Games recently played by Wilton Basketball Association travel basketball teams.
Boys Travel
8th Grade
Wilton 68, St. Mary’s 43
Wilton’s eighth grade boys team, sponsored by First United Bank and Trust, won their final regular season game this weekend by defeating St. Mary’s. The balanced Wilton offense was paced by Richard Nolan (13 points), Zayvion Eusebe (15 points), Ryan Schriber (13 points) and Brady Reynolds (10 points). A clutch three-point field goal at the end of the third quarter by Nick Kronenberg solidified Wilton’s lead going into the fourth quarter.
In the second half, a smothering defense and an aggressive full court press by guards Reilly Bingaman, Zach Pozzi, and Kyle Phillips forced countless turnovers while holding St. Mary’s to only 14 second half points. Tyler Previte dominated the boards with eight rebounds to go along with his four points. Following two losses earlier in the weekend, the victory provided the necessary momentum as the eighth grade boys begin tournament play this upcoming weekend.
7th/8th Grade
Wilton sweeps pair
The Wilton seventh/eighth grade boys team, sponsored by Pinocchio’s Pizza, played their final two games of the regular season, preparing for the upcoming tournaments. Another snowy Saturday night and down a few players, the boys came out firing on all cylinders. Michael Hage got his game back on track and poured in 16 points/five rebounds while Connor Drake six points, three assists, eight boards supported on both sides of the court. Dean Dinanno got his three point shot working and added 11 points while Andrew Travers added nine points and an assist. Ethan Grandolfo came on strong in the fourth quarter adding eight points while Ryan Biberon played big in the paint hauling in seven rebounds with a steal. Zach Dedrick played big on the defensive end, coming up with four big steals. Leading start to finish, Wilton had an easy 54-46 victory over Weston.
The second game proved much more competitive as a big New Canaan squad was looking to kill any momentum going into the playoffs. Hitting shots from the outside, New Canaan was able to build a double digit lead after a close score at half time and things looked precarious for the Wilton team until Coach Hand changed the defense strategy and full court pressure began to shrink the lead and tighten the score. Hage (20 points, one assist, one block) and Dinanno (11 points, two assists) led a third quarter charge while suffocating defense from Biberon (three blocks), Chase Connelly, Dedrick (two steals, two assists), Drake (three rebounds), John Walsh (three rebounds) and Niko Kouvaris lead to fast breaks for Travers (six points) and Grandolfo (seven points, two steals). In the end, Wilton overcame a huge deficit and took a lead with two minutes left in the fourth quarter with Dinanno’s two three pointers and Wilton came away with a 46-39 hard fought win. The Wilton seven/eighth grade team ended the regular season with a very impressive 18-1 record and thanks to some excellent coaching from Kevin and Alex, their games have improved and they enter the playoffs on a roll as the number two seed.
7th Grade
Wilton 48, New Castle 39
The Wilton seventh grade boys team, sponsored by Ackerly & Ward, posted another victory on Sunday by defeating highly ranked New Castle. Wilton came out firing with early baskets from Drew Phillips, Madden Herve, and Kyle Hyzy. The score remained close throughout game with each team taking turns at the foul line due to the physical play. The Wilton team fought hard on the offensive and defensive glass with key rebounds from Noah Levy and Jack Saverarese. New Castle lead at halftime 25-23. The Warriors started the second half with three point baskets from Tucker Walden and Lewis Cropper as well as a defensive steal and a lay-up by Reilly Sullivan. Patrick Cummins played a strong second half with several key baskets and rebounds while Hyzy drove to the basket for some acrobatic lay-ups. Wilton increased the defensive pressure as the second half wound down with Parker Ward turning several defensive steals into assists and easy baskets for his teammates. Wilton won by a final score of 48-39.
5th/6th Grade
Wilton wins two of three
The Wilton fifth/sixth grade boys team over the weekend won two of three games, defeating New Canaan and Darien, but with a loss to Fairfield. The team, sponsored by Diamond Deli, continues to execute and deliver.
After defeating New Canaan by 17 points, the boys later beat Darien 51-32. They had balanced team scoring against Darien: Kyle Burns (15 points), Joshua White (11 points), and Ben Wiener & Trevor Martines (seven points each). John Stanley and Connor Cummings grabbed a combined seven rebounds. EJ Fasano, Conor Lillis and Adam Brophy contributed with tough defense, causing turnovers and a block or two. Davis Cote injured…cheered on his team.
Against Fairfield PAL A team, the boys played a spirited game but had a tough 55-23 loss. Trevor Martines scored 10 points, Kyle Burns six points, Adam Brophy, Conor Lillis and Josh White each scored two points, and Ben Wiener one point. Mack Kepner, John Stanley and Connor Cummings combined for 12 rebounds.
5th Grade
Wilton 60, Norwalk 46
The Wilton fifth grade boys’ team, sponsored by the Law Offices of Ackerly and Ward, fought back valiantly from a big fourth quarter deficit but ran out of time, dropping a non-league game to Norwalk TMT, 60-46. This was Wilton’s first loss in more than six weeks. Wilton was led offensively by Kevin Hyzy (13 points, five rebounds) and Parker Woodring, whose eight points went along with an impressive nine rebounds. Zarius Eusebe was the top distributor with three assists and seven points, while Max Andrews (six points, four rebounds) played an excellent all-around game. The defense was led by Max Silva (four points, three steals), Grant Masterson (two points, one rebound), and Dillon Mannix (two points, two rebounds). Jack Lynch (two points, three rebounds), Craig Hyzy (two points, three rebounds) and Matthew Giller (one rebound, one steal) contributed to the team’s hard play.
Wilton played perhaps their best all-around team effort of the season in a 44-29 win over Darien YMCA Blue. Defense led the way, with Wilton tallying 20 steals, led by Kevin Hyzy’s six steals (and four points). Lynch was everywhere on the court, adding four steals and eight points. On the boards, Andrews grabbed six rebounds to go with his six points, while Masterson pulled down six rebounds and one blocked shot. Offensively, Craig Hyzy shot the lights out with nine points to go with three rebounds. Eusebe and Woodring played very good all-around games with six points, two assists and two steals apiece. Giller hit from beyond the three-point arc for three points (and two steals), while Silva’s two steals pressured (and two points) Darien all game. Mannix used his speed and agility adding one steal and thwarting multiple Darien offensive opportunities.
Wilton finished their regular season with a 66-30 dominating victory over Bethel Parks and Rec. Kevin Hyzy was unstoppable driving the lane with 15 points, along with seven rebounds and four assists. Max Silva was equally impressive with 12 points and eight rebounds, while Craig Hyzy (seven points, three rebounds) also found the bottom of the net. Wilton owned the glass, with Woodring and Lynch each grabbing eight rebounds and scoring six points. Andrews (seven rebounds, two points) Masterson (five rebounds, four points) and Giller (four rebounds, five points) also helped keep the ball away from Bethel. Mannix showed great passing ability (2 points, two assists), while Eusebe put on a highlight show with eight points, three assists and four rebounds. Wilton finished the regular season with a 19-4 record.
Girls Travel
6th Grade
Wilton falls to St. Mary’s
The Wilton sixth grade girls team, sponsored by Servco Oil, dropped a tough one point decision on Saturday to St. Mary’s at the victor’s gym in Ridgefield. Wilton jumped out to a five point lead at the end of the first quarter behind the scoring of Lily Umphred, the rebounding of Eleanor Greene, and the full court pressure of Mairead Kehoe and Erin McMorris. St. Mary’s came back to take a one point lead at halftime and the second half was a back and forth affair. With only a couple of minutes left, Wilton reclaimed the lead on a basket by Fiona O’Brien following a beautiful assist from Callie Judelson. After St Mary’s reclaimed the lead, a steal by Katie McMorris resulted in Mary Grace DelliSanti’s clutch free throw to tie the game. Unfortunately, St Mary’s free throw with just seven seconds left proved too difficult to overcome. Umphred led all scorers followed by DelliSanti and O’Brien.
5th Grade
Split for Wilton
The Wilton fifth grade travel team, sponsored by Dr. Gregory Sanford Orthodontics, split their weekend with an impressive win over Weston and a close-call loss to Fairfield. On the road in Weston, the lady Warriors jumped out to a huge lead in the first quarter with Olivia Rossi (13 points) lighting up the scoreboard. Tenacious defense by Lea Martins and Amelia Hughes seemed to shock the Weston girls and led to numerous fast break opportunities for Wilton. Jamie Leventhal and Bella Andjelkovic provided Wilton’s inside presence. Wilton moved the ball very well and their rebounding efforts, especially by Andjelkovic and Morgan Lebek, provided tons of second chance shots that proved back breaking for Weston’s interior defense. Wilton ultimately sledded home on Saturday afternoon with a 25-14 victory. Sunday brought the challenge of a one-loss Fairfield team that had a significant size advantage in the paint on the young lady Warriors. However, Andjelkovic, Ellie Copley and Erynn Floyd combined to put up a valiant effort. Copley used nice footwork and Floyd boxed out beautifully to get their share of rebounds and points for the Wilton side. Catherine Dineen was aggressive on the wing on defense and was able to take the ball to the hole on several occasions. Lebek moved wonderfully without the ball and created several open shots for herself while Ellie Coffey climbed the ladder to collect half a dozen rebounds. Wilton’s defense again shined, as Rossi, Martins, Hughes and Coffey combined for a total of 22 steals. However, in what is a good learning opportunity for our young ladies, with the game on the line they couldn’t get a shot off, coming up just short in the end, 20-23.