WILMINGTON — A suffocating pressure defense helped Conrad get back into its girls basketball game against Saint Mark’s, with the Red Wolves gradually erasing a 12-point deficit on the way to a 53-48 win over the Spartans on Dec. 18.
The Spartans came out firing, with freshman Natalie Van Dzura hitting two early three-pointers as Saint Mark’s took an 8-2 lead. Conrad did not make a field goal until 4:35 remained, as Aubrey Mundy scored following an offensive rebound. But Saint Mark’s kept up the hot shooting, getting another pair of threes on the way to a 22-10 lead after one.
The tenor changed beginning in the second quarter when the Red Wolves went to a full-court press and an aggressive man-to-man defense. Conrad’s height advantage also became more of a factor. The Spartans’ lead remained at 12 points following a three-pointer for Madiella Keefer, but the Red Wolves answered with seven consecutive points. Eva Walker made a free throw, and she, Mundy and Giannie Amore each scored in the paint to cut the Saint Mark’s lead to 29-24 with 46 seconds left in the half. That was the score at the break.
Saint Mark’s had a seven-point lead midway through the third, but the Red Wolves’ pressure began paying dividends. A steal led to a three-pointer by Epps to make it 31-27, and another turnover resulted in a bucket for Walker. Sophia Karch (St. John the Beloved Parish) got two of those points back, but Conrad trailed by just a point heading into the fourth.
The Spartans led, 45-39, four minutes into the quarter, but Mundy scored on three consecutive possessions for the Red Wolves, two underneath and one from three-point land, giving Conrad a 46-45 advantage. Van Dzura tied it with a free throw, but Mundy struck again inside to put her team back on top. Keefer tied it again, but with 90 seconds remaining, Walker laid one in off the glass to put the Red Wolves on top to stay.
Walker added another free throw, and an attempted three-pointer for the Spartans missed the mark. Mundy got open underneath with 11 seconds left to make it a two-possession game, with Walker picking up the assist.
Walker finished with 16 and Mundy 15 for Conrad, who improved to 3-1. The Red Wolves head to Newark on Friday for a 3:45 p.m. tip.
For the Spartans, Keefer had 16, and Karch added 12. Saint Mark’s (3-2) next plays on Dec. 27 at the Viking Invitational at the St. E Center.
Photos by Mike Lang.
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