.I. du Pont (9-2) 9

10. Mount Pleasant (8-4) NR

WRESTLING

DIVISION I

1. Smyrna (7-2) 1

2. Cape Henlopen (9-1) 2

3. Sussex Central (3-1) 3

4. Caesar Rodney (3-3) 4

5. William Penn (6-0) NR

DIVISION II

1. Milford (5-0) 1

2. St. Georges (4-2) 2

3. Sanford (0-0) 3

4. Indian River (9-0) 4

5. Del. Military Academy (5-1) NR

BOYS SWIMMING

1. Charter of Wilmington (6-0) 1

2. Salesianum (5-1) 2

3. Conrad (5-1) 3

4. St. Andrew’s (5-2) 4

5. Mount Pleasant (9-0) 5

GIRLS SWIMMING

1. Ursuline (5-0) 1

2. Charter of Wilmington (6-0) 2

3. Cape Henlopen (8-0) 3

4. Archmere (5-0) 4

5. Padua (5-0) 5

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

St. Elizabeth boy’s basketball guard Jordan Money poses for a portrait in the locker room at St. Elizabeth High School in Wilmington on Monday afternoon.

JORDAN MONEY, senior, St. Elizabeth boys basketball

THE WEEK: Scored a team-high 16 points in a 48-35 victory over St. Mark’s last Tuesday. Added 16 points for the ninth-ranked Vikings in a 78-58 loss at Martin Luther King High in Philadelphia on Saturday.

THE STRENGTH: Shooting is the best part of Money’s game, and that comes from practice. “Every day I get in the gym, I shoot a lot of shots,” he said. “Repetition, form, technique, that’s all I do… I make a lot of crazy shots in practice. I’ve got unlimited range.”

THE COACH SAYS: “He is probably one of the most athletic kids in the state,” St. Elizabeth coach Matt Rubincam said. “He knows the game, works hard, and he’s a team player.”

THE NEW COACH: The Vikings (7-4) are in their first year under Rubincam after longtime head coach Dick Rago retired at the end of last season. “I love what he’s trying to do in this new program with us,” Money said. “We’re all buying into his system. Everything is going well. If we keep up the hard work, we’ll be fine for the playoffs and hopefully, we’ll win the championship.”

THE GAME WINNER: Money hit the game winner – a 10-foot bank shot while falling down near the lane – with four seconds left in St. E’s 57-56 victory over Sanford on Jan. 12. “I’ve hit a lot of game winners in my life,” he said. “Basically, once that moment came in the game, I knew it was time for me to get the ball as a leader of the team. I just made the big shot. That’s what I had to do.”

St. Elizabeth boy’s basketball guard Jordan Money poses for a portrait in the locker room at St. Elizabeth High School in Wilmington on Monday afternoon.

THE GO-TO GUY: “You always want the ball in his hands,” Rubincam said. “I watched that tape numerous times, and I’m still wondering how he got the shot off. Teams collapse on him, and he’s so athletic and his arms are so long he can still get a good shot off.”

THE CLASSROOM: Money’s favorite subject is Environmental Science. “We study how certain animals and humans affect how the earth is, how we pollute the earth and things we can do to save energy and consume fewer resources,” he said.

THE FUTURE: The 6-foot-4 Money plans to play basketball in college. He is receiving recruiting interest but has yet to decide on a destination.

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

St. Elizabeth boy’s basketball guard Jordan Money poses for a portrait in the locker room at St. Elizabeth High School in Wilmington on Monday afternoon.

St. Elizabeth boy’s basketball guard Jordan Money poses for a portrait in the locker room at St. Elizabeth High School in Wilmington on Monday afternoon.

Smyrna’s Mike Judy repeated as Division I Coach of the Year after guiding the Eagles to their second straight DIAA Division I championship.

The previous year’s winner usually presents the award to the Division I Coach of the Year at the annual Delaware Interscholastic Football Coaches Association banquet.

So when Smyrna coach Mike Judy took the stage at Dover Downs on Monday night, he couldn’t understand why no one went with him.

It was because Judy had won it again.

“I was not expecting that at all,” he said. “I was up there, hanging out, because I knew I was presenting. I was trying to fish around, thinking I never did hear who won it, so I could say nice things about him. I was pleasantly surprised.”

The 37-year-old Judy became the first back-to-back winner since Sussex Central’s John Wells in 2006-07. After going 12-1 and winning its first DIAA Division I championship in 2015, Smyrna rolled through a perfect 12-0 season for a repeat title last fall.

Judy saluted his assistant coaches and players, many of whom were on hand to pick up their own awards. The Eagles had six players – quarterback Nolan Henderson, running back Will Knight, receiver Emon Roberts, offensive tackle Jerren Carter, linebacker Josh Hutchinson and kick returner Leddie Brown – voted to the All-State first team.

“It’s not one guy,” Judy said. “It’s never just one person, whether it’s a player or coach. It takes many, many people who are all pointing in the same direction to get things done.”

Henderson also had a banner evening. The senior received previously announced awards as the state’s Offensive Player of the Year and Gatorade Player of the Year, and won the Jim Henry Award as the Maxwell Football Club’s Delaware High School Player of the Year.

The Philadelphia-based Maxwell Club expanded its awards to the First State last year, with Salesianum’s Colby Reeder as the first honoree. Henderson, who passed for 2,317 yards and 32 touchdowns as a senior, has committed to join Reeder at the University of Delaware next fall.

“It’s definitely cool to get it,” Henderson said. “With Colby winning it last year, it’s an honor to be involved in that and it’s humbling.”

The Henry award recognizes outstanding football ability, classroom performance and community service. Henderson volunteers with Special Olympics.

“It gets overlooked a lot, but it’s important to give back,” the quarterback said. “It’s fun to be involved in that, have that good character and do things that help the community.”

More awards

Several other awards were given at the DIFCA banquet, highlighted by Ed Manlove being named Division II Coach of the Year for the second time. Manlove, who also won in 2013, guided the Woodbridge Blue Raiders to a 13-0 season and their first DIAA Division II championship.

DIFCA presented special awards to the families of three prominent men who passed away during the football season. The family of longtime referee Mike Abbatiello, who died while officiating the Caravel at Woodbridge Division II semifinal on Nov. 25, received a lifetime achievement award.

The family of former Indian River coach Dale Steele received an honorary coach of the year award for the 1988 season, when the Indians won the D-II championship.

The family of former Archmere coach Jerry Ambrogi received a special recognition award, and DIFCA awarded an honorary 100th win to the two-time Division II Coach of the Year (2006, 2010), who won 99 games in his career and poured countless resources into Archmere and high school football throughout the state.

Longtime Salesianum assistant Tony Spadaccini received the Ed Brown Award as Assistant Coach of the Year. Wilmington Friends’ Bob Tattersall – the state’s all-time leader in coaching victories – received an award recognizing his 300th win.

Truitt to Towson

An official campus visit to Towson last weekend sealed the deal for Appoquinimink’s Jackson Truitt, as the first team All-State guard committed to play for the Tigers.

“It just felt like a real family feel,” Truitt said Monday night. “I felt like I was part of the brotherhood already there, and it just really clicked with me.”

Truitt also received recruiting interest from James Madison, West Chester and Marist. The 6-foot-2, 280-pound senior played six games with a heavy cast protecting a broken right hand last fall, but said the injury has totally healed.

“It took a little while to adjust to, but I kind of used it as a weapon,” Truitt said with a laugh. “I just went hard with it, and it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.”

Rounding it up

— Padua junior Lydia Olivere has been named Gatorade Delaware Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year for the third consecutive season. Olivere won the DIAA Division I title with a time of 18:23, and also won the Paul Short Run, Carlisle Invitational and Joe O’Neill Invitational while maintaining a 3.94 grade-point average.

— Delaware Military Academy senior Sydney Fulton has been named Gatorade Delaware Volleyball Player of the Year for the third straight season. The senior setter had 503 assists, 128 digs and 52 aces and maintained a 3.98 grade-point average as the Seahawks went 16-4 and won their second consecutive DIAA title.

— Middletown is seeking head coaches for girls volleyball and boys soccer. Resumes and letters of interest may be submitted via email to athletic director Colleen Kelley at colleen.kelley@appo.k12.de.us.

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