Royals girls' basketball celebrates seniors with big win over Mallards

Delmarva Christian makes a statement before conference tournament

Members of the Royals Class of 2025 are (l-r) Bella Marinelli, Taylor Lowe and Layni Dukes. DAN COOK PHOTOS

Dan Cook

February 13, 2025

The Delmarva Christian girls’ basketball team celebrated its Class of 2025 with a decisive 46-18 victory over Worcester Prep Feb. 10 in Georgetown. The win firmly secures them home court advantage in the ESIAC tournament.

What a difference a few days can make, as the Royals came back strong from their illness-ridden 21-point loss to Middletown Feb. 7.

“We were moving a little bit better tonight,” said Royals head coach Frank Roach. “We put a lot of pressure on their guards, and it forced quite a few turnovers and bad passes. Unlike Friday, we were making our shots early on, and it carried us through. We had some dog days with some sickness in January, but now we’re getting our bearings back. We struggled a bit early with our layups, but I think for the most part we got back into the flow. We have some big games coming up.”

The Royals took a 34-4 lead into the halftime break and continued to dominate in the third quarter, outscoring the Mallards 10-6. Worcester players got their wings in the fourth, outscoring the Royals 8-2 , but the 44-10 running-clock lead was just too much for the 6-8 Mallards.

Leading the Royals was junior Eve Bohinski with 14 points and eight rebounds. Senior Layni Dukes added 11 points, seven rebounds and seven steals. Senior Bella Marinelli added 11 points and two steals. Senior Taylor Lowe dropped six points, six rebounds and four steals.

Junior forward Eva Elliott played her normal consistent game, collecting three rebounds, three steals, three blocks and three assists.

Junior Riley Barto came off the bench and played top-notch defense, grabbing three rebounds and three steals.

“I think we got our energy back,” said Dukes. “It was our Senior Night and our last hurrah before the conference tournament. We needed this win, so we came out strong, and we were really excited about it. Every game matters.”

“Knowing we’re hitting our shots, it keeps our adrenaline building,” said Marinelli. “As seniors, knowing our season is winding down, we just don’t take anything for granted. We wanted to make a statement to the rest of the ESIAC. We’re not here to mess around. We’re a force to be reckoned with.”

Junior Anisha Batra led the Mallards with 11 points. Carolina Labin scored four.

The Royals pay homage to their seniors. Shown are (l-r) Eve Bohinski, Riley Barto, Abby Totten, Avery McCoy, Bella Marinelli, Taylor Lowe, Layni Dukes, Mary Kate Doherty, Gianna Nagle and Eva Elliott.