Blewett, Upper Darby storm back for third straight win

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UPPER DARBY >> Don’t look now, but Upper Darby is on a winning streak.

Emma Blewett’s clutch foul shooting and steal with two seconds left in the fourth quarter propelled the Royals to a 50-47 decision over Ridley in Central League action Wednesday night.

That’s three victories in a row for a basketball program that had fallen on hard times in recent years.

“We kind of got out of control towards the end of the game, but the coaches and the players came together,” Blewett said. “I went over to everybody and said, ‘We just have to calm down.’ We really, really wanted to win this game. It was really important. We knew we had a chance to win our third in a row and that was important. I think since we calmed down and focused … we did what we had to do and what our coaches told us.”

Blewett stayed cool at the foul line down the stretch. She drilled four straight freebies to put the Royals ahead to stay with less than a minute to play.

“I also have to rely on my teammates,” Blewett said. “They’re always there and I have to rely on them to get the rebound if I don’t make it. That’s the most important part, is believing in your teammates. I feel like when I’m at the free-throw line, I have to make these shots for the team.”

Wednesday’s narrow win over Ridley was the first by the Royals in Central League play since Jan. 5, 2015.

“We had them beaten two or three times … but give Ridley credit because they kept coming back,” UD coach Tony Zambino said. “I know Ridley is down and rebuilding a little this year, but they have some good basketball players.”

Upper Darby (3-6) led by as many as 11 points in the first half. Blewett nailed three 3-point field goals in the third quarter, when the Royals were up by as many as nine points. Dana D’Ambrosio got a steal, dribbled the length of the court and made a layup as time expired in the third quarter to get Ridley within three points entering the final period.

Ridley and Upper Darby went on the see-saw for much of the fourth quarter. Freshman Lindsay Boyd came up with a blocked shot and made a terrific outlet pass to Shannon McKee, who swished a 15-foot jumper to give Ridley a 41-39 lead with four minutes to go.

Blewett came back to tie the game with a long 2-pointer, then Boyd hit two free throws to put Ridley back in front. D’Ambrosio sank a trey from the corner to make it a four-point Ridley lead with two minutes to play,

Upper Darby answered.

Natalie Koskinas (seven points) had a putback underneath to trim the UD deficit to two points, Gabby Liberio made a free throw, then the Royals forced a turnover to set up Blewett’s first of four consecutive foul shots.

“Even when the game got closer, and even when we got down, we kept telling each other to stay calm,” said Liberio, a sophomore guard who scored 10 points and had four assists. “Even if we made mistakes, let’s keep going and get it back together and not worry about the mistakes. Let’s just get it next time and keep going until we get the win.”

It’s clear that Upper Darby is a much improved team in 2017-18. Now the Royals are building confidence as they hope to make a run at a District 1 Class 6A playoff berth.

“We’re a team, we’re running the plays, we’re executing and we’re all staying positive,” said Zambino, who took the helm of the Royals prior to last season. “It’s finally caught on.”

Blewett scored 16 of her game-high 23 points after halftime to pace the Royals.

“She’s a dream to coach,” Zambino said of Blewett, a four-year starter who will continue her basketball career at Albright.

Boyd had 10 of her 11 points in the second half for Ridley (1-8). Maria Brown fueled the Green Raiders in the first half with 12 points, including eight in the second quarter on 4-for-4 shooting from the floor. D’Ambrosio chipped in with nine points.

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Matt Smith

Matt Smith
Matt Smith is a sports writer with the Delaware County Daily Times. To contact him, email msmith@delcotimes.com or follow him on Twitter @DTMattSmith.

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