Caravel’s Taylor Too Much For Saint Mark’s

Members of the #9 seed Caravel girl's basketball team celebrate after Saturday night's victory over #8 seed St. Marks, 43-37. Caravel moves on to face #1 seed Caesar Rodney in Dover on Monday night. (Photo by Rob Tornoe)

The #9 seed Caravel Buccaneers (14-10) advanced to the quarter-final round of the Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association’s Girls Basketball Tournament by defeating host #8 Saint Mark’s (15-8) 43-37 on Saturday.

While it is not surprising that Caravel was led by senior captain (and McDonald’s High School All-American) Dara Taylor (21 points), the first 15:43 of the first half did not bode well for the Buccaneers.

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Saint Mark’s offense was conservative almost to a fault, as the Lady Spartans utilized each possession to work the ball methodically around the perimeter. The strategy paid dividends, as its effects were several: it kept Caravel’s fleet-footed Taylor from keying defensively on any one ball-handler, it took time off of the clock, and it more often than not created open looks for three-point attempts.

“Historically, their keep-away offense has frustrated us,” said Caravel coach Kristin Caldwell. “It’s tough to play defense for 35 seconds and then follow that with a 3 second possession of your own because of a bad shot.”

The Lady Spartans’ offense, keyed by the three point conversions of junior Briana Goodge (10 points) and sophomore Alison Zimny (10 points), put Caravel in a hole, but their defense kept them there, holding Taylor to 0 for 7 shooting from the floor as Saint Mark’s built a 20-10 lead with :17 seconds left in the first half.

Then, in what must be considered one of the more remarkable displays of basketball prowess that this observer has yet witnessed, Dara Taylor proceeded to steal the ball on three consecutive plays, converting each steal into a basket, with the last steal and basket coming off of a Saint Mark’s inbound pass with :01 second left to play. Just like that, Taylor’s six points in :17 seconds galvanized the Buccaneers, who though entering halftime trailing 20-16, had swung momentum quite decisively in their favor.

“I’m a senior, I’ve got to be a leader for this team,” remarked Taylor when queried about her amazing finish to the half.

Saint Mark’s played with intensity in the second half, and Lady Spartans’ senior point guard Jessica Knowles guarded Taylor tenaciously in man-to-man looks. Ultimately nothing the Lady Spartans did could stem Caravel’s momentum, which featured a 17-7 run to finish the game. Buccaneers senior forwards Arielle Chard (2 points) and Janell Dunham (8 points), as well as junior guard Ellee Rollins (6 points) played well down the stretch to help seal the victory.

If Dara Taylor was frustrated early, she didn’t let it get the better of her. “Every time we play Saint Mark’s, we have to have lots of patience—they’re gonna run their sets,” said the All-American senior. “The coaches just said ‘We need you to calm down’, and I did.”

Caravel’s next game will be against #1 seed Caesar Rodney (21-2) in the quarter-final round of the DIAA tournament, on Monday, March 9 in Dover at 7 p.m.