Dover senior JayVion Denis driving to the basket against senior James Heath in the 2026 DIAA Boys Basketball State Tournament quarterfinals. Photo Credit: Dave Reeder
The first week of the 2026 DIAA Boys Basketball State Tournament concluded with four quarterfinal matchups all played on Saturday afternoon. Here’s a quick summary of the quarterfinals with a look ahead to the semifinals. The semifinal matchups will be played at the University of Delaware’s Bob Carpenter Center on Wednesday, March 11.
Quarterfinal Results:
No. 1 Dover defeated No. 8 Smyrna, 54-46: Wildcat senior Kameron Jackson-Dickson scored 15 of his 16 total points in the second half to lead Howard past the Eagles in the quarterfinal round. The Wildcats were down two players due to suspension, but overcame the absences behind the performances of Jackson-Dickson and fellow senior Chase Little who also finished with 16 points. Both teams played strong games, continually matching scoring runs the opposing team strung together. Dover led by seven at halftime and increased its advantage to ten after an 11-point third quarter from Jackson-Dickson. Smyrna cut the lead back down to seven in the fourth, but never got any closer. Smyrna senior Chase Sullivan scored a game-high 20 points.
No. 4 St. Georges defeated No. 12 Caravel, 87-60: The Hawks scored 20 or more points in each of the final three quarters to advance to the semifinal round. The game was close in the first half, but the Hawks pulled away after halftime holding the Buccaneers to eight points in the frame. St. Georges’ senior Joshua Obiora led the Hawks in scoring with 23 points to go along with his 12 rebounds. Junior Jayden Reid also recorded a double-double in the win and sophomores Corey Williams and Elijah Coates finished with 26 combined points. Senior Michael Sheehan led the Buccaneers in points with 16. Junior Niquan Lee and sophomore Prince Mcknight combined for four made 3-pointers and 28 points for Caravel.
No. 2 Howard defeated No. 7 Cape Henlopen, 72-64: The lead changed hands multiple times in a back and forth first half, but an 18-point second quarter by the Wildcats earned them a lead they never relinquished. Howard senior Bryson Lane led the team in scoring with his second consecutive 21-point game. Seniors Ronald Handy and Dominic Awahmukalah combined for 23 points and junior Ghazi Abdurrafi contributed 12. Viking junior Stephen Sivels led the team with 18 points while seniors Braxton Figgs and Quardell Richards added 15 and 12 points respectively.
No. 3 William Penn defeated No. 11 Salesianum, 59-49: The Colonials led after halftime, but the two teams were only separated by five points going into the fourth quarter. William Penn scored 20 in the quarter to move on to the semifinal round for the first time since 2023. Sophomore Kyndal Riley-Garlick led the Colonials in points with 15.
Semifinal Preview:
No. 1 Dover vs No. 4 St. Georges: The Hawks and Senators met in this same round a year ago and played an overtime game that ended in Dover moving on. Obiora led the Hawks in scoring with 13 points. The only other player that remains from that squad to score double digits in that game was Reid who contributed ten a year ago.
The two teams met again earlier this season. The Senators won the game, 69-62, getting 41 combined points from seniors Chase Little and JayVion Denis. Elijah Coates led the Hawks in scoring with 20 and Obiora contributed a 16-point double-double. The second meeting between the teams this season will take place at 6:00 p.m., Wednesday night.
No. 2 Howard vs No. 3 William Penn: The two teams are meeting in the tournament for the first time since 2023. They met in the same round three years ago and it resulted in a William Penn victory. Howard senior Bryson Lane is the only person from that game that will play in this year’s upcoming matchup. Lane was a freshman in 2023 and contributed two points.
The two teams played earlier this season with Howard coming away with a four point victory. Lane finished as the game’s leading scorer with 23 points on seven made shots. Handy knocked down three 3-pointers and fellow senior Nicholas Baysah scored 18 in addition to his five rebounds and assists. Senior Mu’adh Ibn Jaabir-Johnson scored a team-high 18 points and junior Chase Simmons scored 15 points for William Penn. This game will conclude the semifinal round with a scheduled start time of 8:00 p.m.
To see the full bracket click here.
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