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Jays trail early, win late By MIKE FINNEY Caesar Rodney High's girls basketball team appeared to have Seaford pinned against the ropes early in a battle between Henlopen Conference Northern Division powers Tuesday night. However, the second-ranked Blue Jays followed the lead of Ashlee Burbage and Roniece Williams and raced back for a 56-52 overtime victory over the No. 10 Riders. "I don't think we're going to have very many easy ones this year," Seaford coach James Wearden said. "We've got two great players, and then we've got a lot of young kids. In games like this, they grow up a lot." Burbage scored 16 points, and Williams chipped in 15 for the Blue Jays. Seaford (3-0 overall, 2-0 conference) was outscored 14-4 in the opening quarter before showing signs of life with its transition game. The Blue Jays went on a 12-5 run in the final three minutes of the first half to pull to within 21-20 at halftime. From there, it was a mad scramble for an important early season victory. The lead changed hands 11 times in the second half. It was tied five times, including 47-47 at the end of regulation. Caesar Rodney (1-2, 1-1) scored the first two baskets of overtime before the Blue Jays' veteran leaders took over. Williams grabbed a rebound and sank a jumper to tie it 52-52 with 1:27 left. Then Keosha Gibbs intercepted a pass and Burbage sank a layup to give the Blue Jays a 54-52 lead with 1:01 left. Williams had a steal on CR's end and finished off the victory with a pair of free throws with seven seconds left. "It was a really hard game," Williams said. "We wanted to get off on the right foot in conference, and we knew this would be a big step." Nakia Anderson scored 17 points and April Jackson added 11 for the Riders, who played all 11 of their players. CR coach Bill Victory said being on the road made it tough for his team. "That was a big difference," Victory said. "There's nothing like playing at home. They've got a good team and they played really hard. It's always hard to beat Seaford at Seaford." Burbage knew that if the Jays could withstand the early pressure, they could fight back. "We just had to handle their pressure early and double team [Micki] Younger," Burbage said. "We knew it would be a tough game." Reach Mike Finney at 734-7945 or mfinney@delawareonline.com. |
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