Howard completes Delaware sweep in Diamond State Classic

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