NEWARK – Midway through the third quarter of Wednesday’s first DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament semifinal, it was looking bleak for Ursuline.

The normally high-scoring Raiders had just 13 points, and Sanford was leading by nine.

“We were not recognizing what they were doing defensively, and we were forcing the issue,” Ursuline coach John Noonan said. “Not sharing the ball very well.”

Then freshmen guards Jezelle Banks and Taylor Brown started to force the issue in a good way, and share the ball during an explosive, 16-0 run.

Ursuline screamed into the lead, then survived Sanford’s last-second attempt to tie and earned a 37-34 victory at the Carpenter Center.

The second-seeded Raiders (17-6) will meet top-seeded Caravel for a shot at the school’s 18th state basketball title at 2 p.m. Saturday.

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This game was totally different than sixth-seeded Sanford’s 81-76 victory on Feb. 15, both in style and outcome.

“I’m just excited and blessed that we came this far,” said Banks, who finished with 19 points and five assists. “… We were ready to beat them when it mattered.”

The Raiders certainly didn’t appear to be ready with 4:16 left in the third quarter. They trailed 22-13, and had hit just 4 of their first 27 shots (14.8 percent) to that point.

But over the next 1:42, Banks assisted on Olivia O’Hara’s three-point play, Brown hit a free throw, Banks scored on a steal, Brown converted a fast break and Jazlynn Wesley banked in a layup.

Suddenly, Ursuline was ahead 23-22.

The onslaught continued. Banks scored on a rebound, then stole the ball and fed Brown for a layup. Brown returned the favor with a fast-break pass to Banks for a 29-22 lead after three quarters.

“Taylor and Jezelle just kind of started bothering the ball a little bit, got some turnovers, got some transition buckets,” Noonan said. “When the ball starts falling through … everything starts to feel better about your team. The energy picks up, and it snowballs.”

The Warriors (16-6) halted the blizzard with two layups by Naomi Allen and one by Tyler Edwards to pull within 29-28.

It went back and forth from there, with Banks making the play of the night by whipping a half-court pass to Wesley for a layup that pushed Ursuline ahead 35-32 with 34 seconds to play.

“You don’t know if she’s going to lay it, fake it, fake lay it, pass it, throw it, chuck it. I don’t know,” Wesley said as Banks laughed. “I just have learned in these past games and practices just to be ready and be right there. Just be ready to score.”

Wesley had a huge night in the paint, finishing with 10 points, 11 rebounds and five blocked shots.

“She’s a difference maker,” Noonan said. “She changes shots in there, and she made some big plays tonight.”

Banks hit two free throws for a 37-34 edge with 22.6 seconds left, but missed two with seven seconds remaining to allow the Warriors a final chance. The defending state champs couldn’t hit a long one, and the Raiders celebrated.

“It’s all about the journey,” Noonan said. “As coaches and the community, we want this for them. It’s a lifetime memory.”

Jada Snow had a huge game for Sanford, finishing with 11 points and 15 rebounds. Edwards added 11 points and seven boards.

Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on X (aka Twitter): @BradMyersTNJ

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament: Ursuline tops Sanford in semifinals