By D. Matt Dale
MaxPreps.com
The Dover High Senators were overlooked by many as they entered the Delaware boys' basketball tournament. They were ranked 14th out of 24 teams with a 14-8 record when the tournament began. Few thought Dover would advance past the second round.
Thanks to consistent and outstanding play from senior forward James Hinton and junior guard Derrick Smith, the Senators have advanced to the state semifinals and are finally getting the attention they deserve.
Dover began the tournament with a 41-37 victory over Salesianum in the first round. Hinton led the Senators with 16 points (11 in the fourth quarter) while Smith contributed 12 points.
In the second round, Dover faced third-ranked Glasgow. Dover senior Ben George scored 21 points, but it was the consistent play from Hinton (11 points, 9 rebounds) and Smith (9 points) that helped Dover forge a three-point upset victory, 59-56.
The Senators win over Glasgow rivaled that of ninth-ranked Newark, which stunned top-seeded Hodgson Vo-Tech in another major upset.
On Sunday, Dover advanced to the semifinals on a game-winning lay-up by Hinton with five seconds left in regulation to upset the sixth-ranked Sussex Tech Ravens. Hinton put up 21 points and 13 rebounds, while Derrick Smith added 23 points in the 64-63 quarterfinal thriller.
Fittingly, Smith made the assist to Hinton on the game winning shot that ended the Sussex Tech's season.
Hinton and Smith are responsible for 92 of Dover’s 164 points in the tournament.
The Senators will look to continue the upset trend when they face second-ranked Caravel (20-4) in the state semifinals on Thursday March 6 at 6:30 p.m. at the Carpenter Center in Newark.
St. Elizabeth to Take On Hodgson Vo-Tech
The top-ranked and defending state champion St. Elizabeth girls' basketball team will try to continue its winning ways against No. 4 Hodgson in the state semifinals on Wednesday night in Newark. St. Elizabeth is coming off a 36-point victory (64-28) against No. 8 Archmere in the quarterfinals last Sunday.
Hodgson narrowly escaped an upset in its quarterfinal match-up against 12th-ranked Middletown.
Both St. Elizabeth and Hodgson were awarded first round byes in this year’s tournament. St. Elizabeth has limited its opponents ( No. 17 Caesar Rodney and No. 8 Archmere) to an average of 35 points per game while scoring an average of 63 points on offense in tournament play.
Hodgson has also played well defensively throughout the tournament, holding its opponents (No. 13 Hodgson and No. 12 Middletown) to an average of 37.5 points per game, while averaging 44 points a game on offense.
Hodgson will have to bring its best game to advance past St. Elizabeth and reach the finals.
Ursuline, Sanford Clash in Semifinal Showdown
Fresh off a 37-32 overtime victory against third-ranked St. Mark’s on Sunday, the No. 6 Sanford girls basketball team will face No. 2 Ursuline Academy in the semifinal round of the state tournament. The 6:30 p.m. game at the Carpenter Center will precede the other semifinal game between Hodgson and St. Elizabeth.
Sanford is led by senior Jamie Milliski, who has scored 21 points in Sanford’s two tournament games. Milliski’s seven rebounds against St. Mark’s proved to be a key factor in Sanford’s upset victory.
Ursuline features 2008 State Farm/Women's Basketball Coaches Association High School Player of the Year Award winner Elena Delle Donne. Delle Donne has scored 61 of Ursuline’s 135 tournament points, nearly outscoring all of her teammates combined.
Ursuline has averaged an impressive 67.5 points per game throughout the tournament, and has held its tournament opponents (No. 18 Cape Henlopen and No. 10 Brandywine) to an average of 32.5 points per game.
Sanford is averaging 45 points per game in tourney play and has held its opponents (No. 11 Tower Hill and No. 3 St. Mark’s) to an average of 39.5 points per outing. Sanford hopes the momentum it created with the victory against St. Mark’s will carry over and result in another upset against a strong Ursuline team.
