Wilton Basketball Association teams had the following results in recent action:
Boys Travel
8th Grade
Wilton 57, Norwalk 47
In a spirited contest, the Wilton 8th grade boys basketball team, sponsored by First Union Bank and Trust, lost to TMT Norwalk by a 57-47 score this past weekend. Despite being behind from the first tip the boys kept the pressure on and were within striking distance until the very end.
Norwalk employed a full court press to gain an early 11-1 lead but behind the aggressive play of Brady Reynolds (five rebounds) and scoring of Zayvion Eusebe (eight points) and Tyler Previte (six points) the boys closed to 16-12 by first quarter's end. The second quarter started with another Norwalk run but Wilton's defense led by Brendan Connor (two rebounds), Ryan Schriber (five steals), and Richard Nolan (two rebounds) stiffened to hold the deficit to 33-17.
The third quarter was a high scoring affair with Wilton matching Norwalk basket for basket cutting the lead to 48-36 heading into the fourth quarter. The shooting of Nick Kronenberg (19 points) and Kyle Phillips (six points) supported by Zach Pozzi's passing (four assists) and Riley Bingaman's aggressive defense (four steals) kept Wilton in the game. The fourth quarter exhibited aggressive play by both squads with a Eusebe basket cutting the Norwalk lead to 51-45 with three minutes to play. Wilton fought hard and had chances to cut the lead further but unfortunately the shots did not fall and Norwalk escaped by the final tally of 57-47.
7th/8th Grade
Wilton wins pair, now 13-0
The Wilton seventh/eighth grade boys team, sponsored by Pinocchio’s Pizza, played two games on Saturday, hoping to keep their winning streak alive. The first game, played on the home court, was dominated by the home town favorites from start to finish. Going into the second with a double digit lead, Coach Hand was able to give the three seventh grade boys more playing time. John Walsh had his best game playing in the center position, putting up 10 points. Niko Kouvaris (multiple assists) and Andrew Travers (four steals, three rebounds) contributed with great defense. The eighth graders starters sat most of the second half while Chase Connolly played energetically at the point and pitched in with two points, six steals and Ethan Grandolfo was perfect from the floor scoring eight points and helping to shut down any offensive surge from Brookfield. Ryan Biberon (eight points, nine rebounds) and Michael Hage (14 points, five rebounds, two assists) lead the first half onslaught as Wilton easily coasted to a 51-32 victory in the early game. Planning for a much more difficult opponent, Wilton travelled to Stamford for a late night game against the team that was just one game behind them in the standings. With his starters well rested, the offense got off to a very slow start, scoring just one basket on a steal and put back by Travers in the first quarter. The unfriendly rims continued into the second quarter and by halftime, Stamford JCC had built up a 25-16 lead and lots of confidence. While the offense was struggling, Wiltons defense picked up in the third quarter and they were able to close the deficit to seven points. Entering the fourth quarter, the coach employed a stifling press, causing the Stamford team to turn the ball over on three consecutive possessions. Ryan Biberon (nine points, six rebounds) began to close the lead and Hage (13 points, six rebounds) began to hit shots. Connor Drake was relentless on the boards and caused havoc on the defensive end (seven points, nine rebounds, two blocks, two steals) and Wilton went on a 10 -0 run to take its first lead in the game. While they could not many baskets, Zach Dedrick (eight points) and Dean Dinanno (nine points) were almost perfect from the foul line and the last few minutes of the game were spent taking and hitting shots from the free throw line. Outscoring the opponents 22-7 in the fourth quarter, Wilton was able to escape with another hard-fought victory.
7th Grade
Three losses for Wilton
The Wilton seventh grade boys travel basketball team, sponsored by Pain and Spine Specialists of CT, suffered three tough losses this week, two on the road and one at home.
The week began with a tough 54-36 road loss Wednesday evening to last year's champs New Castle. Saturday’s contest against Norwalk TMT at the Carver Center went down to the wire, but despite a valiant effort the Warriors were unable to prevail.
The Warriors showed improvement in their Sunday game against a very big, athletic Sterling House team. Drew Phillips, Kyle Hyzy, Tucker Walden, Riley Sullivan and Patrick Cummins battled hard to the finish, with contributions off the bench from Parker Ward, Lewis Cropper, Jack Savarese and Madden Herve. In the final minutes, a tough no call on a Drew Phillips steal and drive to the basket, followed by two consecutive Sterling House three-point shots, were enough to give Sterling House the six point victory.
5th/6th Grade
Wilton wins two of three
The Wilton fifth/sixth grade boys youth travel basketball team, sponsored by Diamond Deli, played a total of three games last weekend.
The Warriors hosted the Norwalk Youth Travel Team at Chelsea Piers on Saturday, with Kyle Burns and Josh White leading the Warrior's scoring effort with a total of 31 points. EJ Fasano, Ben Wiener and Trevor Martines contributed another 12 points to a game that was too close for comfort. Davis Cote suffered a serious hand injury earlier in the game, but the Warriors rallied and accumulated another tree points being contributed by Adam Brophy and Mack Kepner. In addition to Connor Cummings tremendous hustle, there was no shortage of rebounds, assists and steals made by John Stanley and Connor Lillis. In the end, the Warriors held off Norwalk for a 48-45 win.
After a tough loss to New Canaan Red in their second game of the weekend and despite having John Stanley and Davis Cote out with injuries, the Warriors bounced back in their third game with a win at home against Seymour. Trevor Martines, Mack Kepner and Adam Brophy lead the Warriors with a total of 36 points. With EJ Fasano, Kyle Burns, Ben Wiener, Josh White and Connor Lillis contributing another 24 points to the scoreboard. Mack Kepner's tenacious attack continued with eight rebounds as well as eight steals. In addition to Ben Wiener's six assists, Connor Cummings contributed two key rebounds, resulting in a 60-42 win.
The Warriors have now improved to 11-1 standing in FCBL play. On Tuesday, the Warriors will compete against Devon for first place in their division.
4th Grade
Wilton 26, New Canaan 21
The fourth grade Future Warriors team, sponsored by Abercrombie, Burns & McKiernan Insurance, had a hard-fought victory against New Canaan on Saturday.
Tommy McKeirnan led all scorers with eight points while Jackson Duncan and Griffin Turner worked hard in the paint securing rebounds and netting four and six points, respectively. Ryan Presiano contributed four points with Spencer Liston and Will Sullivan dropping in a bucket each to round out the scoring. As important as scoring baskets is, we all know that defense wins championships. The Warrior quartet of Alexander Reyes, Peter Grandolfo, James Minnich and Michael Wall provided staunch defense making it difficult for the host Rams to penetrate in the second half. Deft dribbling by McKiernan, Sullivan, Wall and Liston distributed the ball inside to the trio of Duncan, Turner and Reyes and outside to Presiano, Grandolfo and Minnich and allowed the Warriors to keep the Rams guessing and capitalize on great shot selection.
Girls Travel
8th Grade
Wilton goes 2-1
The Wilton eighth grade team, sponsored by Scoops, went 2-1 in league play over the weekend.
Down by 12 in the first quarter, Wilton forced a huge comeback in Stamford Friday night, refusing to give up in this key league game.
Strong defense ignited the comeback as Caroline Coffey and Adia Burrows ripped the rebounds, setting up Hannah Belanger on offense, along with timely outside shots by Olivia Dexter and Bridgette Wall. Maddie Burke and Sydney Cummings denied Stamford the middle all night as Wilton pulled out the win, 36-26, over Stamford.
The momentum continued Saturday morning, this time with the offense leading the charge. Teamwork and great ball movement contributed significantly as Sophia Strazza drilled three, three-pointers. Alex Greer and Kaitlin Reif couldn’t miss, and Cummings’ inside game sealed the 39-27 win over the Devon Knights of Milford.
On Sunday, despite tenacity and stamina by Caty Greer and Coffey and fastbreaks by Strazza and Reif, Wilton came up short, losing to a strong Danbury team, 43-25.
7th Grade
Spilt for Wilton
The seventh grade girls team, sponsored by Tavern on 7 Bar and Grill, won a very physical non-conference game on the road against Branford, 49-27.
A concentrated effort was required on defense to maintain Branford’s pace. After three lead changes, Sofie Sudano’s consecutive steals and Zoe Rappaport’s three pointer changed the game’s momentum. The outside pressure from Paula Perez and Taylor Lamantia helped force other turnovers. Brynn Buke and Anna Breen contributed to Wilton’s season’s best ball movement, allowing shooting guards Nancy Lynch, Sudano and Perez to open up the game in the fourth quarter. Ashley Coltman dominated both boards while Francesca Goncalves made her offensive presence felt under the rim. Zara Wiest continued to intimidate on defense.
Zoe Rappaport’s impressive perimeter shooting was missed in the 44-32 loss to Newtown on Sunday.
6th Grade
Wilton vs. Ridgefield
The Servco Oil Lady Warriors more than quadrupled their offensive output from an earlier loss against an undefeated Ridgefield juggernaut. Maureen Campbell was the two-way star of the game, playing tenacious defense, making two gorgeous assists, and chipping in with a basket. Grace Cahill (six points), Lilly Umphred (five) and Erin McMorris (four) paced a balanced offensive attack. Katie McMorris hustled all over the floor, saving several offensive possessions by diving for loose balls. Mairead Kehoe and Fiona O’Brien admirably picked up the primary ball-handling responsibilities for the injured Marygrace DelliSanti, running the offense well and creating numerous scoring opportunities for their teammates. Eleanor Greene helped to keep the offense humming with solid passing, and provided stout defense. Umphred was a force in the middle, and Callie Judelson’s shot-blocking prowess was on full display. Judelson also made a nifty pass assisting on one of Umphred’s buckets. The McMorris twins crashed the boards in a total team effort.
5th Grade
Two losses for Wilton
The Wilton fifth grade girls travel team, sponsored by Dr. Gregory Sanford Orthodontics, played two tough games last weekend.
Saturday's home game vs Ridgefield was the most competitive game of the season. Wilton was the more aggressive and poised team throughout the first two quarters. Solid defense led by guards Leah Martins, Olivia Rossi, Catherine Dineen, and Amelia Hughes kept Ridgefield at bay and created numerous turnovers. Ellie Copley, Bella Andjelkovic, and Ellie Coffey blocked shot after shot as Wilton built a nine point lead. Ridgefield clawed their way back on great outside shooting late in the third quarter. Morgan Lebek and Erynn Floyd continued their strong play, making unselfish passes and cleaning the glass. The last two minutes of regulation were exciting with Ridgefield grabbing their first lead of the game only to have Hughes knock down a jumper to knot it up at 22 with just under 10 second on the clock. Ridgefield struck early in overtime and held off numerous Wilton attempts to tie the game, Ridgefield 24-22.
On Sunday, Wilton traveled to Newtown to play another close game. Martins, Dineen and Rossi played aggressive at point forcing turnovers. Tough rebounding by Lebek, Copley and Andjelkovic kept the pressure on. Coffey and Hughes fought to keep Wilton in the game hitting jump shots and converting from the line. Unfortunately, Wilton fell to Newtown, 23-20.