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. Results write-ups will be grouped by sport and published in the order they are received.
Now, our Youth Sports Roundup is even BIGGER! (Well, that’s because we skipped last week’s roundup, and had some late story submissions, so you’ll find results from the last few weekends here.)
Jan. 19-21
Wilton Gymnastics
Wilton YMCA Gymnastics Add Successful Meet at Flippers Invitational
The Wilton YMCA Gymnastics Team travelled to Glastonbury on Jan. 19-21 for the Flippers Invitational Gymnastics Meet, adding yet another successful meet to the season. Over the three-day period, Wilton YMCA gymnasts graced the events and lined the podium in flashes of red.
Overall, Level 8 took first place to win their division, Level 6 took second All-Around, and Level 4 took fifth.
Level 3
For Ages 9 Senior, Grace Jeanes brought home the All-Around trophy for second place, placing first on beam (9.0), second on floor (9.0), and third on vault (9.050) and bars (8.7). Mia Decore was fifth AA, placing fourth on vault (9.0) and floor.
For Ages 10 Junior, Lilli Todd was the vault champion with a 9.10. Alyssa Duarte was fourth on vault (8.950).
For Ages 11 Junior, Winnie Quigg placed fifth on vault (8.950).
For Ages 11 Senior, Abby Jones placed third on floor (8.7) and fifth on beam (9.0).
Level 4
For Ages 11, Kaelyn Talisse’s steady beam routine earned a 9.150 for third, fifth on vault, and sixth AA. Teagan Stengrim was fourth on vault (9.050) and floor.
For Ages 12, Ella Arghirescu took home the silver AA trophy, placing third across the board on all 4 events with 9.0 on vault, beam and floor, and 8.8 on bars. Jeni VonBartheld was second on vault (9.050) and bars (9.0), and third on floor (9.0), and sixth AA. Elizabeth Fahey was the vault champion with a 9.30, and placed fourth on beam. Even injured, Sofia Vitti’s fighting spirit was awarded with fourth on bars.
For Ages 13-plus, Simona Gheorghe was fifth on beam and fourth on bars. Nina Ferruci placed second on beam.
Level 5
For Ages 13-plus, Isabella Giordano stood on the podium with third place for floor and fifth for vault.
Level 6
For Ages 11-12, Ashley Umhoefer scored a 9.3 for her beautiful bars routine for second place, as well as 9.250 (fifth) on floor and 9.2 on vault. Sofia Blessing placed fourth on bars with 9.2.
For Ages 13, Alyson Scheurkogel took home the second AA trophy, narrowly missing the title by 0.1 points. Kaylie Berghaus soared on bars to earn the title of bars champion with a 9.1, scored 9.0 on vault, and placed fifth AA. Donna Stepnowsky scored 9.2 on vault. Chloe Jureller placed fourth on beam (9.1), fifth on floor, and scored 9.250 on vault.
For Ages 14-plus, Ava Walker was crowned undisputed beam champion with an incredible 9.5, and scored 9.050 on vault. Michaela Kane placed third on floor (9.150) and fourth on vault (9.2), and was recognized for her display of courage, bravery, and a fighting spirit during the competition with the Fran Wishart Award, in memory of former Connecticut gymnastics judge, Fran Wishart.
Level 7
For Age Senior, Isabella Jureller took fourth on vault (9.2) and beam, and finished fifth AA.
Level 8
For Age Junior, Olivia Mannino took home the silver AA trophy, earning second on bars (9.1) and beam (9.1), and fourth on floor. Emma Daugherty placed fourth on floor (9.050) and fifth on vault and bars. Mia Karlehag placed fifth on floor (9.0) and fourth on vault.
For Age Senior, Alyssa Jarrett placed first on beam with 9.1, fourth on bars and fifth on vault. Kate Ginsburg was floor champion with 9.1, third on beam and fourth on vault.
Jan. 26-28
Wilton Youth Basketball
Fourth Grade Boys Travel Loses Nail-biter to Norwalk, 24-26
The 4th grade Wilton boys played Norwalk in a very close hard fought game that came down to the wire on Saturday, Jan. 27. Craig O’Neill put Wilton on the board first with a nice steal and breakaway shot early in the game. Theo Satrazemis, Grant Stein, Jake Padilla and Nolan Milhoua proved strong defensively throughout the game. Will Byrnes with a quick break away and pass to Charlie Roy took the Warriors up by two at the end of the first quarter. Then it was Roy’s turn with the nice break away and pass to Byrnes tying the game up at the half. Curtis Jackson led the team in rebounds and Kieran Wiseman had strong consistent assists. Blake Ongley had a nice drive to the basket to tie the game up with just four minutes left in the game. This nail-biter ended with Norwalk ahead 24-26. Not to fear, these boys dominated in their second game of the weekend, 47-8 against Weston.
Wilton 7th Grade Boys Top Fairfield PAL Hawks, 58-40
The weekend’s soggy weather didn’t dampen the explosive energy of the 7th grade boys, sponsored by Wilton Hardware, as they decisively beat the Fairfield Pal Hawks. The Warriors’ early offensive burst quickly put them out in front with 12 unanswered points. Sunday’s game saw every Warrior score with notable performances by Bailey Finn (12 points), who aggressively boxed out the Hawks, and Jackson Duncan (10 points), who owned the baseline. Master rebounder Alexander Reyes (6 points, 5 rebounds) led the defensive efforts while Nick Walden (6 points) opened the second half with a coast-to-coast basket. Quick steals and sharp passes by Andrew Roth (2 points, 6 assists) led to two exciting breakaways topped off by Tommy McKiernan’s (4 points) precision lay ups. Griffin Turner’s (6 points) and Spencer Liston’s (2 points) determined play combined with sweet three-pointers from Tommy Walsh (7 points) and Ryan Preisano (3 points) kept Fairfield at bay despite a fourth quarter surge. In the end, Wilton was too much for Fairfield and the Warriors led by 18 at the final buzzer.
6th Grade Girls Up Record with 3 Wins, 1 Loss
The Wilton 6th grade girls team, sponsored by Servco Oil, improved their season record to 9-3 following a successful weekend that saw them defeat rivals Ridgefield (31-30), Darien (34-11) and New Rochelle (forfeit), before losing a nail biter to East Hartford (39-41). In the Friday, Jan. 26 opener against A division rival Ridgefield, Wilton trailed for much of the game before a perfect pass from Maddie Dineen (2 points) to Ashleigh Masterson (12 points) with three seconds remaining led to Masterson’s buzzer beater. Up to that point, Caroline Hage (6 points) and Anisa Burrows (6 points) had provided much of the offense, while Riley Fitzgerald, Julie Collias (1 point), Ella Mulfinger, Marin Burke, Lauren Moe (2 points) and Maddie Hancock (2 points) provided tremendous hustle and shut down defense. The win puts Wilton into second place behind East Hartford in the A division.
After handing B division Darien their first loss of the season by 23 points, and the forfeit victory over the short staffed New Rochelle, Wilton fell just short against East Hartford, who had handed the Warriors a 24-point defeat in their first game of the season. Dineen hit some key jump shots to lead the team with 12 points, while Masterson (9 points), Burrows (7 points), Fitzgerald (4 points), Hage (4 points), Hancock (2 points) and Mulfinger (1 point) also chipped in offensively. Moe, Collias and Burke added great energy and effort. The Warriors are hopeful for another crack at East Hartford in the playoffs as their improvement was clearly visible despite the defeat.
Wilton 5th/6th Grade Boys Split Games with Win Over Westport and Loss to Norwalk
The Wilton 5th/6th grade boys basketball team, sponsored by Servco Oil, split their games this weekend with an important league game win against Westport (31-12) and a non-league loss against Norwalk (42-57).
On Saturday Jan. 27, Wilton’s suffocating defense led by Henry Soojian (3 steals), Cole Galante (2 steals), Will Fischer (2 steals), and Patrick Heffernan (4 steals) enabled the team to quickly jump out to a 13-2 lead and they never looked back. Wilton had its most balanced scoring attack of the season with points from Brody Hess (6 pts), Jack Williams (6 pts), Luke DiRocco (4 pts), Justin Kammerman (4 pts), Galante (4 pts), Soojian (4 pts), Declan Brokaw (2 pts), and Fischer (1 pt). Williams was a dominating force in the paint with 10 rebounds and 2 blocked shots while aggressive play from DiRocco (6 rebounds), Brokaw (5 rebounds), Soojian (5 rebounds), Stefano Cross (4 rebounds), Mason Andrews (2 rebounds), Hess (2 rebounds) and Kammerman (1 rebound) helped Wilton own the boards and secure the victory.
On Sunday, Jan. 28, Wilton took on a very tough Norwalk team with an 11-2 record. Heffernan led the scoring for Wilton with 17 points including an “and-one” on a nifty pass from Williams. Heffernan also had 3 assists on hard driving layups by Kammerman (6 pts), DiRocco (4 pts) and Hess (3 pts). Wilton’s tough defense kept the game close in the first half thanks to a blocked shot by Williams and key steals by Fischer, Cross, Galante, Kammerman, Hess, and Heffernan. The highlight of the game was a 30-ft., 3-pt buzzer beater by Andrews to end the first half with Wilton down by only 2 points at 22-24. In the second half, Wilton got important points from Brokaw (3 pts), Soojian (3 pts), Galante (2 pts) and Cross (1 pt.). Also very aggressive on the boards all game were Cross (6 rebounds), Andrews (4 rebounds) and DiRocco (3 rebounds). But in the end, a 32-point scoring performance by Norwalk’s best player proved to be too much to overcome.
8th Grade Boys Demolish Danbury, 83-53, and Top West Haven, 47-41
The Wilton 8th grade boys team, sponsored by Pinocchio Pizza, came out flying against the Danbury squad in the first game of the league play double-header. Leading the team in points were Connor Cummings (16 points), Max Andrews (13 points) and Craig Hyzy (11 points). Max Silva shot lights out behind the arc, draining three 3-pointers. Grant Masterson showed his quick, defensive hustle with 6 rebounds and 2 steals as well as his offensive agility (6 points). Kevin Hyzy showed his impressive athleticism as always (3 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal). Will Murphy added numerous rebounds and assists in a solid effort. Parker Woodring’s (4 points) quick hands and great passes helped the Wilton team hold onto a 40-22 edge at the half. Jack Lynch displayed his ability to get under the hoop and grabbed 7 rebounds on defense and added 6 points on offense. Zarius Eusebe’s follow through (8 points) gave the Warriors the edge. Wilton finished strong and pulled away with the final 83-53… yes, 83! But even more impressive was that the team was up by 25 points with a minute to go and they were still diving for balls.
Game 2 brought a very different game, but the same outcome…a win against West Haven. The boys had success with their play calling and had possession of the ball for most of the first half. Woodring shined in his overall play (12 points and 7 assists). Cummings had a solid game (6 points, 7 rebounds, 1 block) and sunk 6 free throws with precision. A key steal from Murphy brought the bench to their feet. C. Hyzy always comes out with a 3-pointer at critical times in games for the Warriors (7 points). K. Hyzy was getting jostled by the West Haven defenders, but he showed them who’s boss (5 points and a steal). Lynch, who’s always hustling, got in his opponents’ faces with 5 rebounds and 2 points. In the third quarter, West Haven came storming back to get the score within 11 points. Masterson’s (2 points) aggressive play on the boards kept West Haven on their heels. Quick defense and superior offense from both Eusebe and Silva (3 points) stood out and deserves applause. The victory was sealed with strategic ball handling, passing, and Andrews’ (5 points, 2 blocks, and 1 steal) clutch free throw to end the game. The final score was 47-41.
5th Grade Boys Fight Hard, but Fall to Westport, 30-37
The 5th Grade Boys team played an impressive game on Sunday, Jan. 28, taking the first place Westport team right down to the wire losing a tightly contested game 30-37.
The weather was not the only thing heating up as the boys raced out to an early lead. They were able to consistently break Westport’s vaunted press with point guards Liam McKiernan (2 points, 4 assists,4 rebounds) and Grady Kaliski (2 assists, 3 rebounds) making several beautiful passes that led to Wilton layups. With Jack Schwartz (8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals), Luke Ginsberg (4 points, 4 rebounds) and Luke Perna (4 points, 5 rebounds) leading the offensive attack with several drives to the basket, the boys took a 20-15 halftime lead. Displaying a team depth few teams can match, all 10 players had at least one rebound at the half and their attacking zone defenses led to several Westport turnovers.
The third quarter continued the display of unselfish, team-oriented basketball as the team made quick, crisp passes and used aggressive defense to maintain the lead. Guards Ryan Luchetta (2 points, 4 rebounds) and Matt Garcia (2 points, 2 rebounds) helped control the back court, applying constant pressure on the ball while the three-headed monster of Liam Murphy (2 points, 6 rebounds, 4 blocks), Cael Dexter (2 points, 3 rebounds, 1 block) and Cole Siegel (2 points, 2 rebounds, 1 block) controlled the paint blocking and altering several shots allowing the team to take a 26-20 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The last quarter slipped away from them, however, as Westport went on a 14-0 run to take the lead and ultimately win the game. While not the outcome they wanted, this game will help serve the team well for the future, and with the benefit of being well-coached and a desire to keep improving, the boys sent notice to the rest of the league that they will be a dangerous team to face come playoff time.
6th Grade Boys Add Two Games to Winning Streak, Topping Darien YMCA (54-45) and Mount Vernon (42-33)
The 6th Grade Boys team, sponsored by Servco Oil and Propane, had a successful weekend on the hardwood winning a pair of games against Darien YMCA and Mount Vernon, and now are riding a three-game winning streak. In Saturday’s game at Darien, the boys emerged victorious, 54-45, as Kyle Roesser (7 points, 10 rebounds), Anderson Campbell (10 points, 7 rebounds) and Max Jarvie (11 points, 7 rebounds) proved much too powerful for Darien down in the post. Aiding the attack, a slashing Henry Roy (11 points, 2 assists and 3 rebounds) ran the court aggressively, scoring not only in transition but also in the set offense showcasing his smooth jump shot.
The start of the game did not look promising as Darien scored the first seven points of the game. However, half-way through the first quarter, Wilton’s offense came back to life and went on a 19-4 run to take a 21-15 half-time lead. On the defensive end, the full court press led to several turnovers that ignited the fast break. Jack Minnich played ferocious defense diving for loose balls and causing several turnovers. Guards Wyatt Jones, Levi Kaplan and Peter Reyes ran the offense, feeding the ball into the bigs down low for easy buckets. Forwards Luke Umphred and Todd Woodring (7 points, 2 rebounds) played tough defense and ran the fast break as well as they have all season. The game was close throughout but Wilton pulled out ahead in the final minutes. Woodring and Roy each nailed a pair of clutch free throws with less than one minute to go in the game to seal the victory.
In Sunday’s game, Wilton came out on top against a speedy Mount Vernon team at Middlebrook in front of a spirited home crowd. Guards Reyes (5 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals) and Minnich (4 points, 2 rebounds and 1 steal) had break-out games, playing tough defense, running the court and nailing timely, mid-range jump shots. Kaplan had one of his best games of the year draining two 3-pointers, dishing out two assists and blocking one shot. Fellow point guard Jones ran the set offense along with Minnich and Reyes. Jarvie crashed the glass on both sides of the court grabbing five rebounds while stealing the ball four times. Woodring (10 points, 5 rebounds) and Campbell (6 points, 5 rebounds) drove to the basket and executed the pick-and-roll to perfection. Roesser (2 points), Roy (6 points) and Umphred (2 points) rounded out the scoring, making the final score 42-33.
8th Grade Girls Split Games, Defeating Westport (43-31) but Losing to New Fairfield (25-32)
The Wilton 8th grade girls team, sponsored by Pinocchio Pizza, split their games this weekend. They defeated Westport by a score of 43-31 on Sunday afternoon, Jan. 28, in FCBL league competition, easing the sting of the loss on Saturday, Jan. 27, to New Fairfield, 25-32.
Sunday’s game against Westport was a close contest only in the first half. Wilton used its quickness to take the lead for good early in the second half and never looked back. Wilton’s defense dominated the night with Leah Martins coming up with numerous steals. Bella Andjelkovic, Erin Floyd and Ellie Coffey collected rebound after rebound and kept Westport with a very low scoring percentage. Wilton handled Westport’s full court press well with Olivia Rossi and Grace Williams keeping control of the ball and transitioning into offense with efficient passing. Wilton scored at will in the second half with Catherine Dineen, Katie Umphred, Ellie Copley and Morgan Lebek converting on some terrific fast breaks.
7th/8th Grade Boys Fall to Two Different Greenwich Teams
The Wilton 7/8th grade boys basketball team, sponsored by Caraluzzi’s Market, hosted Greenwich Flame White on Saturday evening, Jan. 27, in a league game matchup. Greenwich entered the game as the first place team in the division. Wilton played a strong game defensively and rebounded extremely well with Connor Robertson and AJ Preisano leading the way on the boards. However, Wilton’s shots were not falling and Greenwich surged to 28-13 lead at the half. Wilton mounted a second-half comeback and pulled within five points in the third quarter before Greenwich pulled away in a 43-54 victory. Wilton’s scoring was led by Robertson (20 points), Sean Wiseman (5 points), Tim Martin (5 points), Dylan Smith (4 points), AJ Preisano (4 points), James Minnich (3 points) and Dillon Mannix (2 points).
On Sunday, Jan. 28, Wilton played non-league opponent Greenwich Stars White. The game was highlighted by significant contributions from Wilton’s 7th graders. Will Sullivan (5 points) put the Wilton squad out to an early lead but Greenwich was hot from the 3-point range and quickly regained the lead. Some key baskets from Harrison Lent (4 points), Connor Lillis (3 points), Minnich (3 points) and Martin (2 points), and strong defensive play from Colin Tsai, Smith and Wiseman kept the game within reach. However Greenwich continued its consistent offensive play in the second half and pulled away with 32-58 victory. Robertson (8 points), Mannix (5 points), Preisano (3 points) and Lillis (3 points) rounded out the scoring for Wilton.
7th Grade Girls Win One (Fairfield Mystics, 45-23) and Lose One (Norwalk, 27-34)
The 7th grade Wilton Girls basketball team, sponsored by Wilton Hardware, had a mixed weekend, beating Fairfield Mystics (45-23) on Saturday, Jan. 27, and losing to Norwalk (27-34 in OT) on Sunday, Jan. 28.
On Saturday against Fairfield, Wilton gained control of the game early, dominating throughout and earning one of their most convincing wins of the season so far. Kelly Holmgren led the offense with 18 points and 3 assists, with Kendall Scholz scoring 9 points and leading the rebounds with nine. Lucy Corry and Hannah Fitzgerald’s sharpshooting added another 4 points apiece, along with numerous steals, while Charlotte Casiraghi stood strong in defense with multiple steals and rebounds.
On Sunday against Norwalk, the team suffered a disappointing overtime loss, after leading for most of the game. The game was a physical battle from the outset. Ava Fasano led the scoring with 5 points along with 4 steals/5 rebounds and Heather Plowright fought for her 4 points and added 5 steals and 3 rebounds. Molly McLaughlin added another 4 points with her tricky dribbling, as did Mary Scally, adding 4 points and a number of steals. Anna Joy showed her strength adding foul shot points, multiple steals and numerous assists. After Norwalk tied the game 25-25 as the game buzzer sounded, Wilton unfortunately couldn’t pull off the win in OT, falling 27-34.
Feb. 3-4
Three Wilton Gymnasts Soar as Champions at Level 4 CT State Gymnastics (USA Gymnastics)
Congratulations to three young Wilton gymnasts who competed over the weekend in the Level 4 Connecticut State Gymnastics Championships, part of USA Gymnastics. Not only did they compete as members of the Arena Gymnastics team that took first place as Level 4 State Champions, but they each did incredibly well individually–including one who won the individual championship spot.
Camryn “Cammy” Pennucci won the age 10 Level 4 All Around State Champion title, coming in first in uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise, as well as third in the vault.
Allison Rayment, who competed in the age 10 (older) Level 4 group, placed third on both vault and floor exercise, and fifth in the all around.
Olivia Feldman also competed in the age 10 (older) Level 4 group; she placed first on beam, second on bars, fourth on floor and third all around.
Boys 7th/8th Grade Splits the Weekend, Going 70-56 Over Brookfield Before Losing to Darien, 38-54
After a slow start and a 27-point deficit in the second quarter, the 7th/8th Wilton Boys Team, sponsored by Caraluzzi’s, pulled off an exciting 70-65 win over Brookfield in overtime. Dillon Mannix and Connor Robertson set the pace for the team early in the game with multiple assists from Mannix to Robertson inside the paint. Brookfield answered with strong outside shooting that left Wilton down 24-39 at the half. Wilton pulled ahead in the third quarter with shots from Robertson, Sean Wiseman, James Minnich, Dylan Smith and Conor Lillis. AJ Preisano sunk an outside shot to tie the game. With strong defense from Tim Martin, Will Sullivan, Harrison Lent and Collin Tsai, multiple shots by Lillis helped to secure the win. Robertson finished the game with 22 points, Lillis with 15, Mannix with 8, Preisano and Wiseman with 5 each, Martin, Smith and Sullivan with 4, and Minnich with 3.
In it’s second match-up of the weekend, this time against Darien, Wilton struggled against the height and accurate shooting of the Blue Wave team. Mannix and Wiseman demonstrated their adept ball handling while Preisano, Robertson, Martin and Smith persisted in their efforts to rebound the ball. The team made numerous attempts to work the perimeter with strong passes from Lillis, Jeff Mitchell, Collin Tsai and Will Sullivan, but Darien persisted and won the game with a final score of 38-54. Robertson had 13 points, Preisano had 10, Smith had 5, Lillis and Mannix had 3 each, and Minnich and Lent both had 2 points.
6th Grade Girls Conquer Southbury, 46-24, Before Falling to Darien, 6-26
The Wilton 6th grade girls, sponsored by Servco Oil, split their games this weekend. On Saturday, Feb. 3, against Southbury, a very balanced attack was led by Ashleigh Masterson (12), Anisa Burrows (8) and Lauren Moe (6). Molly Hancock had a team high seven steals. Ella Mulfinger and Riley Fitzgerald controlled the boards with seven- and six rebounds, respectively. Maddie Dineen ran a solid floor game and tallied three assists. Marin Burke, Julie Colias and Caroline Hage played intense defense and helped create scoring opportunities to secure the 46-24 victory.
On Sunday, Feb. 4, the 6th grade Warriors came out a little flat and were overmatched by a bigger 7th grade Darien team and fell 6-26.
Wilton White 8th Grade Boys Notch 1-2 Active Weekend
The Wilton White 8 Boys basketball team, sponsored by Pinocchio Pizza, went 1-2 on the weekend with a sloppy 39-51 loss to Westport PAL, an overpowering 40-29 victory over Redding-Easton, and a hard-fought loss to Danbury PAL, 62-54.
The Friday night, Feb. 2 loss to Westport was a disappointment, coming less than two weeks after an 11-point victory by the Warriors. Wilton didn’t need overtime this time around for another victory against Redding-Easton, as Max Andrews used his tenacious, pressing defense to turn multiple steals into a team-leading 14 points. Kevin Hyzy pressured the Redding-Easton defense by driving the lane, distributing the ball, and scoring 7 points, while Grant Masterson’s effort led to multiple offensive rebounds and 5 points. The defense was the deciding factor though as Max Silva, Jack Lynch (2 points), Zarius Eusebe (2 points), Will Murphy, Connor Cummings (4 points), Parker Woodring (2 points) and Craig Hyzy (4 points) gave up a season-low 29 points.
In the final game of the weekend, Wilton welcomed the sharp-shooting 17-3 Danbury PAL squad. Despite falling behind more than 20 points in the second half, Wilton battled almost all the way back behind the Hyzy twins, who had an identical 11 points apiece to lead the comeback. Andrews battled to 7 points and 7 rebounds, while Murphy hit two 3-pointers for a total of 8 points. Eusebe (5 points, 3 rebounds) and Woodring’s (4 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists) effort was palpable as they dove all over the court. Lynch (4 points, 5 rebounds) and Masterson (4 rebounds, 3 steals) battled the bigger Danbury big men, while Silva hit a timely 3-pointer to go with his two rebounds. The Warriors move to 10-7 on the season.
6th Grade Boys Lose Hard-Fought Match Against Westport PAL, 44-52
The Wilton 6th Grade Boys Basketball team, sponsored by Servco Oil and Propane, lost a hard fought game on Saturday, Feb. 3, against Westport PAL, with a final score of 44-52. Wilton’s strong offensive dominated the first half, with long 3’s from both Henry Roy (14 points, 7 steals, 2 blocked shots) and Levi Kaplan, who had 3 points, 3 steals and a huge blocked shot that ignited the crowd. The first half featured lots of aggressive defensive from Anderson Campbell (3 points, 12 rebounds, 2 blocked shots), Max Jarvie (3 points, 7 rebounds) and Peter Reyes (4 points,3 rebounds, 2 steals). Luke Umphred added 2 points and 5 rebounds. Wilton led 28-20 after the first half, with all nine players scoring.
Wilton continued to play strong in the third quarter, with 5 points by Todd Woodring, who finished with 7 points, 3 steals and 5 rebounds. Despite tough defense from Kyle Roesser (4 points, 6 rebounds, 6 blocked shots) and Jack Minnich (5 points, 3 steals, 4 rebounds), Westport’s non-stop press and strong shooting proved too much for Wilton, and Westport outscored Wilton 21-7 in the fourth quarter to take the victory. Wilton looks to avenge their loss when the two teams meet again next Sunday at Wilton.
Wilton 5th Grade Boys Trample Over New Canaan, 45-33
The Wilton 5th Grade boys travel basketball team finished strong on Saturday afternoon, Feb. 3, to earn a well-fought victory on the road over a well-balanced New Canaan team. This was a critical, divisional win to bring the boys record to 5-4 and get over the .500 hump.
Initially the Wilton boys struggled to get into a groove but some solid shooting by Ryan Luchetta (11 points, 2 assists, 3 rebounds) and Luke Ginsburg (5 points, 2 assists, 3 rebounds and 3 steals) kept Wilton close. Plagued by early turnovers Wilton persevered by winning the battle on the boards with 27 team rebounds. Leading these efforts were Cole Siegel (3 rebounds) and the two Liams–Liam Murphy (5 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocked shots) and Liam McKiernan (11 points, 2 assists, 4 rebounds, 1 steal). New Canaan’s 3-point assault was stymied by excellent defensive work by Cael Dexter (3 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal), Matt Garcia (2 rebounds, 1 steal), Luke Perna (4 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals) and Grady Kaliski (2 rebounds, 1 steal). New Canaan carried a lead most of the game but momentum swung into Wilton’s favor late in the fourth quarter with a strong 3-point play by Jack Schwartz (5 points, 2 rebounds) prior to fouling out. Wilton dominated the last two minutes of the game, finishing it overall by hitting an impressive 13 free throws and overcoming some early jitters with a quality win over New Canaan.