The East Haven girls’ basketball team put forth its best effort in the 2015-’16 season and ultimately finished with the most wins in the history of the program. The Yellowjackets netted a record of 21-5, while achieving numerous milestones along the way.

“Our goals each year don’t change, even though some years they might be a bit lost. Every year is the same. First, we want our eight wins to qualify for SCCs and states, then we want to win the division, third is to win the SCC Tournament—we made the semis—and our final goal is to win the class and this year was L and we made quarters,” said Anthony Russell, who completed his eighth year as East Haven’s head coach. “We didn’t achieve the exact goal we wanted, but you can’t not look at this season and say it was a success on so many levels.”

The season started fast for East Haven, which won the Barlow Tip-Off Tournament and then its own Holiday Tournament within the first month. The two tournament triumphs elevated the Yellowjackets’ level of play and then went on to win 12 of their next 15 games en route to a share of the SCC Oronoque Division title.

East Haven followed up its exceptional regular season with its best all-time postseason showing as the Yellowjackets went on deep runs through the SCC and Class L tournaments. In SCCs, the Yellowjackets reached the semifinals before losing to Hand. They were then eliminated by Bacon Academy in the Class L quarters.

“All of those accomplishments are great. The funny thing is, a lot of times when you have a team like this, you can’t help but look back to teams that didn’t achieve this—the ones that were about .500 and barely snuck into states. I think it’s important to bring those teams up because it has been a gradual process,” Coach Russell said. “We were hemorrhaging kids to other programs like Sacred Heart or Mercy over the course of the last eight years, but recently, one or two of those kids started to stay, and then four or five, and now, 10 or 11. That’s along with them playing AAU, summer league, and fall league. I think all of that is what I’m most proud of—the journey as a program to get to this point. Hopefully we can keep building off of that.”

As a result of all its success, East Haven was on the receiving end of some prestigious postseason awards. Russell was named the SCC Coach of the Year, the New Haven Register All-Area Coach of the Year, and the New Haven Tap-Off Club Coach of the Year. Russell’s colleague, Alyssa Guarino, was selected as the International Association of Approved Basketball Officials Board 10 Assistant Coach of the Year. Senior captain guard Miranda Gladwin and sophomore forward Kylie Schlottman were both named to the All-SCC Oronoque Team.

“As far as those accolades go, it’s great. When the team playing at a high level, you tend to get more recognition than the kids that don’t play in tournaments,” Russell said. “They couldn’t be where they are without their teammates that don’t make the All-Division or All-County teams. I find it important to focus on those kids, as well, because, whether it’s the assistant coach, me, or the kids, we’re beneficiaries of awards because it’s a whole lot of people that put a lot into it that allows our kids and coaching staff to be recognized.”

Schlottman was also the recipient of the East Haven’s Most Valuable Player Award, along with being named to the New Haven Tap-Off Club’s All-County squad, the Register’s All-Area Team, and the Connecticut High School Coaches Association Class L All-State squad.

“She scored a little over 700 points this year, averaging 15 points and 11 rebounds. Usually, if kids tend to stay healthy and have other players around them to draw attention, those stats continue to improve,” Russell said. “Playing in an AAU program this summer where she’s a [small forward] will allow her to be on the perimeter and facing up to the basket more. It’s going to allow other teams not to front her in the post or follow her. She will be able to step out and knock down shots, face up, take people off the dribble.”

The Yellowjackets’ other distinctions awards went to senior guards Bianca Pappacoda and Gabby Lamberti, who earned the Sportsmanship Award and Coaches’ Award, respectively.

“Gabby and Bianca were similar that they were great teammates, willing to do anything to make team better. They understood their role. Sure, they didn’t get enough playing time in their eyes, but they were a very valuable part of team in terms of preparation,” Russell said. “In practice, they’d play offense and defense to mimic what the other teams did. They got good minutes in critical sports during certain games. They really understood what their role was on the team and that’s important because not everyone is a star. Certain kids will do certain things to benefit the team on and off the court.”

East Haven’s three senior captains were Gladwin, guard Cailey Korwek, and center Dana Ross. Gladwin was tied for the most three-pointers made on the team with 49, Ross was a force down low, and Korwek was filled with energy while making an impact all around the floor.

“Miranda, she’s one of the best shooters in the area. She was the quarterback on the court and gave us a great outside presence. She made a lot of clutch shots where it could’ve gone either way,” Russell said. “Cailey doesn’t do a lot you see in box score, but a lot of times would have seven rebounds, six assists, and five steals. She does a lot of the things that as a coach, I appreciate. Dana became a significant post presence. She’s athletic, big, and needed to be an option to make us a more-relevant team. Over the second half of the season, she averaged almost a double-double.”

Coach Russell wants to continue the growth of the East Haven girls’ basketball program, but knows that losing three impact starters will be tough to overcome with the graduation of Gladwin, Ross, and Korwek.

“I think losing the five seniors, specifically those three starters, there are gaps to fill. I think that we have kids that can fill the gaps, maybe not specifically the same way, but maybe bring their own type of game to our team. Hopefully, that can make us as deep and versatile as we were this year,” Russell said. “It’s going to come down to improvement. We might see a kid that plays AAU all summer and fall and then will come back and are in our starting lineup. Development in the offseason will determine the team we can be. Knowing the personnel, there are kids that can step in. I hope to duplicate the success we had. A 21-win season is hard to come by and it’s the only 20-win season in school history. Having that type of success year in and year out is difficult. It’s hard to be that successful.”

From the Sidelines

Regular season wins for East Haven this year came against Norwalk (48-36), Darien (52-35), West Haven (73-32), Ledyard (59-40), Hamden (64-53), Branford (45-32 and 52-38), Sheehan (34-25), Lyman Hall (53-40), North Haven (70-36 and 52-34), Cross (54-43 and 57-40), Amity (63-47), Cheshire (57-44), Lauralton Hall (34-24), and Career (41-34). The Yellowjackets also defeated Lyman Hall (63-36) and Sheehan (60-49) in the SCC Tournament, followed by victories versus Harding (67-47) and Woodstock Academy (49-35) in the Class L State Tournament.

East Haven took losses to Mercy (53-41), Hamden (62-61), and Career (50-46) during the regular season, along with a 76-63 defeat versus Hand in the SCC Tournament and a 53-38 loss against Bacon Academy in states.