Prep notes: Caravel, Ursuline learn from early losses

Ursuline’s Alisha Lewis (left) – shown here against Concord’s Caroline Procak last year – scored 15 points in a season-opening win over the Mary Louis Academy last Saturday.

Five of Delaware’s best girls basketball teams went against some top competition over the weekend at the She Got Game Classic, especially defending state champion Ursuline and Caravel.

Both the Raiders and Buccaneers lost to Rufus King High of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which features Sydnee Roby, a 6-foot-3 sophomore rated the fourth-best center in the Class of 2019 by espn.com.

“She was physical, on offense and defense. She was tough,” Caravel coach Kristin Caldwell said of Roby. “And around her, they had really athletic guards that challenged you on every possession, getting the ball up the court. That’s great for us.”

The Buccaneers (2-1) limited Roby to 16 points, but lost 66-57 on Saturday despite 19 points from junior forward Kaylee Otlowski. Caravel returned on Sunday to down Vincentian Academy of Pittsburgh 56-34, as Maia Bryson scored 13.

“What I’m exceptionally happy with is our toughness, and just how hard we’re playing,” Caldwell said. “You could feel it, just how bad the girls wanted it against the team from Wisconsin. We came up short, but there were so many positives to take from it.”

Roby cranked it up for 29 points in a 54-49 win over Ursuline on Sunday. The Raiders only trailed by one point with 13 seconds remaining, but couldn’t get over the hump despite 12 points from Maggie Connolly.

“We didn’t play well,” Ursuline coach John Noonan said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do, but we’ll be all right. We’ll get there.”

Alisha Lewis scored 15 as the Raiders (1-1) edged Mary Louis Academy of New York City 54-50 on Saturday.

“Everybody down there was trying to do the same thing, trying to get their team ready for the season and see what you have and what you don’t have,” Noonan said. “We definitely found out some things, and that’s good.”

She Got Game has mushroomed into a three-day showcase that featured 87 games over three days, in seven gyms at five locations in the Washington, D.C., area. Conrad routed National Cathedral School (D.C.) 61-13 on Friday, then edged Anacostia (D.C.) 53-52 on Saturday. Sanford got past Boyertown (Pa.) 50-47 on Saturday, with Olivia Tucker scoring 17 points. Padua lost to National Cathedral 40-30 on Saturday, despite 15 points from Camryn Scully.

Rumble By The River

St. Georges boys basketball coach Rod Griffin has worked to put together the second annual Rumble By The River Upstate Downstate Hoops Challenge, to be held Saturday at St. Georges.

Four boys basketball games will be featured, each matching a New Castle County team against a Kent or Sussex County team. The action begins at noon with Howard vs. Polytech, followed by Sussex Central vs. Appoquinimink at 1:45, Caesar Rodney vs. Concord at 3:30 and Dover vs. host St. Georges at 5:15.

Admission is $8 for adults, $5 for students. One ticket is good for all four games.

Rounding it up

— Quarterback Nolan Henderson of back-to-back DIAA Division I football champion Smyrna has been named the Gatorade Delaware Football Player of the Year.

— Speaking of Smyrna, the 12-0 Eagles finished 16th in the maxpreps.com Northeast Region computer rankings.

— Smyrna senior Chase Archangelo earned the 100th victory of his high school wrestling career last Friday at the Milford Invitational. Archangelo went on to take the title at 145 pounds.

— Brian Derrickson of Middletown has been named the 2016 Atlantic Region spring season large schools girls soccer coach of the year by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. Derrickson guided the Cavaliers to a 14-1-2 season and a spot in the DIAA Division I tournament semifinals.

— Glasgow High is honoring former boys basketball coach Donald Haman before the 5:30 p.m. start of the Dragons’ home game against Mount Pleasant on Dec. 20. All former Glasgow basketball players, coaches and alumni are invited. For more information, contact Glasgow coach Jeremy Jeanne at (302) 442-0286 or Mark Sills at (302) 389-8558.

— Polytech right-handed pitcher Joey Haass and Salesianum catcher Zach Miller have signed to play baseball at the University of Delaware.

— St. Elizabeth junior Nathan Thomas has given a verbal commitment to play baseball at Saint Joseph’s.

— Delaware was well represented at the annual National High School Baseball Coaches Association convention last week in Columbus, Ohio. Ten First State coaches received plaques for years of coaching: St. Georges’ Jeff Rodgers (10 years); Wilmington Christian’s Jim Fedena, Hodgson’s Chris Moxley and Tatnall’s T.J. Ostrishko (15 years); St. Mark’s Matt Smith (25 years); St. Elizabeth’s Tom Beddow, Delmar’s Dave Hearn and Caravel’s Paul Niggebrugge (30 years); Brandywine’s Larry Wheeler (40 years) and St. Andrew’s Bob Colburn (55 years). Former William Penn coach Mel Gardner will serve as president of the association next year.

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