Each week, GOOD Morning Wilton will run news of weekend results and scores from Wilton youth sports teams. Please send all stories and updates, along with a photo, to editor@goodmorningwilton.com by noon on Monday of each week. Stories received after the deadline may not be included. Result write-ups will be grouped by sport and published in the order they are received.
Basketball
Wilton 56ers Boys Pick Up Two More Wins, Beating Darien 30-24 and Norwalk 59-55
On Saturday, Dec. 10 the Wilton 56er Boys basketball team picked up their second win of the season with a 30-24 victory over the home team, Darien. Wilton was lead by Bailey Finn’s 11 points and 16 rebounds. The first half featured lots of high-pressure defense from both teams with Wilton’s Michael Byrnes, Wyatt Jones and Andrew Roth pressuring the Darien guards into multiple turnovers. Spencer Liston tied the game at 10 apiece midway through the second quarter with a 3-pointer from the wing off a well designed inbound play. Kyle Roesser and Jefferson Mitchell both provided great defense on the interior for the Warriors with Mitchell collecting two big first-half steals that kept the Darien lead to only two at halftime, 16-14.
In the second-half, the Warriors continued to turn up the defensive pressure trapping the ball all over the court. Harrison Lent, Colin Tsai, Michael Wall and Andre Wiest (nine rebounds) continued to apply defensive pressure and share the ball on offense leading to a big 3-pointer from Tsai to tie the game at 18 with three minutes left in the third quarter. The Wilton defense really clamped down in the fourth quarter after a Finn layup tied the game at 23 with seven minutes left. The Warriors would not look back, outscoring Darien 7-1 over the final seven minutes. Declan Brokaw hit a big 3-pointer in the corner with 2:45 left to give the Warriors a 4-point lead advantage and a little breathing room. Liston iced the game with an important steal with 21 seconds left.
On Sunday the Wilton 56ers took on the upstart Norwalk Youth Boys 6th grade team. It was a seesaw battle in the first half led by Finn (24 points) and Liston (17 points). Rounding out the starting five were Mitchell, Roth and Byrnes. They all made solid contributions throughout the game. Leading the charges off the bench were Tsai and Wall. Their steady and heady play along with Brokaw, Jones, Roesser, Lent and Andre Wiest set the tone in the first half which saw the 56ers down by to Norwalk, 23-24.
The game continued to be a game of runs in the second half with the lead changing seven different times but as good teams do the 56ers never gave up! Whether it was Wiest, Mitchell and Finn doing yeoman’s work on the boards, or Roth, Liston, Wall and Tsai running their vaulted motion offense to perfection, or the sold defense and timely shooting of Lent, Byrnes, Brokaw, Jones and Roesser, this epitomized a team win.
It all then boiled down to the 56ers down by three with 13 seconds to go. Spencer “ice in his veins” Liston calmly took a 3-point shot three feet beyond the arc and found nothing but net to send the game to OT, which saw Wilton eventually take home the OT victory over Norwalk, 59-55.
6th Grade Girls Win 21-19 Over Norwalk, After Loss to Darien
The 6th Grade Girls ended the weekend on a high note with a 21-19 win against Norwalk on Sunday night, after a loss the day before to Darien, 20-22. In both games, the score was always tight and the winner was determined in the final seconds. The girls were able to get into their groove, not only thanks to the music during the warm up, but also due to Mary Scally (13 points, three steals, three rebounds) handling the pressure of the clock and scoring at key moments. On Sunday, Mary sunk the winning shot, assisted by Molly Snow (4 assists, 2 steal, 1 rebound) with seconds left in the game. Kelly Holmgren (6 points, 4 steals, 3 rebounds) and Ava Fasano (10 points, 2 steal, 6 rebounds) outplayed their opponents many times and were exceptionally strong in both games on both sides of the court with assists, steals, and rebounds. Fasano and Holmgren each had a 3 point shot which excited the crowds. Charlotte Casiraghi (2 points, 1 steal,1 rebound), Heather Plowright (4 points, 2 steals, 2 rebounds) and Lucy Cory (6 points, 1 assist) were steady on the court and helped keep Wilton in the games. Kendall Scholz (2 rebounds) continued to be strong under the board. Emerson Pattillo’s hustle and strong play by Sawyer Prendergast (3 steals, 1 rebound) helped direct the offense in the game on Sunday. All the girls had excellent ball handling and their amazing, tough defense helped them shine in both games this weekend.
Wilton 4th Grade Boys Defeat Weston 34-24, then Fall to Greenwich
The Wilton 4th Grade Boys Future Warriors team, sponsored by Diamond Deli, opened their season on Saturday, Dec. 10 with a 34-24 win over Weston.
Scoring was led by Grady Kalisky (10 points), Matt Garcia (8 points) and Nathaniel Kalter (6 points). Luke Ginsburg dished out five assists and controlled the boards with nine rebounds. Jack Schwartz, Liam McKiernan and Kalisky proved to be stalwart defenders, with each grabbing four steals. Schwartz also added four rebounds and McKiernan had six boards to go along with his monster block. Expert ball-handling skills were provided by Luke Perna, who controlled the offense all day–he had two assists to go along with his 4 points and three rebounds.
The team lost 18-28 to a very tough Greenwich Stars team on Sunday. Battling a big, strong and experienced Greenwich team to the very end of the game. The boys moved the ball well against their opponent’s aggressive defense, allowing them to open scoring opportunities. The team was led in scoring by Ryan Luchetta, Liam Murphy, Andrew Mason and Henry Soojian. The Warriors were extremely aggressive on the boards, led by Ginsburg, Patrick Lillis and Charlie Keller. Coach Evans felt the boys played hard and that he can build on some of the strong fundamentals the boys exhibited during the game.
Wilton 5th Grade Girls Notch First League Win, Defeating St. Mary’s of Ridgefield 28-7
Wilton’s 5th Grade Girls Team, sponsored by Wilton Sports Shop, won their first league game this weekend over St. Mary’s of Ridgefield, 28-7.
The girls played as a true team and moved the ball around looking for the best opportunity to score and working together on defense. Wilton started strong in the first quarter, scoring 10 points and never relinquished the lead. Wilton’s stifling defense set the tone for the game, especially the efforts of Riley Fitzgerald, Kaitlyn Sullivan and Molly Hancock.
Lauren Moe led the team with five rebounds while Anisa Burrows led the team in scoring with 12 points, three steals, and one rebound. Ashleigh Masterson led the team in both steals (five) and blocks (three). She also scored 6 points and pushed the pace of the team up and down the court.
Marin Burke, Siena McDermott, Caroline Hage and Maddie Dineen all scored a basket for the team to grow the lead. Wilton claimed the victory and remains undefeated.
Pictured here: (standing) Coach Cricket Luke, Lauren Moe, Maddie Dineen, Kaitlyn Sullivan, Ashleigh Masterson, Anisa Burrows, Caroline Hage; (kneeling) Marin Burke, Riley Fitzgerald, Siena McDermott, Molly Hancock.
Wilton 7th Grade Girls Split Weekend 1-1
The Wilton 7th Grade Girls team, sponsored by Pinnochio Pizza, split their two games over the weekend, losing to Fairfield Mercury while defeating St. Mary’s of Ridgefield.
Saturday’s contest was a rematch of the lady Warriors’ first game of the season in which Fairfield defeated them soundly. Showing grit and noticeable improvement just a couple weeks into the season, Wilton would not go quite so easily this time. Ellie Copley and Gracie Kaplan started the game with some great rebounding and nice second chance shots that helped push Wilton out to an 8-2 lead after the first quarter. Fairfield seemed to settle down in the second quarter and pulled ahead quickly and Wilton was in danger of getting dusted again if not for solid guard play from Leah Martins, Amelia Hughes and Ellie Coffey, all of whom scored in the quarter. Wilton’s front line took its turn in keeping the game close in the third quarter with Erynn Floyd and Bela Andjelkovic getting tough rebounds and making solid defensive stops. Katie Umphred scored four points in the quarter, and two more in the fourth, to keep Wilton within 5 points of Fairfield. Grace Williams hustled on both ends of the floor and poured in four points in the fourth quarter, but ultimately Fairfield prevailed again 26-30.
On Sunday, Dec. 11, Wilton played their first league game against St. Mary’s from Ridgefield. The girls started very strong and took a commanding 10-2 lead in the first quarter, with early baskets from Williams (12 points) and Umphred (8 points). Both girls were assisted by Kaplan (2 points) and Catherine Dineen (3 points). Wilton’s Martins (7 points) and Copley (16 points) added to the score in the second quarter, making it 24-6 by half time. With some great rebounds from Andjelkovic (4 points) and quick defense from Hughes (2 points), the score was extended to 25-8. In the final quarter, Floyd (1 point) was aggressive, getting to every jump ball, and all the Wilton players contributed to the final score 31-9. Great start to the season girls!
Wilton 7th/8th Grade Boys Go 1-1 Over Weekend Play
The Wilton 7th/8th Grade Boys Basketball team, sponsored by Abercrombie, Burns, McKiernan & Company Insurance, Inc., ended up going 1-1 this weekend. On Saturday, Dec. 10, the Warriors played Darien and lost. They put up a good fight till the very last minute of the game, but things didn’t go the Warriors’ way.
On Sunday, Dec. 11, Wilton played against their rival, New Canaan Red, at Middlebrook. The Warriors ended up victorious over the Rams 48-35. This win wouldn’t have been possible without Jimmy McKiernan’s spot on passing (3 points, four assists). Jermaine Vincent led the team in both steals and points (11 points, five steals). The Warriors started strong and were up 10-6 in the first quarter. John McMahon played well with solid rebounding (6 points, two assists, and five rebounds). During the second quarter, Davis Cote (6 points, two blocks) had two monster blocks that led to easy layups. Sam Strazza made two consecutive buckets to extend the Warriors’ lead. In the final seconds of the second half, Jack Lynch made a last-second layup to expand the Warriors’ lead to nine, and the boys ended the half with 19-10.
The Warriors really started to play after the half. Ben Wiener ran the court well and led the team. EJ Fasano hustled to intercept the ball and made a pinpoint pass to Vincent. After that bucket, the Warriors gained momentum and entered the fourth quarter with an 11-point lead. AJ Preisano successfully stole the ball from New Canaan and passed it to Howie Long (6 points, four rebounds), who cleaned up after missed shots and put the ball back up. John Stanley and Dylan Smith caused havoc on the New Canaan offense with lock-down defense. The team showed Warrior Pride of not giving up. All 12 players made huge contributions.
Wilton 8th Grade Boys Stay Undefeated With Two Weekend Wins
The Wilton 8th Grade Boys team, sponsored by Tavern on 7, won a pair of FCBL league games this weekend. On Saturday Wilton defeated Stamford Boys & Girls Club, 40-30. Wilton dominated the fourth quarter, scoring the game’s final 12 points to secure the victory. Matt Gulbin led the scoring with 15 points, including seven from the free throw line. Owen Lillis scored 10 points, highlighted by two 3-pointers and a driving lay-up late in the game. Michael Coffey was efficient from the free throw line, making 5-of-6, and finishing with 7 points. Alex Cocoros contributed 6 points on two buckets from downtown. Matt Murphy had eight rebounds, which came at a premium against a big and strong Stamford squad.
On Sunday, Wilton exploded out of the gate in defeating Fairfield PAL 55-39. Mack Kepner (11 points), Josh White (11 points) and Trevor Martines (10 points) sparked the offense by driving the ball to the basket. Murphy also got into the driving action with a strong move down the lane for 2 of his 9 points. Lillis again hit a couple of 3-pointers in scoring 8 points. Sean Sullivan and Chase Autore both played selfless games, leading the team in assists. Wilton is now 2-0 in league games and 5-0 overall.
Wilton 5th/6th Grade Girls Lose Three Heartbreakers
The Wilton 5/6 Girls were iron ladies this weekend, playing games Friday night, Saturday and Sunday.
On Friday, the locals lost a 27-28 overtime heartbreaker to New Milford. Aly Rappaport led the scoring with 13 points, including a miraculous half-court, 3-pointer to end the game. Maddie Phelan provided fantastic defense and Avery Schestag dominated the boards. The Warriors lost Avery Samai to injury early in the game and hope for a speedy recovery.
Saturday brought another road tilt against Weston. The girls played hard but lost. Georgia Russnock, Madison Ratcliffe and Annie Savarese provided some scoring punch, while Anna Joy provided great spark by adding points, steals and assists to the Wilton column.
Sunday brought a home battle against Norwalk. Mary Kate Doyle did a great job distributing the ball while Harper Judelson was a force on the offensive glass. Hannah Fitzgerald and Ella Mulfinger provided some key scoring to keep the locals in the game until the end.
Wilton 8th Grade Girls Defeat Weston and Fairfield
The Wilton 8th grade girls team won two games over the weekend, defeating Weston 44-14 on Saturday and following that up on Sunday with a hard-fought 40-33 win over Fairfield.
Saturday’s balanced scoring was led by Christina O’Sullivan with 8 points and 6 points each by Fiona O’Brien, Riley Eaton, Mary Grace DelliSanti and Lily Umphred. Weston had trouble with Wilton’s defense led by Callie Judelson on the inside and Alexis Castaldi on the perimeter.
Sunday’s win was largely attributable to the play of Umphred, who scored on an array of inside moves in scoring 13 points. Timely rebounds by Judelson, Eaton and Grace Cahill, and passes by O’Brien and DelliSanti led to key baskets by Caitlin Greeff (10 points), O’Sullivan (9 points) and Meghan Koziolowsky (6 points) as Wilton pulled away in the second half.
6th Grade Boys Beat Orange in League Play 43-26 After Tough Loss to New Canaan
The 6th Grade Boys Wilton Warriors, sponsored by Wilton Deli, played their first league game Sunday, Dec. 11 against the Wolverines from Orange, CT. From the opening tip, Wilton played an aggressive zone defense and jumped out to an early 10-4 lead. Tommy Walsh and Will Sullivan had key steals leading to fast break scores by Ryan Preisano and Tommy McKiernan. A well-balanced offense had the Warriors leading 19-8 at the end of the first quarter. Interior defense led by Nicholas Walden, Jackson Duncan, Griffin Turner and Alexander Reyes kept the ball out of the paint and stymied the opponent’s big men. Timely 3-pointers in the third quarter by Peter Grandolfo and James Minnich kept the competitors guessing about who to guard. The final score of 43-26 was great sign of well coached team–balanced defense/offense.
The Warriors previously had traveled to New Canaan, to play a non-league game on Friday, Dec. 9. They got off to an aggressive start with good scoring opportunities, but trailed most of the first half. Defensive intensity increased in the second half, bringing the Warriors within six points. Unfortunately, Wilton ran out of time to complete the comeback, ultimately losing 49-63. Leading scorers for the Warriors were Duncan and Reyes, with 16 and 14 points respectively.
7th Grade Boys Split Games 1-1
The Wilton 7th grade boys team, sponsored by Servco Oil went 1-1 over the weekend. Saturday’s game against a perennially tough United Youth Norwalk saw the Warriors down 7 points in the second quarter. A 14-point run led by Craig Hyzy (18 points) and Max Andrews (14 points), with assists from Dillon Mannix, got the Warriors up 25-18 at the half. Connor Cummings (6 points) provided the rebounding and Zarius Eusebe’s (4 points) ball carrying sealed the deal for Wilton’s win, 50-38.
Sunday was a tougher match for the boys against Wakeman-Fairfield. Parker Woodring (15 points) lead the Warrior offense and kept them in the game despite being down 13-23 at the half. Sean Wiseman provided aggressive defense and smart offensive movement. A late scoring drive in the fourth quarter lead by top shooters Matthew Giller and Kevin Hyzy was not enough to cut the lead and the Warriors dropped their first game of the season 34-52.
FOOTBALL
Wilton Sixth Graders Selected for CT All-Star Football Team
Over the weekend of Dec. 2-4, four Wilton Youth Football players represented Connecticut in the FBU National Championship in Rhode Island. Andrew Acosta-Rua, Jackson Duncan, Xander Petrides and Quinn Stengrim earned their spots on CT’s 6th Grade team after a series of tryouts including 6th grade players from around the state. With two weeks notice, the team practiced almost daily in preparation for the big contest.
The boys traveled to RI for the Newport Super Regional representing teams from the Northeast bracket. On Friday, Dec. 2, Team CT shut out New York City 30-0 in Round 1 to advance. On a cold and windy Saturday morning, Dec. 3, Connecticut fell to Rhode Island in a hard-fought battle ending 14-8, thus concluding their march toward the championship.
The tournament proved to be a valuable experience for the Warriors. The venue allowed them to bond with other top athletes, benefit from a new team of coaches, and play different positions from their regular season spots. The Wilton players made a strong contribution to Team CT.
The FBU National Championship unites athletes from across the United States in the biggest event in youth football. In total, 192 teams of 6,720 players compete in a single-elimination tournament, with 6th, 7th and 8th graders divided into a 64-team bracket. Massachusetts advanced for the Northeast and will compete in Naples, FL later this month.