Royals emerge victorious over Dragons in ESIAC girls’ basketball

Shorthanded due to illnesses, the Delmarva Christian girls’ basketball team pulled it together thanks to a big second quarter and tamed the Dragons of Salisbury School 46-30 Feb. 6. 

“The first quarter was slow, the last quarter was slow, but, all in all, they hung together, fought together,” said Royals coach Frank Roach. “Some of our shots just didn't fall, but, we were able to endure.”

Following a sluggish first quarter won by Delmarva Christian 7-5, the Royals offense opened up thanks in large part to senior Bella Marinelli finding her stroke from downtown. After hitting a clutch three to give the Royals their first-quarter lead, she scored 10 in the second quarter, six from deep, as Delmarva Christian pulled away for a 26-8 halftime score.

“I've been working on [the shot] a lot to get it consistent and warm,” Marinelli said. “If I was open, I was gonna shoot it, and it felt really consistent tonight, so I knew if I hit one, I was probably gonna hit a few more.”

“They were packing it in a little bit in the zone, so I know we couldn't really get it inside, and when we did, we turned the ball over a few times,” Roach said. “Having a guard like Bella or Avery [McCoy] being able to knock some shots down, that will always open it up a little bit for drivers and our offensive rebounding, so it was good that she got hot tonight.”

Marinelli led the team with 17 points and was closely trailed by Eve Bohinski, whose 16 points and 14 boards gave her a double-double. In addition to leading the team in rebounds, the junior also led the Royals with six steals.

Salisbury School actually won the final two quarters, but the Royals came through when it counted to secure the 46-30 victory.