CAMDEN – Caesar Rodney and Howard screamed up and down the floor throughout the first half Thursday night, exchanging fast-break baskets.
It was exactly the pace the second-seeded Riders wanted, hoping it would take a toll on the 15th-seeded Wildcats.
It did.
Howard didn’t score in the third quarter, and Caesar Rodney pulled away for a 59-39 home victory in the second round of the DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament.
“They’re a great team, and they’re big and athletic,” CR coach Bill Victory said of the Wildcats. “They played with us for a while. I just didn’t feel like they could do that with us the whole game. I thought we kept pushing the tempo, they got in foul trouble and then we just kind of stepped on the gas a little bit.”
The Riders led 32-30 at the half. Then CR kept on scoring, and Howard stopped.
“We went to that matchup zone, and they couldn’t figure it out,” Victory said. “… It just froze them out. They couldn’t get anything done, couldn’t get to the basket. So it was the right move.”
The Riders (21-1) advanced to meet seventh-seeded St. Elizabeth (14-7) in the quarterfinals, at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at the Bob Carpenter Center.
“We played really well,” said CR sophomore Kornegay-Lucas, who finished with 25 points and eight rebounds. “We were hustling throughout the game, making our layups.”
Howard (15-7) got six straight points from Kayla Rouse to take a 14-10 lead with 1:58 left in the first quarter. The Riders answered with eight straight, going ahead 18-14 on Alissa Haith’s short jumper.
The Wildcats opened the second period with another 6-0 run. CR retaliated, and the lead changed hands three more times before Ronnay Blatch-Huggins’ layup pulled Howard within 32-30 at the half.
But the second half was a different story. The Wildcats went 9:46 without a point, as CR scored 12 straight. Brionna Brooks’ 3-pointer from the left wing pushed the Riders’ advantage to 44-30.
Howard finally answered with two buckets from Blatch-Huggins, only to see CR rip off a 10-0 run. Destiny Johnson’s layup made it 54-34 with 2:53 to play.
Haith added 15 points and 14 rebounds for the Riders. Blatch-Huggins had 12 points and 14 boards for the Wildcats.
Now CR turns its attention to St. Elizabeth, a perennial state title contender. The Riders edged the Vikings 50-48 at home Dec. 12, but that was CR’s fourth game and the season opener for St. E.
“That win earlier, I can’t even count that,” Victory said. “They might use that as a motivation. But for me, that team we played back then and the team we’re going to play right now are two different teams. And so are we.”
Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ.
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Howard’s Jaymail Hollis (0) drives to the hoop past Caesar Rodney’s defense during their game in the second round of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at Caesar Rodney High School.
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Howard’s Kayla Rouse (21) and Caesar Rodney’s Zoe Scott (3) reach for the ball during the tip off of their game in the second round of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at Caesar Rodney High School.
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Howard’s Ronnay Blatch-Huggins (15) looks for a teammate to the pass the ball to while being defended by Caesar Rodney’s Malaka Gillette (12) during their game in the second round of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at Caesar Rodney High School.
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Caesar Rodney’s Malaka Gillette (12) defends as Howard’s Kayla Rouse (21) tries to work closer to the basket during their game in the second round of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at Caesar Rodney High School.
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Howard’s Na’leigha Wright (1) steals the ball from Caesar Rodney’s Zoe Scott (3) during their game in the second round of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at Caesar Rodney High School.
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Howard’s Na’leigha Wright (1) goes up for a lay up past Caesar Rodney’s Alexis Reid (5) during their game in the second round of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at Caesar Rodney High School.
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Caesar Rodney’s Brionna Brooks (20) reaches to steal the ball from Howard’s Jaymail Hollis (0) during their game in the second round of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at Caesar Rodney High School.
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Howard’s Ronnay Blatch-Huggins (15) reaches to stop a shot by Caesar Rodney’s Alissa Haith (21) during their game in the second round of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at Caesar Rodney High School.
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Howard’s Ronnay Blatch-Huggins (15) and Caesar Rodney’s Kylie Kornegay-Lucas (15) go for a loose ball under the basket during their game in the second round of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at Caesar Rodney High School.
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Caesar Rodney’s Brionna Brooks (20) is fouled by Howard’s defense during their game in the second round of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at Caesar Rodney High School.
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Howard’s Jaymail Hollis (0) drives to the basketball past Caesar Rodney’s Alexis Reid (5) during their game in the second round of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at Caesar Rodney High School.
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Howard’s Na’leigha Wright (1) goes up for a lay up during their game in the second round of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at Caesar Rodney High School.
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Caesar Rodney’s Kylie Kornegay-Lucas (15) drives to the hoop past Howard’s Zariyah Jackson (22) during their game in the second round of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at Caesar Rodney High School.
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Caesar Rodney’s Kylie Kornegay-Lucas (15) passes the ball from the court floor during their game in the second round of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at Caesar Rodney High School.
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Howard’s Ronnasia Blatch-Huggins (40) goes up for a lay up in their game against Caesar Rodney in the second round of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at Caesar Rodney High School.
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Caesar Rodney’s Alissa Haith (21), Howard’s Na’leigha Wright (1) and Caesar Rodney’s Alexis Reid (5) go for a loose ball during their game in the second round of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at Caesar Rodney High School.
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Caesar Rodney’s Alissa Haith (21) works the ball through Howard’s defense during their game in the second round of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at Caesar Rodney High School.
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Caesar Rodney’s Destiny Johnson (30) drives down the court during their game in the second round of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at Caesar Rodney High School.
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Howard’s Jaymail Hollis (0) knocks the ball from the hands of Caesar Rodney’s Alexis Reid (5) during their game in the second round of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at Caesar Rodney High School.
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Caesar Rodney’s Kylie Kornegay-Lucas (15) knocks the ball loose during their game against Howard in the second round of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at Caesar Rodney High School.
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Caesar Rodney’s Kylie Kornegay-Lucas (15) knocks the ball loose during their game against Howard in the second round of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at Caesar Rodney High School.
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Caesar Rodney’s Destiny Johnson (30) grabs the ball during a Howard turn over during their game in the second round of DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament at Caesar Rodney High School.