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Boys' Basketball Edged by Guilford, 37-35

Last year, the Branford boys' basketball team hosted Guilford in first week of the season and came away with a 52-point victory. But the 2012-'13 campaign marks the dawn of a new day for both programs as the Hornets graduated nearly every varsity regular from last year, whereas the Indians return the bulk of their nucleus. This disparity in experience was evident when Branford faced Guilford on Dec. 14 as the Indians performed better down the stretch and hung on for a 37-35 road victory.

In a contest that saw both teams struggle to score, the Indians battled back from a five-point halftime deficit to take the lead for good at 27-24 when Chris Rogers hit a reverse layup and free throw late in the third quarter. Guilford maintained its slim advantage through the final frame, eventually holding a 37-32 lead with 55 seconds to play. And though the Hornets used a crucial putback and free throw by senior captain center Andrew Klarman to get within two points, after which they had three chances to tie or take the lead, Guilford's Dante Parisi came up with a big steal in the final seconds to preserve the dramatic victory for the Indians.

"We have guys who are inexperienced at the varsity level and are getting used to how it's a faster and stronger type of game," said Branford coach Jake Palluzzi, whose team had started the season with a 59-26 win at Lyman Hall. "We played hard and didn't give up when we went down five late, but we need to grow and learn what we have to do when it comes winning time at the end of games."

Branford was led by 11 points and 10 rebounds from Klarman, along with seven points by point guard Jon Fuller and five each by senior captain point guard Jeff Mahon, junior forward Rusty Lomotey, and senior Charlie Fiskio.

Guilford (1-1) jumped out to an early lead as Luke Dombrowski scored nine quick points for an 11-6 advantage midway through the opening quarter. Branford (1-1) responded with an 8-0 run that featured three-pointers by Mahon and Fuller, plus a coast-to-coast basket from junior guard Alex King, to go up 14-11 with two minutes left in the first.

Guilford used a three from J.P. Barrett to take an 18-16 lead in the second quarter before the Hornets answered by scoring the last seven points of the half, a run keyed by a trey from Fiskio to send the squads to the locker rooms with Branford leading 23-18.

The Hornets then endured some offensive struggles to start the latter half by going five minutes without scoring a point. Guilford capitalized with a 9-0 spurt highlighted by Nick Moretti's three, a jumper from Will Cofrances, and then Rogers's "and-1" for a 27-24 lead with 1:48 to play in the third. Mahon then broke the drought by making a pair of free throws and the Indians led by one heading to the fourth.

In the final quarter, a fastbreak layup from Shaun Ross and bank shot by Cofrances made it 31-28 before Lomotey's layup cut it to one with 4:45 remaining. Dombrowski followed with a layup for the Indians, yet Branford answered on a short jump shot by Fiskio and the Indians led just 33-32 with 2:50 to go.

Then came the game's pivotal stretch that started with the Indians' Andrew Kelly putting back his own missed layup to make it 35-32, after which Dombrowski hit a bucket for a 37-32 advantage with just under a minute left. Branford's next possession saw Klarman rebound his own miss and hit the shot and subsequent free throw to cut it to 37-35 with 41 seconds to play. The Hornets then went with a press defense and Lomotey stole the ball from Cofrances, but he traveled and the ball went back to Guilford. Moretti couldn't find anyone for an inbounds pass and called for timeout, yet was whistled for a five-second violation and now Branford again had possession. After Mahon missed a jumper, Fiskio grabbed the board was called for traveling on what looked like a tie-up and now the Indians had the ball with 13 seconds left. The Hornets fouled Moretti, who missed the front end of his 1-and-1, giving back the ball to Branford. However, Klarman's long pass down the court was intercepted by Parisi and the Indians escaped with the two-point triumph.

Previously against Lyman Hall, Klarman led the Hornets with 11 points, 15 rebounds, and four blocks; Fiskio had nine points, five boards, and four assists; Mahon scored nine with four assists; King had 10 points with six rebounds; Fuller notched nine points, seven boards, four assists, and three steals; and Lomotey scored 11 for Palluzzi's squad.