Things got a little too close for comfort for Windham/RHAM coach Carlos Flores, so he had to do a little lineup shuffling late in a swim meet against NFA at the Norwich YMCA Friday afternoon.
The shuffling worked as a slim eight-point lead blossomed into a 98-72 win for the cooperative program, but NFA coach Tom Theve took it as a compliment. After all, Windham/RHAM is in second place in the Eastern Connecticut Conference with a 7-2 record and NFA (2-8) has struggled.
Windham/RHAM broke out to a 46-32 lead behind the talents of junior Rob Husta. Husta captured the 50-yard freestyle in a swift 23.40 — just shy of his personal best. He followed that with a 59.22 to win his favorite event, the 100-yard butterfly. Prior to those two first-place finishes, Husta teamed with James Flores, Kevin Philips and Kevin Gryk to take first in the 200-yard medley relay.
Despite those Windham/RHAM victories, NFA hung tough. Senior Dan Carroll won both the 100 and 200-yard freestyle (2:01.91) races. Jason Depina captured the 200-yard individual medley and NFA only trailed, 59-51, going into the 200-yard freestyle relay.
“I didn’t really prepare the kids for NFA,” Carlos Flores said. “The lineup was pretty much matched up to see how (we) would do against another team and I was getting those times. At the end, I had to do a little switch to make sure we had it in the bag.”
Flores took Hustus off his first 200-yard relay team and installed him as the anchor leg on his No. 2 squad. The moved worked, as Philips, Elliott Mitchell, Derek Johnson and James Flores captured first in 1:43.93 and Windham/RHAM’s second team touched the wall just behind them to outscore NFA 12-2 in the event and give the Whippets a 71-53 lead.
Windham/RHAM also outscored NFA 9-7 in the 100-yard backstroke, despite a first-place finish by NFA’s Justin Paz. ook the first two spots in the 100-yard breaststroke to finish off the Wildcats.
“It was real close,” Husta said, “but they’re a pretty good team. Everyone underestimates them, but they have some good swimmers.”
Carroll was one of the best for the Wildcats as he not only won his two individual events, but also joined Matt Exley, Paz, and Depina to finish first in the meet-ending, 400-yard freestyle relay.
“We felt good, really good, coming into this meet,” Carroll said. “It’s our home pool, we had all of our friends and family here, there was a general air of really good will, and we felt really strong and confident.”
Carroll wasn’t the only one who was feeling the hint of upset in the air coming into the meet, Theve put in some overtime to try and make that happen.
“They’ve beat some real good teams and we wanted to make them earn it — actually, we wanted to win,” Theve admitted. “I spent two hours looking at their lineup, looking at their times, what they did the first meet (vs. NFA). I know the guys here have been working, Waterford beat us by 31 (points) the first time and the second by eight. Maybe by the ECC’s, we’ll be there, and be in the mix.”
Friday, February 6, 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Beaudreault, Partosan sign on dotted line
Spencer Beaudreault had to stop in the hallway for one last bit of advice from the man who has guided him through the last four years.
Beaudreault, heading into the Windham High School gym, handed football coach Brian Crudden his tie, neatly folded in his hand, and Crudden took it and showed his quarterback how to tie a “Windsor” knot.
Fortunately, Crudden’s teaching on the football field was much more effective than it was in tie-tying 101 as Beaudreault was lost on the second step of the process.
What was not lost on Crudden, Beaudreault, or teammate Chaz Partosan was the significance of the moment. This is what the conditioning drills in the August heat the games in the November mud and the summers of weightlifting are all about; a cold day in February with flashes going off around the two of them as they signed on the dotted line of ceremonial Letters of Intent to play football for Sacred Heart in Fairfield next fall.
“I went on my official visit a couple of weeks ago and I really liked it,” Beaudreault said, “plus, it was the only Division-I offer I had.”
Partosan wasn’t sure about his future until a week or two ago when Sacred Heart came forward with an offer for both Whippet players.
“It was quick because I hadn’t talked to them before that,” said Partosan who will play on the defensive line for the Pioneers, “I talked to a lot of colleges before that and I was most likely going to go to a different college, then they came up.”
Not every high school football player gets the chance to play at the next level, Beaudreault and Partosan are two of the chosen few who got to put the ink to the paper on National Signing Day.
“I think it’s a dream come true for those guys,” Crudden said. “I know that their intent for four years has been to work every day to get better, be a better football player at this level to move on to the next level and they’ve accomplished that.”
Together.
Partosan moved to Willimantic from Norwich when he was in the eighth grade and quickly struck up a friendship with Beaudreault. The two played youth football together and moved on to high school where Beaudreault threw the passes and Partosan chased down opposing quarterbacks for the first couple of years. Partosan then began catching those Beaudreault passes as a junior tight end and the two, according to Crudden, are like “peas in a pod.”
“It’s fitting,” Chaz’s mom, Linda, said of the two moving on to the same college.
“If either of them went without the other,” Partosan added before quickly re-thinking that statement, “it wasn’t going to happen, they were going to go (together), regardless.”
Partosan said the Division-I AA Pioneers plan to use him on the defensive line while Beaudreault may get a shot at quarterback early as an injury could slow down the progress of Sacred Heart’s incumbent quarterback. If not, Beaudreault hopes to get a shot at either slot receiver or in the backfield where Beaudreault could utilize his biggest weapons, his legs.
Just as important; the classroom. Partosan plans to use his scholarship to study political science at Sacred Heart, Beaudreault was going to enter the criminal justice program, but went to a criminal justice class on a second visit to the institution and may have already changed his mind.
“I like the psychological part of it, criminology, forensic science — I want to be in the FBI,” Beaudreault said.
Beaudreault, heading into the Windham High School gym, handed football coach Brian Crudden his tie, neatly folded in his hand, and Crudden took it and showed his quarterback how to tie a “Windsor” knot.
Fortunately, Crudden’s teaching on the football field was much more effective than it was in tie-tying 101 as Beaudreault was lost on the second step of the process.
What was not lost on Crudden, Beaudreault, or teammate Chaz Partosan was the significance of the moment. This is what the conditioning drills in the August heat the games in the November mud and the summers of weightlifting are all about; a cold day in February with flashes going off around the two of them as they signed on the dotted line of ceremonial Letters of Intent to play football for Sacred Heart in Fairfield next fall.
“I went on my official visit a couple of weeks ago and I really liked it,” Beaudreault said, “plus, it was the only Division-I offer I had.”
Partosan wasn’t sure about his future until a week or two ago when Sacred Heart came forward with an offer for both Whippet players.
“It was quick because I hadn’t talked to them before that,” said Partosan who will play on the defensive line for the Pioneers, “I talked to a lot of colleges before that and I was most likely going to go to a different college, then they came up.”
Not every high school football player gets the chance to play at the next level, Beaudreault and Partosan are two of the chosen few who got to put the ink to the paper on National Signing Day.
“I think it’s a dream come true for those guys,” Crudden said. “I know that their intent for four years has been to work every day to get better, be a better football player at this level to move on to the next level and they’ve accomplished that.”
Together.
Partosan moved to Willimantic from Norwich when he was in the eighth grade and quickly struck up a friendship with Beaudreault. The two played youth football together and moved on to high school where Beaudreault threw the passes and Partosan chased down opposing quarterbacks for the first couple of years. Partosan then began catching those Beaudreault passes as a junior tight end and the two, according to Crudden, are like “peas in a pod.”
“It’s fitting,” Chaz’s mom, Linda, said of the two moving on to the same college.
“If either of them went without the other,” Partosan added before quickly re-thinking that statement, “it wasn’t going to happen, they were going to go (together), regardless.”
Partosan said the Division-I AA Pioneers plan to use him on the defensive line while Beaudreault may get a shot at quarterback early as an injury could slow down the progress of Sacred Heart’s incumbent quarterback. If not, Beaudreault hopes to get a shot at either slot receiver or in the backfield where Beaudreault could utilize his biggest weapons, his legs.
Just as important; the classroom. Partosan plans to use his scholarship to study political science at Sacred Heart, Beaudreault was going to enter the criminal justice program, but went to a criminal justice class on a second visit to the institution and may have already changed his mind.
“I like the psychological part of it, criminology, forensic science — I want to be in the FBI,” Beaudreault said.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
New football playoff system proposed
The first step to another round of high school football playoffs has been taken.
The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference’s football committee passed forward a proposal to the CIAC’s Board of Control calling for an expansion in the playoff system with a quarterfinal round to be added to the existing semifinal and championship games in all six CIAC divisions. The proposal raises the number of playoff qualifiers from 24 to 48.
“It’s good for high school football and good for the athletes,” Ledyard High School football and CIAC football committee member Jim Buonocore said.
“I’m a strong supporter because it’s a positive for the kids,” he added, “I’ve been fortunate to have participated in the playoffs four times, including a state championship this year, and it’s exciting. It’s exciting to experience the playoff talk and the fever and this affords more opportunity without diminishing or tarnishing anything. There will be some very, very good teams and some very, very good games.”
The proposal now goes to the superintendents, athletic directors and coaches of the 142 CIAC member schools to give them a chance to comment on it before the Board of Control votes. The Board of Control will be briefed on the proposal on February 26, but the CIAC said in a press release that final action will not be taken until all constituent groups have had the ability to respond.
The plan calls for teams to play nine regular season games (10 in an 11-game year) with the quarterfinal round played on the Thursday night prior to the week of Thanksgiving, no regular season games will be played that week.
The playoffs then take a break to allow for the traditional Thanksgiving Day games prior to the semifinals. Those games will continue to be held the follwing Tuesday, and the championships will remain on the following Saturday.
“It’s a good thing, but it’s a tough time frame; that’s a lot of games in a short amount of time,” Windham coach Brian Crudden said.
Montville coach Tanner Grove shuddered, however, at the thought of what could have happened this past season. His Indians could have played either Wolcott Tech or Plainfield in a quarterfinal, followed by St. Bernard on Thanksgiving Eve, then New London the following Tuesday. That’s part of the reason why he didn’t support the proposal.
“I like where we are because when you make the football playoffs, it’s a big deal, an accomplishment in itself,” Grove said.
Windham principal Gene Blain, who sits on both the Board of Control and the football coaches committee, agreed that the prestige of current system may be a stumbling block. When the coaches proposed the plan and a mock-up of the past several years was done, several teams with 6-4 and 7-4 records would have made the quarterfinals.
“Football has always been different,” Blain said. “It changes philosophy and, something that we have to be aware of at the Board level, it sets a precedent.”
That precedent is having teams play a state tournament game, followed by a regular season game, followed by another state tournament game. In all other CIAC sports, regular season games must be completed prior to the start of the state tournament.
There is also the question of Thanksgiving and the big rivalries that exist on the national holiday. Could this playoff plan diminish the meaning of those games, some with traditions older than all of us who watch them?
“Every team, every coach is a competitor and Thanksgiving will continue to shine as a great day for high school football,” Buonocore said.
The Ledyard coach added that he had to play a semifinal game this year, four days after a Thanksgiving Day game, and it didn’t change his prep or his starting lineup.
Grove agrees that coaches will continue to want to win on Thanksgiving, but those who have already won a quarterfinal game and are prepping for a semifinal may think a bit about how long certain players will be on the field.
“Knowing that you have to play the following Tuesday, you may start doing things that you wouldn’t normally do in a game,” Grove said.
No matter what, this is a decision that won’t be take lightly.
“The football committee passing it forward gives it integrity,” Blain said, “but I’m going to need some time to look at it and think about it.”
The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference’s football committee passed forward a proposal to the CIAC’s Board of Control calling for an expansion in the playoff system with a quarterfinal round to be added to the existing semifinal and championship games in all six CIAC divisions. The proposal raises the number of playoff qualifiers from 24 to 48.
“It’s good for high school football and good for the athletes,” Ledyard High School football and CIAC football committee member Jim Buonocore said.
“I’m a strong supporter because it’s a positive for the kids,” he added, “I’ve been fortunate to have participated in the playoffs four times, including a state championship this year, and it’s exciting. It’s exciting to experience the playoff talk and the fever and this affords more opportunity without diminishing or tarnishing anything. There will be some very, very good teams and some very, very good games.”
The proposal now goes to the superintendents, athletic directors and coaches of the 142 CIAC member schools to give them a chance to comment on it before the Board of Control votes. The Board of Control will be briefed on the proposal on February 26, but the CIAC said in a press release that final action will not be taken until all constituent groups have had the ability to respond.
The plan calls for teams to play nine regular season games (10 in an 11-game year) with the quarterfinal round played on the Thursday night prior to the week of Thanksgiving, no regular season games will be played that week.
The playoffs then take a break to allow for the traditional Thanksgiving Day games prior to the semifinals. Those games will continue to be held the follwing Tuesday, and the championships will remain on the following Saturday.
“It’s a good thing, but it’s a tough time frame; that’s a lot of games in a short amount of time,” Windham coach Brian Crudden said.
Montville coach Tanner Grove shuddered, however, at the thought of what could have happened this past season. His Indians could have played either Wolcott Tech or Plainfield in a quarterfinal, followed by St. Bernard on Thanksgiving Eve, then New London the following Tuesday. That’s part of the reason why he didn’t support the proposal.
“I like where we are because when you make the football playoffs, it’s a big deal, an accomplishment in itself,” Grove said.
Windham principal Gene Blain, who sits on both the Board of Control and the football coaches committee, agreed that the prestige of current system may be a stumbling block. When the coaches proposed the plan and a mock-up of the past several years was done, several teams with 6-4 and 7-4 records would have made the quarterfinals.
“Football has always been different,” Blain said. “It changes philosophy and, something that we have to be aware of at the Board level, it sets a precedent.”
That precedent is having teams play a state tournament game, followed by a regular season game, followed by another state tournament game. In all other CIAC sports, regular season games must be completed prior to the start of the state tournament.
There is also the question of Thanksgiving and the big rivalries that exist on the national holiday. Could this playoff plan diminish the meaning of those games, some with traditions older than all of us who watch them?
“Every team, every coach is a competitor and Thanksgiving will continue to shine as a great day for high school football,” Buonocore said.
The Ledyard coach added that he had to play a semifinal game this year, four days after a Thanksgiving Day game, and it didn’t change his prep or his starting lineup.
Grove agrees that coaches will continue to want to win on Thanksgiving, but those who have already won a quarterfinal game and are prepping for a semifinal may think a bit about how long certain players will be on the field.
“Knowing that you have to play the following Tuesday, you may start doing things that you wouldn’t normally do in a game,” Grove said.
No matter what, this is a decision that won’t be take lightly.
“The football committee passing it forward gives it integrity,” Blain said, “but I’m going to need some time to look at it and think about it.”
Monday, February 2, 2009
Wolverines heating up
What Griswold needed was something to lift their confidence.
What it got was a win over Montville last Friday.
Will it be enough of a boost for the Wolverines girls basketball team to make the postseason remains to be seen, but Griswold took another step in that direction on Monday night as it dropped New London, 56-36.
“I think we’re a new team now,” senior Cailin Sorder said. “We didn’t have a good record before that (Montville) game. We know we have to win the next three-out-of-five to make states and, hopefully, we can accomplish it.”
Griswold coach Tim Lagace stepped back and rolled his eyes a bit when he considered the question of making the state tournament. He has to hope to steal a win against two of the top 15 teams in the state as the Wolverines play Windham tonight and Bacon Academy on Friday. If that doesn’t happen, they would have to win out against the likes of Stonington, Killingly and Woodstock.
“Who knows?” Lagace said. “Anything can happen. We beat Montville and, with a little bit of luck, who knows? It, obviously, has to be our goal now.”
But the Wolverines (5-10) have to take it one game at a time and the first hurdle was the much-improved Whalers.
The problem for New London on Monday night was poor shooting. The Whalers made just 17-of-57 attempts from the floor.
“We had a lot of attempts, a lot of nice shots —the shots we wanted them to take,” New London coach Linda Pfeiffer said. “We just couldn’t put it in the basket.”
Still, the Whalers (8-7) hung around and trailed by only five points at the beginning of the fourth quarter, 36-31. Griswold’s Cailin Sorder (nine points) and New London’s Kendra Ferraro (nine points, eight rebounds) traded baskets before Griswold caught fire.
Katherine Pearce sank a free throw and Taylor McGrath put one in from outside to make it 41-33 Griswold. Catlyn Hughes added all six of her points on the night to put the Wolverines up 13 with 2:59 left. Samantha Rentz (who scored a team-high 13 points) finished off the Whalers as her four consecutive points gave Griswold a 15-point lead with two minutes to play.
“We just wanted to settle it down, control our offense, run our plays and get good looks,” Rentz said of the fourth quarter rally. “We were just going for open shots and open layups and if we had a fast break, we were just going for it.”
It’s a good thing the Wolverines got the points from the floor, because the foul shots were a whole other issue. The Wolverines helped keep the Whalers in the game a bit longer by making just 8-of-25 from the charity stripe.
“I was a big part of that,” Sorder said. “Next practice, definitely, a lot of foul shooting.”
Lagace just turned and shook his head when he thought about the free-throw shooting.
“I don’t know what to say about that, it’s not like we don’t shoot free throws,” Lagace said. “You don’t what it is; it could be that we were working hard on defense and didn’t have the legs, but you know how free throws go — it can be up and down.”
What it got was a win over Montville last Friday.
Will it be enough of a boost for the Wolverines girls basketball team to make the postseason remains to be seen, but Griswold took another step in that direction on Monday night as it dropped New London, 56-36.
“I think we’re a new team now,” senior Cailin Sorder said. “We didn’t have a good record before that (Montville) game. We know we have to win the next three-out-of-five to make states and, hopefully, we can accomplish it.”
Griswold coach Tim Lagace stepped back and rolled his eyes a bit when he considered the question of making the state tournament. He has to hope to steal a win against two of the top 15 teams in the state as the Wolverines play Windham tonight and Bacon Academy on Friday. If that doesn’t happen, they would have to win out against the likes of Stonington, Killingly and Woodstock.
“Who knows?” Lagace said. “Anything can happen. We beat Montville and, with a little bit of luck, who knows? It, obviously, has to be our goal now.”
But the Wolverines (5-10) have to take it one game at a time and the first hurdle was the much-improved Whalers.
The problem for New London on Monday night was poor shooting. The Whalers made just 17-of-57 attempts from the floor.
“We had a lot of attempts, a lot of nice shots —the shots we wanted them to take,” New London coach Linda Pfeiffer said. “We just couldn’t put it in the basket.”
Still, the Whalers (8-7) hung around and trailed by only five points at the beginning of the fourth quarter, 36-31. Griswold’s Cailin Sorder (nine points) and New London’s Kendra Ferraro (nine points, eight rebounds) traded baskets before Griswold caught fire.
Katherine Pearce sank a free throw and Taylor McGrath put one in from outside to make it 41-33 Griswold. Catlyn Hughes added all six of her points on the night to put the Wolverines up 13 with 2:59 left. Samantha Rentz (who scored a team-high 13 points) finished off the Whalers as her four consecutive points gave Griswold a 15-point lead with two minutes to play.
“We just wanted to settle it down, control our offense, run our plays and get good looks,” Rentz said of the fourth quarter rally. “We were just going for open shots and open layups and if we had a fast break, we were just going for it.”
It’s a good thing the Wolverines got the points from the floor, because the foul shots were a whole other issue. The Wolverines helped keep the Whalers in the game a bit longer by making just 8-of-25 from the charity stripe.
“I was a big part of that,” Sorder said. “Next practice, definitely, a lot of foul shooting.”
Lagace just turned and shook his head when he thought about the free-throw shooting.
“I don’t know what to say about that, it’s not like we don’t shoot free throws,” Lagace said. “You don’t what it is; it could be that we were working hard on defense and didn’t have the legs, but you know how free throws go — it can be up and down.”
Friday, January 30, 2009
St. Bernard takes over first in ECC Small
PUTNAM — Ashley Walenta had it right — unfortunately.
The St. Bernard junior said it was a “sad” event that not only spurred on her Saints teammates, but also served to create some problems that the Putnam girls basketball team just could not overcome Friday night.
An injury to Putnam point guard Kelsey Rybacki in the final 30 seconds of the first half gave the Clippers a need to regroup, and St. Bernard took advantage, using it to hold off Putnam, 38-31. The win pushed the Saints ahead of the Clippers and into first place in the Eastern Connecticut Conference Small Division.
“I hate to say it, but when Rybacki went down — it was sad — but that gave us a little intensity and the ability to double-team (Katelyn) Tarr,” said Walenta, who finished with 16 points. “That helped us out a lot and brought up our intensity.”
The game was tied at 12 with 30 seconds to play in the first half when Rybacki took a pass at the top of the key and drove the right side of the lane, only to collide with a St. Bernard player as she hit a lay-up. But as the point guard fell to the floor, her right knee twisted and the hard landing didn’t help. She never returned.
“We’re hoping it’s just a bruise and that she will be able to heal up and play,” Putnam coach Willie Bousquet said. “They did some tests on her and they didn’t think there was any ligament damage. Hopefully, we can get a knee brace on her and she can play.”
What made it even more painful came at the buzzer when Catherine LeBlanc (10 points) sank a 3-pointer to give St. Bernard a lead it would never relinquish, 15-14.
The Saints (10-5, 6-1 ECC Small) picked up where they left off in the second half when Jill Kowalski hit her only basket of the night — a jumper from outside — and Casey Brigham followed with a 3-pointer to make it 20-14.
To that point, Walenta had scored all of four first-half points and had made just 1-of-10 from the floor.
“I was searching for it,” Walenta said. “My teammates were really encouraging. Catherine kept telling me, ‘Shoot, shoot, you’re going to make them,’ and Coach (Mike Nystrom) said the same thing. He just wanted me to take a few steps in.”
Walenta followed that advice and after hitting one of two free throws with 6:08 left in the third quarter, went on a personal tear. She put in her next four shots, one from beyond the arc, to help St. Bernard build a 30-23 lead.
“The injury changed (the game) — she’s a good player for Willie — but the difference was that we started to make some shots,” Nystrom said.
Rybacki’s injury allowed the Saints to come out of their triangle-and-two defense they were playing on her and Tarr, and switch to a diamond-and-one with the focal point being Tarr. It allowed them to cover the perimeter after Ariel Pelletier had scored on a pair of outside shots in the third quarter.
“We could still double out of the diamond-and-one, but it gave us that extra person on the perimeter and it kept Emma (Sternloff) underneath,” Nystrom said. “It’s what we should have done from the start.”
Tarr, the No. 4 leading scorer in the area, finished with 11 points and 13 rebounds for the Clippers (10-5, 6-2).
The St. Bernard junior said it was a “sad” event that not only spurred on her Saints teammates, but also served to create some problems that the Putnam girls basketball team just could not overcome Friday night.
An injury to Putnam point guard Kelsey Rybacki in the final 30 seconds of the first half gave the Clippers a need to regroup, and St. Bernard took advantage, using it to hold off Putnam, 38-31. The win pushed the Saints ahead of the Clippers and into first place in the Eastern Connecticut Conference Small Division.
“I hate to say it, but when Rybacki went down — it was sad — but that gave us a little intensity and the ability to double-team (Katelyn) Tarr,” said Walenta, who finished with 16 points. “That helped us out a lot and brought up our intensity.”
The game was tied at 12 with 30 seconds to play in the first half when Rybacki took a pass at the top of the key and drove the right side of the lane, only to collide with a St. Bernard player as she hit a lay-up. But as the point guard fell to the floor, her right knee twisted and the hard landing didn’t help. She never returned.
“We’re hoping it’s just a bruise and that she will be able to heal up and play,” Putnam coach Willie Bousquet said. “They did some tests on her and they didn’t think there was any ligament damage. Hopefully, we can get a knee brace on her and she can play.”
What made it even more painful came at the buzzer when Catherine LeBlanc (10 points) sank a 3-pointer to give St. Bernard a lead it would never relinquish, 15-14.
The Saints (10-5, 6-1 ECC Small) picked up where they left off in the second half when Jill Kowalski hit her only basket of the night — a jumper from outside — and Casey Brigham followed with a 3-pointer to make it 20-14.
To that point, Walenta had scored all of four first-half points and had made just 1-of-10 from the floor.
“I was searching for it,” Walenta said. “My teammates were really encouraging. Catherine kept telling me, ‘Shoot, shoot, you’re going to make them,’ and Coach (Mike Nystrom) said the same thing. He just wanted me to take a few steps in.”
Walenta followed that advice and after hitting one of two free throws with 6:08 left in the third quarter, went on a personal tear. She put in her next four shots, one from beyond the arc, to help St. Bernard build a 30-23 lead.
“The injury changed (the game) — she’s a good player for Willie — but the difference was that we started to make some shots,” Nystrom said.
Rybacki’s injury allowed the Saints to come out of their triangle-and-two defense they were playing on her and Tarr, and switch to a diamond-and-one with the focal point being Tarr. It allowed them to cover the perimeter after Ariel Pelletier had scored on a pair of outside shots in the third quarter.
“We could still double out of the diamond-and-one, but it gave us that extra person on the perimeter and it kept Emma (Sternloff) underneath,” Nystrom said. “It’s what we should have done from the start.”
Tarr, the No. 4 leading scorer in the area, finished with 11 points and 13 rebounds for the Clippers (10-5, 6-2).
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Malhoit and Sartor lead Avery Point
You want to know what Waterford High graduate Anthony Malhoit and Stonington’s Tim Sartor have done for UConn-Avery Point?
James Childs will be happy to show you.
The Pointers coach doesn’t have to dig out any film or charts, he just calmly googles his way to the NCAA junior college website and starts reading off the stats.
You can do it for yourself and the numbers tell the story.
Malhoit, a sophomore at Avery Point, is currently third in the country in NCAAJC Division-III scoring as he averages 26.3 points per game for the New London-based school, that trails only Suffolk County Community College’s Leon Washington (29.6 ppg) and Manny Valentin of Atlantic Cape Community College (27.2) and is actually down one spot from where he has resided most of the season at No.2.
Malhoit is second in the nation in field goal percentage (75.7), third in rebounds per game (14.2) and ninth in blocked shots (2.2).
“He’ll be the first to tell you that he has a lot to work on, but I’m so happy,” Childs said as he scrolled down the statistics on Saturday after his team avenged an earlier loss this season to Gateway Community College with an 85-80 win.
Sartor has been just as impressive in his inaugural season with the Pointers as he is currently 14th in scoring at 21.4 points per game and is tops in the country in free throw percentage where he makes 90 percent of his opportunities from the free throw line. Add to that a ninth-best in the country in field goal percentage, despite taking many of his shots from beyond the 3-point arc, and you have a pretty devastating combo.
Still, it has produced only a .500 winning percentage as the Pointers came into the week with a 10-10 record. Chemistry is hard to come by with a team that changes personnel just about every season.
“(The coaching staff) told the team that (Anthony) can’t do it by himself and then I had to tell Anthony that he couldn’t,” Childs said. “Little by little, he’s trusted Evan Jensen a little bit more and Tim has played great.”
That was shown on Saturday when Sartor poured in 37 points and Malhoit added 24.
“We ran some two-man game, me and Timmy, he’s a great shooter and Evan is a great shooter, and we’ve all started learning our roles,” Malhoit said. “It was crunch time and we pulled it out, Tim hit some big 3’s and some foul shots and Jensen ran the show and got some key rebounds, it was a team effort.”
But as quickly as this team is coming together, it’s going to be torn asunder at the end of the season. Malhoit is in his last season with the Pointers and he’s hoping Division-I basketball is in his future.
“I’ve had some looks from Bryant and Northeastern, maybe Ivy League, hopefully it will work out,” Malhoit said.
When Childs is asked the question about Malhoit going Division-I, he let out a big sigh.
“Potential-wise, ability-wise, he could, but to be honest with you, it’s truly up to him,” the Avery Point coach said. “He played great in the St. Thomas More tournament and (Chancellors coach) Jere Quinn raves about him to every college coach he talks to. It comes down to what fits for Anthony. A Fairfield, for example, he could play multiple positions for them and they’re interested. For him, education is a big thing, he even told me Tufts because he has the grades and the talent.”
Malhoit is thankful for Childs’ efforts since he came over from Waterford High School after leading the Lancers to a state championship game in 2007.
“I definitely think it was a great move (coming to Avery Point), I could have left last year, but I didn’t think I was fully ready,” Malhoit said. “I spent an offseason with Coach and he has me lifting, I work out with (former New London, URI and NBA player) Tyson (Wheeler), I went out to (Las) Vegas and saw the pros. He runs you through everything, so I’m a more complete player.”
Sartor could have gone Division-III coming out of Stonington High which he led to a state semifinal berth in 2008, but the guard’s goal is to play Division-II ball.
“Getting bigger, getting stronger, getting in better shape, my skills are improving so I think it was a good move,” Sartor said of his experience at Avery Point.
The biggest advantage to Sartor has been the playing time which he knew he wouldn’t receive as a freshman at a four-year institution. Sartor hasn’t received any offers from any Division-II program as of yet and, thus, will likely return to the Pointers next season without Malhoit.
“He killed us in high school – actually since we were about 12 – so it’s been fun to play with Ant,” Sartor said.
Stailey getting adjusted
Nate Stailey was a high school coach in Pennsylvania, but left that to finish his graduate studies in college and now finds himself with his own junior college program at Avery Point in New London.
That makes for quite the adjustment in a short period of time.
“The biggest thing for me is the behind-the-scenes things,” Stailey said after his Pointers won their 15th game of the season against Gateway Community College on Saturday.
“Having to recruit, having to replace players; when you have seven freshmen and two sophomores- you know the sophomores are going to go, I’m not sure yet how many of the freshmen are coming back- you’re not 100 percent sure what the team is going to be like.”
He’s also had to adjust his offensive and defensive philosophies as there was no shot clock in Pennsylvania high school hoops.
Despite the adjustments, Stailey can look happily at the record as his Pointers are now 16-3 on the season (after a victory over Southern Maine CC Sunday), one win away from tying the three-year-old program’s record for wins in a season and “on the teams to watch list” in the NCAA junior college rankings.
“Region 21 (the Northeast) doesn’t get a lot of national recognition, there’s us and Roxbury (Community College) which beat us earlier in the year,” Stailey said.
The Avery Point coach fully expects it will come down to his Pointers or Roxbury to represent Region 21 in the national tournament.
“Going into the regional playoffs, they will probably be the No. 1 seed and we’ll be the No.2, so hopefully we’ll see each other and come out on top,” Stailey said.
After that, it will be on the recruiting trail, essentially for the first time for Stailey who should have some athletes to choose from, including a few from Eastern Connecticut, something Avery Point lacks right now.
“There’s definitely a lot of buzz about women’s basketball in Connecticut,” Stailey said. “I would love to get kids from everywhere, Eastern, Central and Western Connecticut.”
James Childs will be happy to show you.
The Pointers coach doesn’t have to dig out any film or charts, he just calmly googles his way to the NCAA junior college website and starts reading off the stats.
You can do it for yourself and the numbers tell the story.
Malhoit, a sophomore at Avery Point, is currently third in the country in NCAAJC Division-III scoring as he averages 26.3 points per game for the New London-based school, that trails only Suffolk County Community College’s Leon Washington (29.6 ppg) and Manny Valentin of Atlantic Cape Community College (27.2) and is actually down one spot from where he has resided most of the season at No.2.
Malhoit is second in the nation in field goal percentage (75.7), third in rebounds per game (14.2) and ninth in blocked shots (2.2).
“He’ll be the first to tell you that he has a lot to work on, but I’m so happy,” Childs said as he scrolled down the statistics on Saturday after his team avenged an earlier loss this season to Gateway Community College with an 85-80 win.
Sartor has been just as impressive in his inaugural season with the Pointers as he is currently 14th in scoring at 21.4 points per game and is tops in the country in free throw percentage where he makes 90 percent of his opportunities from the free throw line. Add to that a ninth-best in the country in field goal percentage, despite taking many of his shots from beyond the 3-point arc, and you have a pretty devastating combo.
Still, it has produced only a .500 winning percentage as the Pointers came into the week with a 10-10 record. Chemistry is hard to come by with a team that changes personnel just about every season.
“(The coaching staff) told the team that (Anthony) can’t do it by himself and then I had to tell Anthony that he couldn’t,” Childs said. “Little by little, he’s trusted Evan Jensen a little bit more and Tim has played great.”
That was shown on Saturday when Sartor poured in 37 points and Malhoit added 24.
“We ran some two-man game, me and Timmy, he’s a great shooter and Evan is a great shooter, and we’ve all started learning our roles,” Malhoit said. “It was crunch time and we pulled it out, Tim hit some big 3’s and some foul shots and Jensen ran the show and got some key rebounds, it was a team effort.”
But as quickly as this team is coming together, it’s going to be torn asunder at the end of the season. Malhoit is in his last season with the Pointers and he’s hoping Division-I basketball is in his future.
“I’ve had some looks from Bryant and Northeastern, maybe Ivy League, hopefully it will work out,” Malhoit said.
When Childs is asked the question about Malhoit going Division-I, he let out a big sigh.
“Potential-wise, ability-wise, he could, but to be honest with you, it’s truly up to him,” the Avery Point coach said. “He played great in the St. Thomas More tournament and (Chancellors coach) Jere Quinn raves about him to every college coach he talks to. It comes down to what fits for Anthony. A Fairfield, for example, he could play multiple positions for them and they’re interested. For him, education is a big thing, he even told me Tufts because he has the grades and the talent.”
Malhoit is thankful for Childs’ efforts since he came over from Waterford High School after leading the Lancers to a state championship game in 2007.
“I definitely think it was a great move (coming to Avery Point), I could have left last year, but I didn’t think I was fully ready,” Malhoit said. “I spent an offseason with Coach and he has me lifting, I work out with (former New London, URI and NBA player) Tyson (Wheeler), I went out to (Las) Vegas and saw the pros. He runs you through everything, so I’m a more complete player.”
Sartor could have gone Division-III coming out of Stonington High which he led to a state semifinal berth in 2008, but the guard’s goal is to play Division-II ball.
“Getting bigger, getting stronger, getting in better shape, my skills are improving so I think it was a good move,” Sartor said of his experience at Avery Point.
The biggest advantage to Sartor has been the playing time which he knew he wouldn’t receive as a freshman at a four-year institution. Sartor hasn’t received any offers from any Division-II program as of yet and, thus, will likely return to the Pointers next season without Malhoit.
“He killed us in high school – actually since we were about 12 – so it’s been fun to play with Ant,” Sartor said.
Stailey getting adjusted
Nate Stailey was a high school coach in Pennsylvania, but left that to finish his graduate studies in college and now finds himself with his own junior college program at Avery Point in New London.
That makes for quite the adjustment in a short period of time.
“The biggest thing for me is the behind-the-scenes things,” Stailey said after his Pointers won their 15th game of the season against Gateway Community College on Saturday.
“Having to recruit, having to replace players; when you have seven freshmen and two sophomores- you know the sophomores are going to go, I’m not sure yet how many of the freshmen are coming back- you’re not 100 percent sure what the team is going to be like.”
He’s also had to adjust his offensive and defensive philosophies as there was no shot clock in Pennsylvania high school hoops.
Despite the adjustments, Stailey can look happily at the record as his Pointers are now 16-3 on the season (after a victory over Southern Maine CC Sunday), one win away from tying the three-year-old program’s record for wins in a season and “on the teams to watch list” in the NCAA junior college rankings.
“Region 21 (the Northeast) doesn’t get a lot of national recognition, there’s us and Roxbury (Community College) which beat us earlier in the year,” Stailey said.
The Avery Point coach fully expects it will come down to his Pointers or Roxbury to represent Region 21 in the national tournament.
“Going into the regional playoffs, they will probably be the No. 1 seed and we’ll be the No.2, so hopefully we’ll see each other and come out on top,” Stailey said.
After that, it will be on the recruiting trail, essentially for the first time for Stailey who should have some athletes to choose from, including a few from Eastern Connecticut, something Avery Point lacks right now.
“There’s definitely a lot of buzz about women’s basketball in Connecticut,” Stailey said. “I would love to get kids from everywhere, Eastern, Central and Western Connecticut.”
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Bacon girls passed a test
Bacon Academy finally broke into the New Haven Register’s top 10 poll this week in girls basketball.
With a 14-1 record and 12-straight victories, including nice wins like Tuesday night’s 45-40 victory over Windham at home, it would only seem fitting that the Bobcats belong among the best in the state.
“We’re trying not to let it get into our heads, we don’t like talking like ‘we’re in the top 10,” Bacon junior guard Mary Corrado said. “We’re more like ‘Yes, we’re in the top 10, but it doesn’t mean anything because we haven’t played the top teams in the state. We played NFA at the beginning of the season, Windham now and Montville last week, so we’re starting to get some competition and we’re coming through. I think we deserve that title of top 10.”
Bacon coach Dave Shea looked at the respect the program has been gathering over the course of the season as both a good and a not-so-good thing.
“I would rather be in the top 10 at the end of the season when it really counts,” Shea said. “Sometimes, you have a good season and when the season is over, you’re in the top 10. That makes you feel really good. Now, it’s like a guy who drops out of the 20th floor of an apartment building and when he gets to the 10th floor, he thinks ‘everything is going great so far’. The thing is, is there going to be a net there or cement. At the end of the season, it’s important, it doesn’t mean anything now.”
Something that did mean something was Tuesday night’s win over the Whippets as it was a true test of Bacon’s mettle and the Bobcats passed to continue to be unbeaten in the Eastern Connecticut Conference’s Medium Division.
It was also one of those games that could help once the state tournament comes around as Bacon had very little room to breathe. The Whippets and Bobcats weren’t separated by more than four points until the final minute of the game.
“That’s what’s going to happen when you get into states- it happens in every sport,” Corrado said. “It’s good to have harder games towards the end of your season because it’s no easy ride to the state championship.”
Both the Whippets (11-3, 3-2 ECC Medium) and Bobcats struggled to find their shooting touch in the third quarter after Bacon held a slim, 25-23, advantage at the half. The Bobcats made only 4-of-13 from the floor in the third quarter, but Windham wasn’t any more effective as they made only four of nine and the Bobcats increased their lead to four, 36-32, going into the final quarter.
The shooting, believe it or not, actually got worse as the Bobcats made only 2-of-9 from the floor and the Whippets were just 2-of-5. While the shooting percentage went down, the number of turnovers climbed as Bacon turned over the ball six times in the final quarter and the Whippets gave it back on four occasions- the Whips givebacks were just a little more crucial.
Amie Toner, who finished with 13 points for Windham, drained a 3-pointer with 5:26 left in the game to cut the Bacon lead to one, 36-35. Brooke Bailey (10 points, nine boards) answered with a trey for Windham but the Whippets came right back with an Ali Risley 3-pointer to make it 39-38.
That’s when Windham couldn’t hit the big bucket.
Bacon committed two turnovers and missed a shot, but Windham gave it right back with three turnovers of their own, the crucial one coming just after Katie Mahoney dribbled through two Windham defenders to make it 41-38 with 55 seconds left.
Windham got the ball back, called time out at halfcourt, and got ready to inbound the ball from halfcourt when Corrado had an inkling.
“Right before the play happened - it was weird - I thought about it and I never had thought about it before, I was like, alright I’m just going to go and grab for the ball and maybe I will get it,” the guard said.
She didn’t want to foul, and she didn’t. Corrado jumped in front of the pass and moments later, was fouled herself. She hit both free throws and then capped things off by picking up a loose ball under the Bacon basket to preserve the win.
“Both teams played very hard, but both teams didn’t play as well as they could play,” Shea said.
“All the players made a lot of mistakes throughout the game, but then we made a couple of plays down the end when it counted,” he added. “We’ve got a lot of guts, we’re kind of tough and this is the kind of game we’re going to run into in the state tournament.”
McKenzie Hyde led Bacon with 12 points and 11 rebounds, all of the senior’s points came in the first half, Mahoney added 11. Bianca Gildea added 13 for Windham, all but two of those came in the first half.
With a 14-1 record and 12-straight victories, including nice wins like Tuesday night’s 45-40 victory over Windham at home, it would only seem fitting that the Bobcats belong among the best in the state.
“We’re trying not to let it get into our heads, we don’t like talking like ‘we’re in the top 10,” Bacon junior guard Mary Corrado said. “We’re more like ‘Yes, we’re in the top 10, but it doesn’t mean anything because we haven’t played the top teams in the state. We played NFA at the beginning of the season, Windham now and Montville last week, so we’re starting to get some competition and we’re coming through. I think we deserve that title of top 10.”
Bacon coach Dave Shea looked at the respect the program has been gathering over the course of the season as both a good and a not-so-good thing.
“I would rather be in the top 10 at the end of the season when it really counts,” Shea said. “Sometimes, you have a good season and when the season is over, you’re in the top 10. That makes you feel really good. Now, it’s like a guy who drops out of the 20th floor of an apartment building and when he gets to the 10th floor, he thinks ‘everything is going great so far’. The thing is, is there going to be a net there or cement. At the end of the season, it’s important, it doesn’t mean anything now.”
Something that did mean something was Tuesday night’s win over the Whippets as it was a true test of Bacon’s mettle and the Bobcats passed to continue to be unbeaten in the Eastern Connecticut Conference’s Medium Division.
It was also one of those games that could help once the state tournament comes around as Bacon had very little room to breathe. The Whippets and Bobcats weren’t separated by more than four points until the final minute of the game.
“That’s what’s going to happen when you get into states- it happens in every sport,” Corrado said. “It’s good to have harder games towards the end of your season because it’s no easy ride to the state championship.”
Both the Whippets (11-3, 3-2 ECC Medium) and Bobcats struggled to find their shooting touch in the third quarter after Bacon held a slim, 25-23, advantage at the half. The Bobcats made only 4-of-13 from the floor in the third quarter, but Windham wasn’t any more effective as they made only four of nine and the Bobcats increased their lead to four, 36-32, going into the final quarter.
The shooting, believe it or not, actually got worse as the Bobcats made only 2-of-9 from the floor and the Whippets were just 2-of-5. While the shooting percentage went down, the number of turnovers climbed as Bacon turned over the ball six times in the final quarter and the Whippets gave it back on four occasions- the Whips givebacks were just a little more crucial.
Amie Toner, who finished with 13 points for Windham, drained a 3-pointer with 5:26 left in the game to cut the Bacon lead to one, 36-35. Brooke Bailey (10 points, nine boards) answered with a trey for Windham but the Whippets came right back with an Ali Risley 3-pointer to make it 39-38.
That’s when Windham couldn’t hit the big bucket.
Bacon committed two turnovers and missed a shot, but Windham gave it right back with three turnovers of their own, the crucial one coming just after Katie Mahoney dribbled through two Windham defenders to make it 41-38 with 55 seconds left.
Windham got the ball back, called time out at halfcourt, and got ready to inbound the ball from halfcourt when Corrado had an inkling.
“Right before the play happened - it was weird - I thought about it and I never had thought about it before, I was like, alright I’m just going to go and grab for the ball and maybe I will get it,” the guard said.
She didn’t want to foul, and she didn’t. Corrado jumped in front of the pass and moments later, was fouled herself. She hit both free throws and then capped things off by picking up a loose ball under the Bacon basket to preserve the win.
“Both teams played very hard, but both teams didn’t play as well as they could play,” Shea said.
“All the players made a lot of mistakes throughout the game, but then we made a couple of plays down the end when it counted,” he added. “We’ve got a lot of guts, we’re kind of tough and this is the kind of game we’re going to run into in the state tournament.”
McKenzie Hyde led Bacon with 12 points and 11 rebounds, all of the senior’s points came in the first half, Mahoney added 11. Bianca Gildea added 13 for Windham, all but two of those came in the first half.
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