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03/18/2024 02:27 AMThe Guilford boys’ basketball team can look back at its winter season knowing it was one full of growth and development, while gaining key exposure to the postseason stage.
The Grizzlies wrapped up their season in the first round of the Division II State Tournament as the No. 24 seed, when they suffered a 64-45 loss to ninth-seeded Farmington on March 4. Despite coming up short of championship hardware, Head Coach Jeff DeMaio was proud of the way his team showed constant maturity and improvement all winter, while gaining valuable skills along the way.
“We finished the regular season at 9-11 and qualified for both the SCC and state tournament,” DeMaio said. “We lost to Cross in the Southern Connecticut Conference (SCC) Tournament, and lost to Farmington in states to finish at 9-13. It was a very positive and productive year. So many of our guys gained a ton of varsity experience, and we know that this will help our program down the road.”
On Feb. 22, the Grizzlies began that postseason journey as the No. 13 seed in the SCC Tournament. They traveled to No. 4 Wilbur Cross and took a 73-54 loss. Guilford was able to cut the lead to seven points with five minutes to go, but was unable to get the job done.
Senior guard Lucca Rivera served as the lone captain for the squad this winter, and it was his leadership that helped guide the younger players to success, and helped to keep up Guilford’s reputation as a club.
“We had one captain this year, and it was senior Lucca Rivera,” said DeMaio. “He was a positive and consistent leader all year. Not only did he lead us in almost all offensive categories, but he continued to set the highest example for the other guys, as well. We have a proud and highly respected program within the SCC, and Lucca helped us stay there.”
Towards the end of the regular season, the Grizzlies went on a four-game winning streak through the beginning of February, defeating Jonathan Law (58-47), Sheehan (62-47), Jonathan Law (64-55), and Platt Tech (74-50).
Several players helped contribute to that win streak, including Rivera, Noah Young (junior, guard), Tag Ivy (junior, guard), and Jake Hedge (junior, forward).
Rivera averaged 18.1 points per game (PPG) and 5.2 rebounds, Young and Ivy averaged around eight PPG, and Hedge was the leading rebounder, recording almost six per game. Rivera additionally earned All-SCC Second Team honors.
In the final game of the regular season, the Grizzlies traveled to Abbott Tech on Feb. 20 and captured their ninth win, with a final score of 58-50.
Prior to beginning the state tournament, Guilford played two scrimmages, one on Feb. 21 against East Haven, and the other on April 3 against Wilby.
“We were able to set up two scrimmages, one with East Haven and one with Wilby. We wanted to challenge ourselves to best prepare for a very good Farmington team,” said DeMaio. “Unfortunately, we did not play our best game vs. Farmington, but we were still proud to qualify for states.”
Winning a state title is always the end goal for any team, but for Guilford, just getting to the postseason dance was something the squad continued to strive for.
“We set the same goal every year, and that goal is to get a minimum of eight wins to make the postseason,” DeMaio said. “We won nine and met that goal. We keep things simple, and we do not try to get ahead of ourselves. Certainly, we strive to win as many possible, but the goal is always to get to at least eight, and to improve as the season goes on.”
Last season, Guilford graduated eight seniors, most of whom were a part of the varsity squad. This winter, the team had many players with little varsity experience. Despite the odds feeling like they were against the Grizzlies, they made the most of the learning curve and gave 100% in every matchup, even the more competitive ones.
“Our biggest challenge most years is our schedule because we are in Division II for basketball,” said DeMaio. “We play a very demanding schedule each year, so every game is a huge challenge for us.”
The Grizzlies will graduate two seniors in the spring in Rivera and Jaco Corso (guard). Having so many returning athletes next year, DeMaio looks forward to continuing to see upward growth and improvement. Now that his squad has seen the full picture of what the most pressure-filled situations on the court can look like, he knows the Grizzlies are ready to conquer anything next winter.
“We look forward to the fact that we will return many players who gained valuable experience this year,” said DeMaio. “We expect to have a large senior class of players who should be very hungry next year to take a step forward.”
DeMaio is assisted by Dante Parisi as the junior varsity (JV) coach, and Rusty Gordon as a volunteer assistant.
The Grizzlies full team roster is comprised of Corso, Rivera, Liam Cain (junior, forward), Anthony Cerino (junior, guard), Max Freeman (junior, forward), Quintin Gray (junior, forward), Hedge, Ivy, Young, Zach Young (junior, guard), Cameron Forester (sophomore, forward), Carter Gagnon (sophomore, guard), Finn Matlosz (sophomore, forward), Patrick McGowen (sophomore, guard), Max Steffen (sophomore, forward), Wesley Tandler (sophomore, forward), and Andrew Voytek (sophomore, guard).