Girls

 

Grades 5-6

Zephyr Lock Orange Crush 28, Rankin Sports Pink Panthers 16: The Orange Crush were led by Ashely Lynch with 10 points and Madilyn Cole with 6. Shannon Cheh played tough defense along with Lucy Scaragnella and Vanessa Tucker. Caroline Caporale led the Pink Panthers with 8, Elizabeth Weisgerber with 6 and Simone Afriyie with 2. Great offense by Hannah Luby, Katie McCabe, and Catherine Shaw.

Lady Hawks 27, The Pampered Chef Thunder 12: The Lady Hawks’ Kendra Dunnigan led the team with 6 points. Natalie Kelchner found an open teammate on offense for 4 assists. Nicole Frascatore battled the boards to lead the team with 10 rebounds and Rachel O’Grady anchored the defense with 3 steals. Tessa Leon-Gambetta and Olivia Hamula led the offensive for the Thunder with 4 points each. Sarah Brittin, Ava Petrellese and Kayla Pettit anchored the defense in a tough loss to the Lady Hawks

 Colonical Chiropractic Dr Schmid Mighty Mustangs 8, Crazy Fruits 2: Jenna Ciavara dropped in 4 points, Casey Muckell added a basket and Emma Schmid-Tharnish sank two clutch free throws to lead the Mighty Mustangs to victory in a hard-fought defensive battle. Ashley Santore, Jordan Williams, Rebecca Gavel, and Allie Nuzzo played relentless defense and came up with numerous steals and rebounds. Jackie Gouvera led the Crazy Fruits in scoring. Tigan Dougherty and Marit Lyons led the team in rebounding and defense.

56ers 26, Pampered Chef Thunder 24: The 56ers took the Pampered Chef Thunder in a down-to-the-buzzer nail-biter. Top scorer and rebounder for the 56ers, Danielle Otero saved the win with her fourth basket just before the end of the game. Gutsy Sarah Dowling gave the team 6 points before getting injured. Emily Bell also sank 3 baskets, Grace “the Goose” Larsen scored 4 points and Megan Nahmias added to the score with a field goal. Alexandra Futterman cleared the key down low, allowing the 56ers to dominate the rebound. Strong defense all around by the 56ers was led by Larsen, who stripped dribblers, picked off passes, chased loose balls, and stuffed the Thunder to ruin. The Thunder came back late in the contest, led by Olivia Hamula with 10 points and Corey Mangold with 6 in the fourth quarter. Kayla Ward and Amanda Solomon played tough defense.

The Storm 27, The Flash 10: The Storm used a well-balanced scoring attack and smothering defense to beat The Flash by a score of 27-10. The win moved The Storm to 3-1 on the season. Julia Bogdanoff (8 points) and Kayla O’Sullivan (7 points) paced the offense, while Charli Condon’s superb defense was key to the victory. Allie Eurell and Christina Sgobbo scored key baskets and Madison and Camryn Findley both scored and played terrific defense. In all, seven players scored for The Storm. The Flash started slow but came alive to cut into the lead, led by Game Captain Abbie Pearson and Cathy Hyeon. Katie Bassett and Julia Anderson played tough on the boards with Allie Indelicato leading the scoring with assists from Kaitlyn Hull and Olivia Holman.

Grade 6

Newtown 38, Shelton 14: Newtown was firing on all cylinders as they displayed some of their best ball movement of the season. Nikki Zaccaro led a balanced scoring attack with 8 points, followed by Colleen MCCarthy, Olyvia Shaw, and Jillian Pieretti with 6 apiece. Jessica Maturo and Megan Goyda each scored 4. The team was equally balanced on the boards, with Pieretti pulling down 7 rebounds, Shaw 6, and Goyda and Zaccaro 5 each. Defensively, the team had a season high 28 steals, with Meghan Doyle leading the way with 6, followed by Goyda, Shaw, and Zaccaro with 4 steals apiece. Goyda blocked 4 shots, and Shaw 3. Kamdynn Moroney had a well-rounded game with 3 rebounds and 3 steals in addition to a basket.

Newtown 23, Stamford 17: In a very physical game that at times more resembled rugby than basketball, Newtown closed with an 11-2 run over the last ten minutes of the game. During the run, Cassidy Datin had two baskets and a big assist that enable Newtown to take the lead for good. Hailey Conrad returned from an injury to lead with 6 points, followed Zaccaro and Datin with 4 and Goyda with 3. Goyda muscled her way to 10 boards, with Pieretti getting 8 and Moroney 7. Doyle again led the team with 5 steals, followed by Pieretti with 4 and Shaw with 3. The entire team played fantastic help defense.

Grades 7-8

Connecticut Sun 26, Panthers 17: The Connecticut Sun won their third game of the season and moved into second place with a hard fought win over the Panthers. The Sun finally took control of the game in the fourth quarter, led by the outstanding play of Emily Riley with 10 points and Jessica Shairer with t. Controlling the tempo for the Sun were Chloe Amante and Maddie Sieber; their rebounding and defensive play helped earn the close victory. The Panthers were led by the accurate shooting of Ashley Marks and received another solid game by Eliza Eggleston.

One Eyed Pig BBQ 37, John Glover Insurance Celtics 17: The One Eyed Pig BBQ Jayhawks exploded onto the court hungry for their first win. Nicole Russo and Emma Horne pressed hard at the start of the game with incredible defense, making it impossible for the Celtics to penetrate. At four minutes into the game, the score was 9-0. The second squad kept up the defensive pressure allowing only one basket in the first quarter. Emily Montoya and Stefanie Carr sank field goals in the second quarter while Emily Turco sank her second and third free throws. The Jayhawks really turned up the heat in the third quarter with Carr putting up one, Montoya sinking two, and Horne lit up the scoreboard with three field goals. Anna Buzzanca came to the party in the fourth quarter putting up a field goal and two free throws. Also scoring in the fourth were Lilly Fulmer, Chelsea Piccirillo and Emma Horne. Turco, Fulmer, Piccirillo and Joanna Vodola showed what they could do down low. Rebound leader was Carr, but all the players rebounded though out the game. Steal leaders were Russo and Horne with too many to count. High scorer for the game was Emma Horne with 12.

Boys

Grade 3

The Maverick lost on Sunday to the Stratford Rimwreckers. The Mavs were led by Joe Rios, Nick Kalra, Jack Mulligan, Jack Lydon, and Kyle Sullivan on offense. Great D was played by Keenan Murphy, Juck Kuligowski, Dillon Robinson, Josh Taylor, Kyle Good, and Jack Lydon.

Grade 5

Tornados 27, Scorpions 13: The Tornados, after a long layoff for holiday break, came out hot on Saturday and put up 13 points in the first quarter en route to a 27-13 win over the Scorpions. Leading the quick start was Eugene Citrano, who sliced through the defense for 6 points. Tristan Crone dropped in 3 points, while Jake Pirone and Adam Wolff contributed 2 apiece. Matthew Menousek, Ken Malin, and Jack Buchler made key plays at both ends to spur the outburst, while Owen Walsh provided steady leadership at point, dishing out assists and setting timely picks to free his teammates. The Hornets gradually clawed their way back to within 6 points at 19-13, but a clutch jumper in the third quarter by Citrano put the Tornados back up by 8. Rhett Saunders had two key blocks in the second half and along with Jack Bittman and Pirone dominated the paint in the fourth. The Hornets dialed up a full court press in the fourth quarter, but the Tornados broke it down and Jake Pirone scored on a couple of breakaways. Late baskets by Pirone and Wolff, who had 4 for the game, closed out the victory. Pirone was a constant force in the paint and on the boards as he tallied 12 points in the Tornados victory. The Scorpions fell behind early but had a strong second quarter run with scoring by Greg Brissette and Doug Carriero. They kept the tough Tornados within reach for most of the game. There were strong defensive performances by Ben Terry, Wyatt Moyers, and Connor DiNallo. Also having good all-around games were Alex Street, Jermain Anyoha, and Eric Vigneau.

Celtics 30, Black Knights 13: The Black Knights, in search of their first victory of the season, broke out to an early second quarter lead of 8-4, but couldn’t contain December’s Player of the Month Silas Decker and the rest of the first place and undefeated Celtics. Cameron Champagne led the Knights in scoring with 5 points. Cameron was 2 of 6 shooting from the floor and 1 for 2 from the charity stripe, earning him offensive player of the game for the Knights. Tommy Coppinger was strong on defense, forcing numerous jump balls and 2 steals as he earned defensive player of the game. The Celtics were able to slow down the fast-moving Knights offense with great man-to-man defense, causing many turnovers and steals. Leading the Celtic’s defense included Owen “The Rebounder” Rahr with 12 boards, 2 steals, 1 block, and Alex “Skywalker” Janiak (6 boards, 3 steals, 2 blocks). Cole “Downtown” Demirjian continued to run the C’s high octane offense, pushing the ball and leading the breaks when possible, including 4 dishes to teammates.

Huskies 37, Hornets 10: David Daria, Eugene Citrano, and Andrew Deluca led a very talented Huskies team throughout the game. Bobby Ward and Ricky Mariani were bulls on defense. The Hornets big man Jack Murray worked hard for his points in the paint. He also pulled down 6 rebounds in the game. Liam “LD” Begany and Jackson Dooley also scored for the Hornets. EJ “Man Joe” Santayana and his quick hands led the team in steals. Marc Carlson handled the ball well and finished the game with a few really nice assists.

Dynamite 34, Red Bulls 31: In a hard-fought battle between these two teams, the scoring advantage never exceeded 5 points throughout the game. John Finnegan and a remarkable 5-15 from the charity stripe led the multiple scorers for the Dynamite with 9 and of 10 players scoring, with Matt Principi and Chris Daubert also sinking key free throws for the Dynamite. Jack Ciaramello played well defensively with some key steals. Kevin Riccardi was a force on the boards with some great rebounds. Jacob Duffy dusted off a recently hurt shoulder with a solid game. Avi Bhaya was all over the court with great hustle. Ethan Aug had a game of his young life for the Red Bulls, scoring 18 and adding 11 rebounds. Kyle Gaynor and Sam Parson had a strong game as well, along with Ryan Patrick and Sterling Radacsi on defense.

Heat 19, Kia-Mazda of Old Saybrook Nighthawks 15: The Heat defeated the talented Nighthawks 19-15 behind a balanced team effort. Aidan Ford had a strong second half, finishing with 6 points, while Ryan Williams and Liam Jones contributed 4 points each. Matt Sadowski and Jamie Hobar played great defense and controlled the boards. Ryan Mailloux directed the Heat offense and chipped in with 3 assists and 6 rebounds. Kai Toomey had 5 steals and blanketed the Nighthawks top threats. Tom Skrelja led the Nighthawks scoring 4 buckets from the field and adding 1-3 from the foul line. Dylan Sock added 6 points and Joshua Dunn added 2. Dunn, W. Skrelja and Stenz were a force on defense cooling off the heat most of the game.

Grade 6

Newtown Ballerz 52, Norwalk Biddy 29: The Newtown Ballerz cruised to an easy victory despite a slow first quarter start. Newtown led 11-10 at the end of the first quarter and used a 31-15 run over the next two quarters to pull away for the 52-29 victory. Connor Barrett controlled the tempo during the run and had multiple assists to Hayes Kelchner, Patrick Conte, Ben Mason, and Bobby Haskins on the interior. Kelchner and Conte had 12 points each, while Mason and Haskins contributed 8 and 6 points, respectively. Tom Cotton was also solid in the first half with 5 points on 3-for-3 shooting from the foul line. Barrett finished with 4 points and solid offensive and defensive contributions were also received from Mitch Savoca, Lucas O’Brien, Jack Moulder, and Jack Lavelle.

Newtown Ballerz 44, New Canaan Black 33: The Ballerz jumped out to a quick 11-1 led early in the first quarter behind the strong inside performance of Patrick Conte, Hayes Kelchner, and Bobby Haskins. Newtown took a 22-14 lead into the half and withstood a 3-point shooting barrage by New Canaan in the second half to hold on for a 44-33 victory. Conte led all scores with 16, followed by Kelchner with 10 and Haskins with 9. Jack Moulder was also instrumental in the fourth quarter with his perimeter shooting and clutch free throws down the stretch. Moulder finished with 8 points. Solid offensive and defensive contributions were also received from Ben Mason, Connor Barrett, Mitch Savoca, Lucas O’Brien, Tom Cotton, and Jack Lavelle.

Grade 7

Newtown Gold 40, Easton 34: Newtown started the new year off on a positive note in this hard-fought contest. Dillon Palumbo was the leading scorer with 7 points, followed by Joe Duero, Kieran Lynch, and Colin Patrick with 6 apiece. Tim VanderHave and James Accousti each scored 4. Matt Maturo had a double digit effort on the boards, while James Frazzetta played tenacious defense.

Newtown Gold 42 Bethel 45: Newtown played quite possibly their best game of the season against a Bethel squad that defeated them by 26 points a mere three weeks ago. Michael Doyle scored 8 of his season high 17 points (2 from beyond the 3-point arc) in the last two minutes of the game, as Gold almost made it all the way back from a late 10-point deficit. Ethan Carpenter added 6, Maturo 5, and Palumbo and Patrick 4 points each. Geoff Santore added a basket and did a good job on the defensive glass.

Grades 7-8

Razorbacks 50, Dr Curtis Beck Patriots 32: Harry Depuy led the Razorbacks with 16 points. Conrad Morris and Max 0

Knicks 65, Bulldogs 38: Shane Quimby led the way with 20 points for the Knicks, while Nate Dowd, Nick Lotricciano, and Andrew King all ended up in double figures. Aiden Petershack controlled the boards and Andrew Ross played good defense. For the Bulldogs, Jon Sherman had 14 Points and Wiley Zahansky had 9. Jim Payne and Jake Lambert played good defense.

Wildcats 42, Taunton Hill Landscaping Wolverines 25: For the Wildcats, Zach Weiland, Sawyer Conred and Ryan Szalay combined for 21 points. Kevin Sullivan and Clay Gattey played tough defense. For the Wolverines, Bob Archieri Conner Ryan combined for 19 points with Forest Speed and Devin Palilla controlling the boards.

Thunder 39, Lydon Appraisals Raptors 37: The Thunder beat the Raptors in a nail-biter by the score of 39-37. Trailing by one point with 30 seconds remaining in the game, Jaret DeVellis stole the inbounds pass and raced down court to score an uncontested layup to give the Thunder a one-point lead. DeVellis, who finished with 12 points, added a free throw to complete the scoring and seal the two-point win. Mike Cirone and Albert Dean combined for 14 points while Sam Czel cleaned up the boards by grabbing 10 rebounds. Zach Laros played tenacious defense throughout the game, totaling 5 steals. Peter Manfredonia led the Raptors with 10 points. Max Webber and Sean McCafferty led the defense.

Bricklayers 48, Magic 42: Zach Amueller led the offense for the Bricklayers with 14 points. Christian Thanasoulis, Bubba Condon, Conner Lemay, and Matt Merchant led a strangling defense. For the Magic, Keaton McLeary and CJ Dunn combined for 22 points. John DelRossi, Mason Gallanis, and Andrey Masser led the defense.

Sugar Hill Auto Body Huskies 37, Newtown Deli & Catering Celtics 35: Charlie Huegi and Austin Huffman combined for 18 points for the Huskies. Tommy Elliot added 5 points including a key 3-pointer and Cole Siksay played tough defense while adding 6 points. For the Celtics, Eric Street had 11 points, while Will Swain, Scott Martin, and Matt Campbell combined for 15 points.

Bearcats 41, Rankin Sports Vipers 30: Nick Roche led the Bearcats with 18 points. Ryan Sullivan had 5 assists and David Corsi had 4 blocks and 8 rebounds. For the Vipers, Stephen Grasso and Jack Corbett combined for 22 points and Colton Smith led the defense.

Walri 39, Gaston Law Wolfpack 17: Luke Rustici and Gordon Walsh combined for 20 points for the Walri, while Ricky LaPak and Nick Rohrbacker played strong all-around games. For the Wolfpack, Stencer Johnson had 6 points. Jimmy Craig, Ryan King and Graham Hubbert had a good game.