On Feb. 25, the Haddam-Killingworth 8th-grade travel boys’ basketball team concluded its season with a thrilling 79-73 overtime victory over rival Clinton to win its conference title. This marks the third consecutive conference championship for the team’s athletes, who had previously accomplished that feat when they were in the 6th and 7th grade.

H-K earned the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament after finishing the regular season at 16-1 in league play. The team received a double bye in to the Elite 8 portion of the bracket and defeated a tough Groton team, 72-62. The Cougars then met Portland in the semifinals and outlasted the Highlanders 51-43, setting up a third meeting with the rival Clinton Huskies, who had bested East Hampton in the other semifinal matchup, 61-48.

After H-K’s Justin Menard hit a 3-pointer to open the game, H-K did not have the lead in regulation. The Huskies were paced by the scintillating shooting of Clinton’s Drew Nye, who connected on a championship game-record eight three-pointers and scored game-high 28 points.

H-K trailed 51-42 at the beginning of the fourth quarter and was losing by 12 with less than 3:30 to play. The Cougars then began their improbable comeback and erased their 12-point deficit and force overtime with the game tied at 64 after two free throws by Menard in the final seconds and a Clinton 3-point shot that came up just short at the buzzer. In overtime, H-K hit 11 of its 12 free throws and scored 15 points in four minutes to finish off the comeback and prevail 79-73. Menard led the Cougars with 24 points and 10 assists, Ethan Johnson contributed 24 points and 11 rebounds, and Erik Winikur added 17 points and eight rebounds. Combined with the smothering defense and unselfish play of Connor Jenkins and Bryce Anderson, the Cougars scored 51 points in the final 20 minutes of the game. The game could not have been won without the sterling bench play of Braden Pollack, Declan Christopher, Adam Alonzo, and Jon Hosney, who all contributed valuable minutes in the victory, along with the support of teammates Corey Phipps, JJ Fox, and Andrew Hedges.

The Cougars finished this season with a 24-5 overall record and, since the team was formed when its players were in the 4th grade, it has compiled an overall record of 117-30. The team would like to thank the H-K Travel League, its coaches, and, most importantly, the parents and families for the support throughout the athletes’ travel basketball careers.

Information courtesy of Brett Zanardi