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01/07/2018 11:00 PMGirls’ Basketball
The Old Saybrook girls’ basketball team played two recent games and was victorious in both of them to improve its record to 5-3 on the season.
On Dec. 29, the Rams were at home against Portland and earned a narrow victory by the final score of 54-50. The Highlanders got out to a strong start against Old Saybrook, leading 11-5 after the first quarter and 27-16 at halftime. In the third quarter, the Rams started to claw back, but they were still down 39-32 going into the fourth. However, Old Saybrook dominated the final period by outscoring Portland 22-11 on its way to the 54-50 victory.
“It was an outstanding comeback. The kids, it’s always incredibly gratifying when I team buys into to the idea, ‘Don’t stop playing.’ We were down 15 in the third quarter. The kids had no quit in them,” Rams’ Head Coach Steve Woods said. “We dug in defensively, made some great stops, and we caught fire. Some of their turnovers, we were able to turn into baskets the other way. Every point mattered, and the execution was huge in the fourth quarter. Plays don’t win games, players win games, and our players won that game.”
Senior Chloe Root had a huge impact on the win by scoring 13 points for Old Saybrook, as did fellow senior Alyssa Parker. Root also controlled the boards by pulling down 10 of them. Junior Mandy Beck and senior Nellie LaMay each added 12 points in the victory, while senior Sophie Alden had four points from the center position.
Then on Jan. 2, Old Saybrook hosted Creed and grabbed a 31-23 win in a low-scoring duel. Old Saybrook led 7-3 after the first quarter and was up 16-8 at the half. Both teams played even the rest of the way as the Rams emerged with the eight-point victory.
“We struggle with Creed. It’s always a close game...Again, our kids gutted it out, though, and we were never behind,” Woods said. “We were playing great defense, but we could not put the ball in the basket. You have to give credit to the other team. Creed knows how to play us. They bother us and slow us down.”
Beck led Old Saybrook in scoring with eight points, and she also affected the game on defense by recording four steals with three blocks.
“Mandy is a complete player. She’s a really good offensive player, and she’s an outstanding defensive player,” Woods said of Beck. “She, like the rest of the team, empties the bucket. There’s nothing left at the end of the game.”
Parker added eight points in the win, while LaMay had five points, and Root scored four points. The Rams also received three important points in the second quarter from freshman Jenna Tully when they had some players in foul trouble. Coach Woods believes that he will be playing some of his bench players a little more in the future.
“Our younger kids are getting more and more ready. The tougher part of schedule is coming up, and the younger kids are getting ready to contribute more,” said Woods. “They work hard in practice, and they’re getting better. That’s good for us.”
Boys’ Basketball
The Rams recently rattled off three more victories and are 5-1 on the season. Old Saybrook has now won five in a row after losing its first game of the year.
On Dec. 28, Old Saybrook headed to Portland and notched a 68-55 victory in a Shoreline Conference matchup. Junior guard Shane Henderson continued his hot streak and dropped 34 points, while adding four rebounds and two assists. Fellow guard, senior Anthony Karg, scored nine points and provided four boards with six assists. Senior Victor Pascoe was a major presence in the paint with a team-leading eight rebounds, and he also added five points. Senior Keaton Roarick had eight points and three rebounds, and Dan Cote scored two to go with three boards.
On Jan. 2, the Old Saybrook prevailed at Creed by the score of 55-50. Henderson and Pascoe each had 17 points to lead the Rams’ offense. Pascoe was an impressive 7-for-7 from the free-throw line and again led the team on the boards with nine. Henderson was 10-of-12 on foul shots, and he also added five rebounds. Karg scored 11 points with two assists, while Cote had five points and six boards. Roarick scored five points, and two of them were big free throws with less than 10 seconds remaining to help seal the victory. He also had seven rebounds on the evening.
The next day, the Rams hosted Shoreline Conference rival Westbrook and earned a 55-39 victory. Henderson led the way with 20 points and also had six rebounds to go with five assists. Pascoe 17 points with seven boards, and Karg scored 16 points and had three assists.