This week was a busy one for Hornets Girls Basketball! On Friday, March 4, our girls hosted A.I. Dupont in the second round of the DIAA State Tournament with packed stands and roaring fans. In the first quarter, the Hornets stumbled a bit to reach their stride as the Tigers remained in striking distance with a 12-7 score. The Hornets finally started hitting their shots as they outscored the Tigers 16-6 going into halftime. The Hornets rounded out a dominant performance, defeating AI 57-25, securing a big home court “W” to thunderous applause. The Kirby sisters showcased a dominant performance. Emma Kirby ’23 walked away with 15 points as the game's leading scorer, and Sophie Kirby ’22 followed up with 14 points.
On short rest, the girls moved on to play the defending State Champions St. Elizabeth’s on Monday, March 7, at St. E’s home court. With Coach Paul’s game plan in mind, our girls executed a nearly perfect first quarter, crushing the opposition out of the gate and outscoring the Vikings 16-2!! They continued their performance holding St. E’s to single digits each quarter. After closing out the most decisive win of the season, Coach Paul was quoted as saying, “This was some of the best defensive performances I’ve ever seen.” Emma Kirby had another dominant performance as she tallied 17 points. Bri Gautier, arguably one of the most consistent players, the Hornets have completely locked down one of St. E’s best players while scoring the second-most points for the Hornets with 8.
The statement win at St. E’s progressed the girls into their first Semifinals appearance of the DIAA State Tournament, which was hosted at the University of Delaware’s Bob Carpenter Center - marking truly a historic season!
On Wednesday, March 9, our girls battled with #1 seed Caravel Academy. It was a tough battle from the jump, but their spirit and energy didn’t waver. The Buccaneers had trouble early with the Hornets despite having a lead; the game could’ve gone either way. Caravel had no real answer for Emma Kirby, who’d already registered a double-double of her own with 10 points and 12 rebounds for the Hornets. Unfortunately, Emma injured her left knee underneath Caravel’s basketball with about 3 minutes to go in the first half. She did not return, and that swung the game in Caravel’s favor. Our girls fought hard and didn’t quit once as they attempted to chip away at Caravel’s lead. Despite not having the game end the way they hoped, we are so incredibly proud of our girls and can't wait to see what they have in store next season. 
