Printer Friendly Version - North Haven Boys’ Hoops, Ice Hockey Eliminated from States

RJ Hager and the North Haven boys’ basketball team routed Woodstock Academy in their Division III State Tournament opener, and then took a 64-48 loss at Southington in the second round. The Indians went 13-10 this year. Photo by Kelley Fryer/The Courier

The North Haven boys’ basketball team posted a blowout victory over Woodstock Academy in the first round of the Division III State Tournament last week, before getting eliminated from the tournament by losing to Southington in a second-round matchup. The Indians finished with an overall record of 13-10 for the winter season, which was their third year with Justin Falcon as head coach. North Haven has qualified for both the Southern Connecticut Conference and State tournaments in all three seasons with Coach Falcon.

North Haven was the No. 10 seed in the Division III State Tournament and opened up the bracket by routing No. 23 Woodstock Academy by the final score of 91-53 at Fred Kelly Gymnasium on March 5. The outcome was never in doubt as North Haven stormed out to a 28-13 lead after the first quarter and then outscored the Centaurs 23-12 in the second quarter to take a commanding 51-25 advantage into halftime. The Indians continued dominating play in the third quarter by outscoring Woodstock 20-8 to bring a 71-33 lead into the fourth on their way to the 38-point victory.

Senior Jake Lafond hit 10 field goals, including seven 3-pointers, on his way to scoring 27 points for North Haven. Sophomore Ethan Okwuosa also had a big night for North Haven by making nine field goals and scoring 23 points in the win. RJ Hager had 16 points, while fellow sophomore Dave Christoforo scored eight points for the Indians. Senior Christian Somma scored five points, sophomore Bryce Charney also had five points, and senior Jared Sancho scored four points in the win against Woodstock Academy (8-13).

On March 9, the Indians were on the road to face No. 7 seed Southington in a Division III second-round contest dropped a 64-48 decision to finish their season. North Haven fell behind 18-10 after the first quarter and trailed the Blue Knights 35-15 at halftime. The Indians outscored Southington in both the third (12-10) and fourth (21-19), but the deficit proved too much to overcome. Hager scored 12 points, and Okwuosa had 11 points for North Haven in the loss. Christoforo scored nine points, Sancho had six points, and sophomore Jaden Watson had four points versus Southington (15-7).

For the season, North Haven swept its series against Sheehan (82-59 and 78-72) and Shelton (77-56 and 66-54) by winning both of its games versus those opponents. The Indians also claimed victories versus Law (63-55), Foran (64-60), East Haven (53-52), SCC Housatonic Division opponents Lyman Hall (66-64) and Hand (43-36), plus non-conference foe Whitney Tech (91-80 in overtime). The win against Hand came on Senior Night and avenged an earlier loss to the Tigers. The Indians also defeated Branford 47-45 in the semifinals of the second annual Fred Kelly Holiday Tournament and then notched a 71-56 victory over Rocky Hill in the championship game.

The North Haven boys’ ice hockey squad saw its 2017-’18 season come to a close in the first round of the Division II State Tournament, when they Indians took a 2-1 loss to Glastonbury at Trinity College on March 6.

North Haven, which was the No. 11 seed, finished the year with an overall record of 10-10-1 and qualified for the Division II State Tournament in its first year with program alum Nick Costanzo as head coach after missing states the previous two seasons. No. 6 seed Glastonbury advanced to the quarterfinals and lost to Guilford by a 6-3 final to finish its season at 10-11-1.

The Indians were 3-7-1 after taking a 3-2 loss against North Branford on Jan. 31 and had to make up some ground in order to qualify for states this year. North Haven responded by winning seven of its last nine regular-season games, including its final four, to make the tournament with two games to spare.

North Haven defeated Milford (6-2), Wilton (9-0), Hand (5-1), New Milford (5-3), Cheshire (2-1), East Haven-Old Lyme-Old Saybrook-East Hampton (3-0), and Branford (6-0) during its surge throughout the final three weeks of the regular season. The Indians punched their ticket to the Division II State Tournament with a 2-1 win versus Cheshire at Wesleyan University on Feb. 24.

Senior Alex Cianci and the Indians’ boys’ ice hockey squad went on a great run this year to qualify for the Division II State Tournament, where they Indians dropped a 2-1 decision versus Glastonbury in a first-round matchup. Photo by Kelley Fryer/The Courier