The Guilford boys’ basketball team features a young bunch this winter, but the Indians have been earning their wings by battling through a difficult Southern Connecticut Conference schedule, and now stand on the cusp of qualifying for postseason play.

Coming into the campaign, there were plenty of questions marks surrounding Head Coach Jeff DeMaio’s squad, which only returned two players from last season’s team that notched 21 victories. On top of that, Guilford moved up from Division II to Division III for State Tournament play. The Indians lost their first two games, then started to build some momentum by going 5-5 during their next 10.

Last week, Guilford started off with a bang by posting a 68-58 home victory over SCC Quinnipiac Division rival Branford on Jan. 28, led by a monster 39-point performance from senior captain guard Colin Kellaher. The Indians went on to take a 67-50 road loss versus divisional opponent Law on Jan. 31 to move to 3-3 in Quinnipiac action. The following night, Guilford lost to Cross by a 71-64 final in a home game. Coach DeMaio’s club now has an overall record of 6-9 and needs to win two of its last five regular-season matchups to clinch a berth in the Division III State Tournament

“We have a tough final set of games, but we’re just grinding away right here,” Coach DeMaio said. “We are playing a first-place schedule based on our success the past few seasons, but we’ve succeeded so far. I’m pleased with the record we have right now.”

Kellaher scored 17 of his 39 points in the third quarter when Guilford defeated Branford last week. He also grabbed seven rebounds. Senior captain center Ian Slattery added nine points and 11 boards for the Indians, who held a 14-13 lead after the first quarter and then outscored the Hornets during both the second (18-13) and third (20-12) quarters to come away with the victory and complete a season sweep of the Hornets.

“We got off to a bit of a slow start, but got better in the second quarter,” said DeMaio. “Colin got hot in the third quarter. His teammates got him the ball, and we got a much-needed win.”

It took some time for Guilford to develop its chemistry while enduring those early season defeats, but after a few games, the Indians got their feet moving and started to find their groove on the floor. Coach DeMaio said that the 0-2 start provided a wakeup call for his club.

“We’ve gotten a lot better and will continue to get a lot better since the beginning of the year. We started with two tough losses, but it took the guys time to get used to each other on the court,” DeMaio said. “They’ve definitely grown each week on the floor. We want to win all the games, of course, but you’re forced to get better and grow when faced with adversity. [Losing the first two games] made us more dialed in and focused. It made us realize how hard it is and how hard we have to work.”

Guilford has been hunkering down on defense and playing with a stingy mindset when it comes to protecting the bucket. On the offensive side of things, the Indians have been receiving plenty of production from their 1-2 punch and now look to get more from their supporting cast the rest of the way.

“We’ve been in a team defensive mindset. We were giving up too many points at first, but we’ve stiffened up. We allowed only 48 to Xavier and 37 to Hand when we won our rematch,” DeMaio said. “Ian and Colin score consistently on offense, so we need to continue to get distribution from the other guys.”

As his team enters the home stretch, Coach DeMaio said the Indians are ready to take on every challenge with a positive mentality and continue progressing as they chase down a spot in states.

“I tell the boys that it’s a long season that goes fast. Our psyche is a good and healthy one right now,” said DeMaio. “The guys want the same goals. We are excited for the road ahead, and it will be a huge challenge. We’re just focused on one play, game, and practice at a time.”