The Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association hopes it has solved the seating issues that have plagued the DIAA Boys Basketball Tournament quarterfinals.
DIAA is splitting Sunday’s four games into two sessions at the Bob Carpenter Center. That means watching all four games will cost $16 instead of $8, but more fans should be able to snag a seat.
“We had sold out the last three years in advance, and because people leave early, we did not have a good system to resell tickets,” DIAA executive director Tommie Neubauer said. “We were getting criticized on social media that there were seats empty and available, but we had no way to sell them.”
University of Delaware security measures require assigned seats and do not allow for general admission. So if a fan purchased a ticket and left after the first game, that seat would have to remain empty for the final three games.
“We had a lot of people for the third and fourth game that traveled distances over the last few years, only to show up and realize it was sold out,” Neubauer said. “But then people inside would be sending them pictures or tweeting that, ‘Hey, there’s at least 1,000 seats, how come they’re not selling them?’ As people left, we couldn’t see which seat was empty.”
So this time, Sunday’s action will begin at 1 p.m., with the second quarterfinal to begin no earlier than 2:45. Then the arena will be cleared, and new tickets will be required for everyone. The third quarterfinal will begin at 6, with the final game starting no earlier than 7:45.
“This way, we believe anybody who wants to see their school has a really good shot of getting a ticket,” Neubauer said.
One ticket will be good for all four of Saturday’s quarterfinals in the DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament, also at the Bob. Action will start at 2 p.m., followed by games at 3:30, 5 and 6:30.
Tickets ($8) for the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals of both boys and girls tournaments are available in advance online at www.statechamps.com/diaa. The Bob Carpenter Center box office will open 90 minutes before the start of each day’s first game, selling tickets to that day’s games only (if available). Tickets will not be sold at schools.
Riders like bracket
Caesar Rodney coach Bill Victory was very pleased when he saw the bracket for this year’s DIAA Girls Basketball Tournament.
The Riders (20-1) earned the No. 2 seed. Ursuline and Sanford – regarded by most as the state’s top two teams – were seeded first and fourth, respectively.
That puts the Raiders (19-1) and Warriors (17-3) on a path to meet in the semifinals, which theoretically gives Caesar Rodney a better chance of reaching the championship game. And Conrad (19-1) is the No. 5 seed, which could give Sanford a difficult quarterfinal opponent as well.
“I love our seed,” Victory said after his Riders dispatched Laurel 75-38 in the Henlopen Conference championship game last Friday. “Sanford and Ursuline are on the other side and Conrad. Oh, my gosh. It’s like Christmas in February.”
Of course, it won’t be easy. CR play host to the winner of Tuesday’s Dover at Howard game in the second round on Thursday night and Howard took the Riders to the limit before falling 54-51 in the second round last year.
CR’s quarterfinal opponent could be seventh-seeded St. Elizabeth, which lost its season opener 50-48 at CR on Dec. 12. After a 2-5 start, the Vikings (13-7) have won 11 of their last 13 games.
Third-seeded Caravel (14-6) or sixth-seeded Concord (17-3) could await the Riders in the semifinals. Still, Victory likes the Riders’ chances.
“We’ve had teams before that were pretty good, but the bracket just stunk,” Victory said. “The bracket smells good right now. We’ve just got to take care of business.”
McKean wrestler goes deep
McKean’s Loma Thomas wouldn’t smile for a photo after edging Sussex Tech’s Jamie Schirmer 3-1 in overtime for third place at 285 pounds at the DIAA Individual Wrestling Championships on Saturday night.
“I’ll smile when I get first,” Thomas said with a laugh.
That could be a distinct possibility for the junior next season. Still, Thomas’ state finish was the best for a McKean wrestler since Luis Quiones took second at 140 pounds in 2002. The week before, Thomas became the first Highlander to earn a Blue Hen Conference title since Quiones.
“He’s got heart. He wrestles for a full six minutes,” McKean coach Nick Dominelli said of Thomas. “He’s very explosive. I told him when he wrestles these guys that are big, they want to tie him up and slow him down. He’s so explosive that if he pushes the pace on these guys and wrestles explosively, he can wrestle with anyone in the state.”
Thomas, who finished 22-4 this season, lost 3-1 to top-seeded Zach Flores of Cape Henlopen in the semifinals. But he returned to edge Hunter Balback of Delaware Military Academy 1-0 to set up the third-place match.
The Highlanders have only nine wrestlers – all underclassmen. Dominelli credited 220-pounder D’Angelo Reams and assistant coach Nick Dorda with sharpening Thomas’ skills at practice.
“I’ve been working hard, running, just running, running, running, trying to get my wind up,” Thomas said. “Coach said the heavyweights are going to try to slow me down. Just keep the pace, keep pushing them, and they’ll eventually break.”
Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ
McKean junior Loma Thomas worked up a sweat in defeating Sussex Tech’s Jamie Schirmer for third place at 285 pounds at the DIAA Individual Wrestling Championships at Dover High on Saturday.