The winter snow can wreak havoc on a team’s schedule by creating a marathon run of games in a short span. Although the Guilford girls’ hoops squad had to recently endure such a stretch, the Indians weathered the storm with tremendous endurance, while netting themselves a postseason berth.

Guilford was 4-6 and in the midst of a four-game losing streak entering play on Jan. 27, when it began its run of five games in six days that included three-consecutive road contests in as many nights. The Indians pulled off an impressive 4-1 mark in that span, capping it off with a 54-28 home win against West Haven on Feb. 1 that sent the Indians to states with their eighth victory.

“We really just took each game one at a time. We knew we would be tested with the travel alone. There were nights where we weren’t getting back to the high school until 10 p.m. It seemed that the games became more valuable than the practices. I think the day off on [Jan. 31] was very helpful and then we just had a little walkthrough/chalk-talk sessions prior to the West Haven game,” said Head Coach Bob Welsh, whose team later took a 53-43 defeat to Hand to stand at 8-8. “A week ago at 4-6, I had some reservations on how quick we could get to eight wins, but I was shocked to see us get there as quick as now. As a team, we’ve been taking care of the ball and their attitude as a team has been very good.”

Facing West Haven (2-13), junior guard Izzy Nerney, junior guard/forward Kayley McLaughlin, and junior guard Andrea Basilicato each tallied nine points. Also entering the balanced Guilford scoring column were senior co-captain guard Meredith Shank (6 points), sophomore guard/forward Amanda King (5), junior center Camryn Craig, sophomore center Jordan Hedge (4 each), plus senior guard Isabelle Risse and freshman forward Janie Danaher (3 apiece). The Indians went ahead 3-0 right from the opening tip to kick off a 17-5 first quarter, which gave way to a 36-16 halftime lead that Guilford never looked back from.

“I was concerned because I knew we might have tired legs, but I wanted the focus to be on West Haven, which is a stronger team than their record indicates,” said Coach Welsh. “The big halftime lead provided the opportunity to rest some people and so I was able to play all 13 girls in the game. It’s nice to see the kids contributing. Camryn was really tough on the boards. Her and [sophomore forward/center] Molly Linell have really stepped up with their rebounding. Izzy has become a floor general as a point guard and the confidence is there for her. Janie has emerged as a freshman, scoring two baskets immediately in a game against Shelton. She’s a great rebounder, too. Meredith Shank has really put us on our back, as well.”

The Indians started their grueling stretch at Granby Memorial on Jan. 27, picking up a 50-35 triumph that Coach Welsh said was “sparked by a tenacious zone press and some timely shooting.” Balance was the theme for Guilford’s offense in this one, too, as Meredith Shank led the team with 12 points and King also scored a dozen, while Nerney and McLaughlin chipped in with nine and eight points, respectively.

In a 66-55 loss at Stonington on Jan. 28, the Indians scored a then-season-high 34 points for the first half. Meredith Shank again dropped another 12 points with Nerney and King adding 11 apiece.

“They proved to be a tough out as they could shoot the ball and our aggressive team defense put them on the foul line more than I would have liked,” said Welsh on Stonington.

Moving back to the SCC, Guilford claimed a 56-52 victory at Shelton on Jan. 29. Linell and Craig combined for 16 first-half rebounds, but they both ran into second-half foul trouble. That opened the door for the freshman Danaher, who came off the bench to score six crucial points, including two free throws in the fourth. Nerney and Meredith Shank led the scoring attack by combining for 29 points and Nerney also knocked down five of her six free throws in the closing minutes to lock up the win.

Finally at home the next night versus Waterford, Guilford came away with another triumph by the final of 56-52 over Waterford. The Indians jumped out to an 18-9 first quarter advantage, sparked by a couple of three-pointers from King, along with some aggressive play by the sibling duo of senior co-captain guards Sam and Meredith Shank. Guilford was ahead 29-18 with less than two minutes before halftime before Waterford cut the halftime margin to seven to set the stage for a classic second-half battle. The Lancers took their first lead in the fourth quarter at 44-43, but Guilford went back in front, 52-46, with less than a minute remaining. A costly foul gave Waterford a 1-and-1 at the charity stripe and then a Guilford turnover and Waterford three cut the margin to 52-51. However, Meredith Shank made a key lay-up, Danaher converted a free throw, and then McLaughlin knocked down two free throws with little time left to give Guilford a stirring victory for the fourth-consecutive game in which Welsh’s group scored 50 or more points. Meredith Shank notched 21 points, King scored 11; and McLaughlin had seven points, eight rebounds, four assists, and two steals to fill up the stat sheet. Nerney played an outstanding game and was on the floor for nearly 30 minutes.

“We had a tough stretch of games versus Mercy, Law, Hillhouse, and Hamden for that four-game skid, but we’ve gotten an ability to put the ball in. We were shooting under 20 percent from the field, but now we are shooting 36 percent,” Welsh said. “The girls have worked hard in practice, as well, working on a lot of drills and their shooting. I talk to the girls about being balanced as an athlete in being intense, but relaxed out there, so I just want them to shoot and be relaxed.”

The Indians welcomed back a great deal of talent this winter from a squad that amassed 14 wins, including one apiece in both the SCC and state tournaments, last year. Guilford’s experience has been a huge help in the current campaign, although Coach Welsh knows how things can change in a flash and so he simply wants the girls to give their all on a nightly basis and let the chips fall where they may.

“We just keep drawing on that experience because they are all getting more confident. Plus, I think that with these bus trips to road games in this recent stretch definitely helps make us more tournament tough,” said Welsh. “All along, we knew we had a good team that we were wondering about until a week ago and things can change quickly. They just have to work hard and whatever happens, happens. They just have to leave it all out on the court and take it one game at a time, while playing relaxed, but intense.”

From the Sidelines

Guilford knocked down six shots from three-point land against West Haven as Izzy Nerney and Andrea Basilicato each had two, plus Amanda King and Kayley McLaughlin added one apiece.

The Indians also hit 21 field goals in the victory over the Blue Devils.

Prior to Jan. 27, the Indians were averaging 39.8 points a game. In their recent five-games-in-six-days stretch, they averaged out at 54.4 tallies per night.