The Morgan boys’ basketball team entered the Shoreline Conference Tournament aiming to go back to back after claiming the league crown last season. The Huskies made it back to the championship game and, while they weren’t able to win the title, they learned some valuable lessons as they get ready for the Division IV State Tournament this week.

After defeating Valley Regional in the quarterfinals, No. 2 seed Morgan hosted No. 6 Portland in the Shoreline semis and claimed a 65-38 victory on March 1. Three days later, the Huskies faced top-seeded Cromwell in the conference final and took a 55-39 defeat at Polson Middle School in Madison, putting the team’s overall record at 15-8 heading into states.

Morgan stormed out to a 22-7 lead after the first quarter versus Portland with senior captain Alex Fratamico scoring 16 points in the period. While the Huskies only scored five points in the second quarter, they outscored the Highlanders 38-22 in the second half to pull away for the 27-point win.

Fratamico finished the game with 25 points for Morgan. Junior Cooper Galdenzi scored 14 points, senior captain Connor Duffy had 11 points, and senior captain Andrey Nye scored 8 points in the win. Junior Eddie Dwake, junior Matt Reed, and sophomore John Nye all scored 2 points, while senior Brady Fritz scored 1 point for Head Coach Frank Rossi’s squad.

“We played about as well as we have played all season. We spent a lot of time watching film. The Valley game gave us a lot of insight. We had a really good game plan going in defensively,” Rossi said. “We were able to get offense off of our defense. We got into a great rhythm on both ends of the floor and had a lot of points in transition.”

Rossi has been coaching high school boys’ basketball for the past 17 seasons, including stints with North Branford and Hand prior to his tenure at Morgan. The Huskies’ win over Portland marked Rossi’s 200th career victory as a head coach. Looking back at his time on the bench, Rossi feels honored to have been put in a position to coach in the first place.

“It got really emotional. I kind of knew. It was in the back of my mind coming into the season. It’s a lot of years. I’ve been doing this for 17 years,” said Rossi. “To hear from some of my old players and some of my old assistant coaches was a nice feeling. To be able to do this as long as I’ve been doing it is a blessing. I’m fortunate to say I got there.”

Morgan had experience facing Cromwell entering the Shoreline final as the matchup marked the third time that the two teams had faced off in three weeks. In fact, the Huskies handed Cromwell its only defeat of the season to date by earning a 38-35 victory versus the Panthers on Feb. 18.

In round three, Morgan got out to a quick start with a 16-7 lead after the first quarter and was up 24-18 at halftime. However, Cromwell got hot in the third quarter and outscored the Huskies 17-2 in the period to take a 35-26 lead into the fourth. Morgan fought back, but couldn’t overcome the deficit as Cromwell won the game by a 55-39 score to take the conference title.

“We got out strong and we were making shots, but then Cromwell took their game to another level,” Coach Rossi said. “We scored six points in a period of 26 minutes. Cromwell disrupted every rhythm we had on offense. To play catchup with a team of Cromwell’s caliber is tough to overcome.”

Fratamico scored 11 points for the Huskies in the contest. Galdenzi scored 10 points, while Nye and Duffy had 8 points apiece. Dwake scored 4 points for Morgan.

Coach Rossi said the Morgan went through some ups and down during the Shoreline Conference Tournament. The Huskies were forced into several pressure situations and had to find ways to battle through them. According to Rossi, the main lesson to take away entering states is for Morgan to continue playing its brand of basketball and keep doing the things that led them back to the Shoreline title game.

“We know the level that we have to play at. We’ve been there. Yes, it is the tournament and, yes, it’s do or die, but we’re not trying to do anything different,” said Rossi. “We want to play our game, and we want to play to our strengths. Be you. Don’t be anything more than what is expected of you every night.”

Morgan is the No. 10 seed in the Division IV State Tournament and hosted No. 23 Woodland for a first-round game on March 7 (after press time). The winner of that game played at No. 7 seed Somers in the second round on March 9 (after press time). The quarterfinals are on Friday, March 11; the semifinals take place on Tuesday, March 15; and the Division IV state final will be held at Mohegan Sun Arena on either Saturday, March 19 or Sunday, March 20. Cromwell is the No. 1 seed in the tournament, and Morgan could potentially play the Panthers again in the final.

Coach Rossi said that the Huskies will stick to their plan as they play in the state tourney, while relying on the leadership of senior captains Duffy, Fratamico, and Nye, along with fellow senior starter Cam Johnson. With the experience of the seniors and his team’s growth throughout the season, Rossi is expecting Morgan to make some noise in the Division IV State Tournament.

“At this point in the season, we’re not looking to do anything new. We’re fine-tuning and tweaking,” Rossi said. “The fact we are starting four seniors is important heading into the State Tournament. You look at the number of games over the years, particularly between Connor, Drew and Alex, and you can’t put a number on it. It’s an intangible thing. The senior leadership is huge.”

The Morgan boys’ basketball team’s roster features senior captains Alex Fratamico, Andrew Nye and Connor Duffy; seniors Cam Johnson, Tim McComiskey and Mike Fragola; juniors Cooper Galdenzi, Matt Reed, Ben McDonnell, and Eddie Dwake; and sophomores John Nye, Ryan Donadio, Kolby Clifton, and Rob Estabrook.