St. Elizabeth seniors Skylar Bolden (left) and Za’Mylah Seda-Owens (right) pose with the championship trophy after winning the 2026 DIAA girls basketball state championship. Photo Credit: Dave Reeder
The St.Elizabeth Vikings defeated the Sanford Warriors, 40-34, in the 2026 DIAA Girls Basketball State Championship game, Saturday afternoon, at the University of Delaware’s Bob Carpenter Center.
NEWARK — Senior Zy’Mylah Seda-Owens stood at the foul line, facing the St. Elizabeth student cheering section. The Vikings were leading by four with less than a minute to play in the fourth quarter. The senior guard was serenaded to MVP chants from her fellow Vikings as she knocked down both shots and cemented the Vikings win with her 11th and 12th point of the fourth quarter.
“I was just focused on my form that I work on everyday,” Seda-Owens said about her mindset on the free throw line in the final quarter.
Seda-Owens scored a team-high 15 points in St. Elizabeth’s 40-34 win over Sanford in the 2026 DIAA Girls Basketball State Championship game, Saturday afternoon.
“Zy’Mylah is a dog,” head coach Tye Taylor said postgame. “She’s our heart and soul. Skylar’s our best player, but Zy’Mylah’s our heart and soul since she came here.”
The Vikings started the fourth quarter trailing by eight points after playing most of the third quarter without senior Skylar Bolden. Bolden picked up her fourth foul within the first two minutes of the third quarter and was subbed out by Taylor to prevent her from getting her fifth and fouling out. The Warriors took advantage of Bolden’s absence.
Sanford outscored St. Elizabeth, 17-7, in the frame due in part to a seven-point quarter from sophomore Aslyn Merrell. Merrell scored around the hoop and at the free throw line, and gave Sanford its first lead of the second half with a tough layup at the rim while getting fouled. Merrell completed the three point play and the Warriors led halfway through the frame.
Merrell finished as the Warriors’ leading scorer with 11 points and was key to Sanford’s defense against Bolden early in the game.
Merrell and Bolden matched up against each other throughout the first half. Merrell held Bolden scoreless through the first quarter, but the Delaware Player of the Year candidate got on the board in the second quarter. Bolden scored on an offensive rebound then two possessions later earned a trip to the charity stripe drawing Merrell’s third foul. With Merrell on the bench, Bolden got free for back to back 3-pointers on the half’s final two possessions, sending St. Elizabeth into halftime with its first lead of the afternoon.
Viking senior Skylar Bolden working in the post against the Sanford defense. Photo Credit: Dave Reeder
The Vikings regained that lead in the fourth quarter by deploying a stronger pressure defense that helped create extra offensive possessions. The Vikings scored the first 14 points in the final frame with contributions from their two senior scorers, Bolden and Seda-Owens. The duo accounted for 12 of the run’s 14 points.
“I love her, you know, I trust her so much,” Bolden said postgame about Seda-Owens. “Sany’a, I trust her so much, everybody on that court I trust so much. Even though we were down eight I knew we were gonna come back.”
Seda-Owens completed St. Elizabeth’s first championship title since 2021 at the free throw line and as the final buzzer rang on the ensuing possession, the senior guard fell to a crouch holding her jersey over her face to shield the emotion. Her teammates rushed to celebrate with her and the team ran together to the student section to celebrate with the Viking contingent in attendance.
A year removed from championship heartbreak the Vikings came back to the Bob Carpenter Center and claimed a state championship.
“We had to come back and win, you know, we fell short last year, but we knew we [were] going to come back and win,” Bolden said.
This post was originally published on Delaware LIVE
