Seahawks fly past Eagles into Governor’s Challenge final

A win is a win, but a win in a semifinal is a good position to be in.

Through three quarters of their first Governor’s Challenge matchup Dec. 29, the girls of the Sussex Academy and Holly Grove (Md.) basketball teams kept things tight, but the Seahawks finished strong in their 32-25 win to punch their ticket into the Salisbury Christian bracket final.

“Everyone's super excited,” said junior Grayce Glover. “It was a big win for us.”

Sussex Academy jumped out to a 7-3 lead in the first eight minutes, but Holly Grove flipped the script in the second quarter.

Both teams gave max effort on the defensive side, making points hard to come by. However, light bulbs started going off for Sussex Academy in the second half, as the concepts coach Rayona Benson and her staff of Will Edwards, Rick Barry and Justin Benson began manifesting on the court.

“We put in a lot of hard work over the winter break, and it paid off,” Glover said.

“Offensively, we were looking for each other,” Benson said. “In that second half, we knew we could start taking the ball in. We knew we needed to be aggressive going inside the paint.”

Glover normally operates inside, and still got a fair amount of paint on her sneakers, but it was Barb Carneiro-Duarte who became the focal point.

“They were yelling at me in the locker room a lot, but I think I finally listened, and I just got it,” Carneiro-Duarte said.

The freshman knocked elbows to grab offensive boards, put away close looks and drew a fair amount of fouls. Although they weren’t at the larger venue, Salisbury Christian and the Governor’s Challenge kept the heightened atmosphere, as subs were announced and point scorers had their names echo through the gym after making field goals.

An 18-16 lead to start the final quarter set the stage for a dramatic close to the game, but the Seahawks saved their best effort for last.

“In the fourth quarter, we knew we needed some separation, especially so we can get some other girls in to play,” Benson said. “We wanted to keep trying to pressure the ball so we could get some steals [and] we could get to the foul line. But we just really focused on us being the aggressors.” 

Benson emptied her bench as the Seahawks remained in control, and the minutes proved to be a team-building moment in the 32-25 triumph.

Sussex Academy battles host Salisbury Christian in the final at 3:15 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 30.