As the Delaware County girls’ basketball tournament ramped up to the championship game, the final four squads battled it out on Thursday evening. In the end, both Delta and Yorktown took victories to advance.
Game 1: Delta (8-8) vs Wapahani (14-4)
Delta came into this tournament with a first-round bye, and they were able to get plenty of rest before a tough semi-final game. That advantage of having the bye showed in the first quarter as the Eagles stormed out to a 16-10 lead after the first quarter. Delta was able to effectively score the ball in the paint, on a much smaller Wapahani lineup.
“In general we have been emphasizing rebounding a lot,” Delta head coach TyRonda Benning said. “I believe that my post players have been working very hard and that they can go up against anyone we play.”
Starting the second quarter, the Raiders faced many problems, including trying to push the ball past the strong Delta defense. They cut what could’ve been a ten-point deficit to only six. However, the Eagles still had control as they led 24-18 at halftime.
“I feel like we were great on the offensive and defensive end, and that’s going to be really important moving forward,” Benning said.
Continuing with their late second-quarter surge, Wapahani came out the same way in the third quarter, led by their leading scorer of the game, sophomore Megan Luce. Despite their hot start from behind the arc, Delta was able to calmly bounce back. The blue and gold headed into the fourth quarter in the driver’s seat up 33-27.
During the final period, Delta controlled the game for the first five minutes. With about three minutes to go, Wapahani found themselves in an eight-point hole, with any sort of hope to win the game evaporating.
But a pair of threes and a contested layup by the Raiders tied the game 40-40 with thirty seconds left. Wapahani got the ball back to try and steal a win. But with six seconds left, sophomore forward Jillian Barr stole the ball and laid it in to send the Eagles to the championship game.
“Honestly, my mind went blank,” Barr said. “I just needed to get that [basket] because I knew that we deserved the win so I had to appreciate it.”
Game 2: Yorktown (10-7) vs Wes-Del (1-2)
To kick off the second semi-final game, Yorktown took on Wes-Del. From the opening tip-off, it was all Tigers, determined to make the county championship to face off against Delta. They led 18-1 after one quarter of play due to the play by sophomore Lilly Sylvester, who led the quarter in scoring.
The second quarter was no different on the defensive end with Yorktown dominating, not letting up a single point in the entire quarter. The Tigers were able to control the ball on offense while taking off the clock and went into halftime up 26-1.
“I just told our girls out of the gate to move and push the ball. They [Wes-Del] had limited subs so we took advantage of that.” Yorktown head coach Leigh Barga said.
Yorktown stayed dominant on defense throughout the third quarter, pressuring Wes-Del to constantly turn the ball over. The Tigers took advantage of the Warriors’ half-court mistakes and extended their lead to 36-3.
Starting the fourth quarter, the Tigers were able to rest most of their starters to prepare for Delta in the county championship on Saturday.
“We haven’t won the past two years in this tournament,” Tigers’ head coach Leigh Barga said.“Everyone wants to win the championship, so we just have to work hard.”
Delta will take on Yorktown at Delta High School for the title on Saturday. The game is set to start at 6 p.m.
Contact Kyle Stout with comments at kyle.stout@bsu.edu or on X @kylestoutdailyn.
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