Each week, GOOD Morning Wilton will run news of weekend sports results from Wilton Youth Teams. Please send all stories and updates, along with a photo to editor@goodmorningwilton.com by noon on Monday of each week.
Wilton Hoops–Wilton Basketball Association
Wilton 6th Grade Boys 72, Wilson-Gray-Hartford 42
The Wilton 6th grade boys basketball team, sponsored by Pinocchio Pizza Wilton and coached by Vic Cunningham took on Wilson-Gray-Hartford at Middlebrook on Saturday morning, Dec. 12. This was an exciting game where Wilton came up against one of the more talented teams that they have faced and came out on top.
Wilton built up a substantial lead going up by as much as 14 points in the first quarter based on the strong offense of Zarius Eusebe (11 points, 2 steals, 3 assists), Max Andrews (9 points, 1 steal, 2 assists, 5 rebounds), Parker Woodring (8 points, 2 steals, 2 assists, 3 rebounds) and Matt Giller (10 points, 2 steals).
However in the second quarter Wilson-Gray-Hartford started to come back with some late-arriving players becoming available. W-G-H surged at one point and had come back to within 10 points at the half. But, in the second half Craig Hyzy (9 points, 1 steal, 1 rebound, 1 assist), Kevin Hyzy (9 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal, 4 assists) and Dillon Mannix (6 points, 1 steal, 2 assists) brought even more offense to keep Wilton moving forward. Jack Lynch (4 points, 1 steal, 5 rebounds) and Grant Masterson (4 points, 1 steal, 3 rebounds) played aggressively in the paint and helped to muscle out some rebounds and points. Max Silva (2 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists) also had a good game helping to get the ball down the court against one of the toughest defenses faced by Wilton this year. In a good example of a game where Wilton was truly playing as a “team” and hitting their shots, they pulled away in the fourth quarter and the final score was 72 to 42.
In Wilton’s second game of the weekend, they took on the Danbury Suns in Danbury on Sunday, Dec. 13. This was a tough game with Lynch, Andrews and Masterson each having three rebounds while battling in the paint with the physical Danbury forwards. Eusebe led Wilton’s scoring attack with 9 points, 3 assists and 3 steals. Kevin Hyzy added 6 points with 2 steals, 2 rebounds and 1 steal while brother Craig also had a couple of steals and showed some gritty play. Woodring and Silva also contributed with some good ball handling against a tough defense. Woodring ended up putting in 5 points and 2 rebounds while Andrews had 4 points and a steal. Mannix and Giller rounded out the scoring with 4- and 2 points respectively.
Danbury was up by one point at the half but slowly pulled away in the third quarter as Wilton’s offense sputtered. Wilton cut the lead to seven points with a minute and a half to go but the final score ended up being 38-30 as Wilton’s shots fell short.
Wilton 5/6 Grade Boys
Sponsored by Tavern on 7, the Wilton 5/6 Grade Boys team (a.k.a. “the 56ers”) faced New Canaan Black at Saxe Middle School on Saturday, Dec. 12. The first quarter basket was sunk by Conner Cummings, who followed up with two more, along with Andrew Zizzadoro with a three pointer. The boys fought hard to keep up with with their fast playing and aggressive opponents. Despite another basket by AJ Presiano, and some good defense by Dylan Smith and the squad, they trailed going into the second half.
The second half started with a good possession and score by Shane Taubin. There was some strong board work from Ethan Jackson and Jimmy Luce as the battle raged on. Colin Tsai drew a foul and scored two on the free throws. Guards Coner Lillis, James Minnich, Jefferson Mitchell and Sean Wiseman supplied strong back court pressure and defense but it wasn’t enough to topple their tough opponent on this day. The 56ers showed a lot of grit and energy that points to a bright future for a group of guys with a lot of heart.
The team got their first win of the season, however, on Sunday, Dec. 13, 47-36, against the Bridgeport YMCA. The Warriors led 19-18 at halftime, and pulled away in the second half to win by 11. Bridgeport’s perimeter shooting kept them in the game for the first twenty minutes, but Wilton’s presence in the paint was too much for Bridgeport to overcome.
Led by Cummings (20 points, 18 rebounds, 1 block), Lillis (6 points, 2 assists, 1 steal, 5 rebounds, 1 block), Smith (4 points, 1 steal, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks), and Taubin (4 points, 1 steal), the Warriors showed a great team effort throughout.
Luce, Zizzadoro, Wiseman, and A.J. Preisano led a solid defensive effort, combining for 6 steals and 16 rebounds. There were also strong efforts from Jackson, Tsai, Mitchell, and Minnich in key situations on both offense and defense that helped keep Bridgeport at bay.
Wilton 5/6 Girls Split 1-1
The Wilton 5/6 Girls basketball team, sponsored by the Wilton Deli, won their first game of the season this Saturday, Dec. 12, defeating St. Theresa’s 26-21 in an overtime thriller. The offense came in spurts with the local girls scoring 18 points in the fourth quarter and overtime. Scoring was lead by Grace Williams (12 points), Katie Umphred (8 points) and Jamie Leventhal (6 points), while Meghan Hanny dominated the boards. Maddie Ratcliffe and Sawyer Pendergast put in a strong defensive effort, and the great passing of Charlotte Casigrahi and Allie Geller helped drive the offense.
Wilton faced off against St. Theresa’s again on Sunday, Dec. 13, but couldn’t carry the day as they lost 21-16. Kathleen Lamanna (4 points) helped lead the offense, while stout rebounding from Katherine Cronin set up numerous scoring attempts. Georgia Russnock and Natasha Dinshaw showed great determination diving for loose balls and creating havoc on defense.
Wilton 5th Grade Girls Mark 1 Win, 1 Loss
The Wilton 5th grade girls team, sponsored by Little Pub, split their games over the weekend. On Saturday, Dec. 12, Wilton was too athletic for Southbury to handle in a 28-16 decision. The win for Wilton was dictated at the defensive end of the court with a total of 28 steals during the game and a stifling defense that didn’t allow Southbury a shot until 2:25 left in the first quarter.
Kelly Holmgren (9 points, 3 rebounds) and Lucy Corry (6 points, 4 steals) led the way in scoring, and Molly Snow (4 points, 2 assists, 10 steals) and Anna Joy (2 assists, 6 steals) shut down Southbury’s offense by not allowing their guards into Wilton’s zone. Aly Rappaport (3 points) was all over both ends of the court. When Southbury did get a shot, Mary Scally (4 points, 4 rebounds) and Isabel DiNanno (2 points, 4 rebounds) made sure there wasn’t a second chance, by grabbing 8 rebounds between them. Wilton moved the ball well in the offensive zone to find open looks but this game was won in the defensive zone.
On Sunday, Dec. 13, Wilton ran into a point guard from Norwalk who factored in every bucket they scored with 16 points and 2 assists in a 20-13 win over Wilton. In the loss Ava Fasano (2 points, 4 rebounds) lead the way for Wilton and Heather Plowright and Emerson Pattillo provided the energy in the second and third quarters when Wilton tried to pull close to Norwalk.
Wilton 8th Grade Boys
The Wilton 8th grade boys’ team, sponsored by Pain & Spine Specialists of Connecticut, LLC, dropped three hard-fought contests over the weekend.
Ridgefield 45, Wilton 34
After going down early to a tough Ridgefield squad, Wilton fought hard throughout, led by Tucker Walden‘s 14 points. Adding to the offensive charge were Drew Phillips (7 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals), Noah Levi (4 points, 3 boards), and Andrew Smith (3 points). Kyle Hyzy, John Walsh and Parker Ward contributed with 2 points apiece.
New Canaan Black 46, Wilton 32
Wilton came out strong against rival New Canaan, taking a lead late in the first quarter on a layup by Ward (5 points) and a quick feed from Phillips to Walsh (8 points) underneath, making the score 17-11 Wilton. Smith spearheaded the offense with 7 first quarter points. Levi was a force for Wilton on the boards (5 rebounds, 2 points) and Phillips (8 points) also tallied 4 boards and 3 assists. Wilton fell behind 23-19 at the half, then clawed back from an 11-point deficit to cut the lead to 5 with three minutes in the third quarter, due in large part to tenacious defensive pressure from Reilly Sullivan, who forced multiple NC turnovers.
Danbury PAL 43, Wilton 34
Danbury battled back from a 7-point deficit in the first quarter to tie the score at 23 going into halftime and used a strong fourth quarter run to close out the game. Wilton worked hard on the glass against a big Danbury squad, highlighted by 5 boards apiece from Patrick Cummins (4 points), Hyzy (3 points), and Walsh (6 points), as well as four and three respectively from Phillips and Walden. Levi and Lewis Cropper provided defensive intensity throughout the game, with Levi altering multiple shots down low and Cropper, Smith (4 points, 4 steals), Ward and Walden (4 points) harassing Danbury’s guards. Phillips led Wilton with 8 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists.
Wilton 5th Grade Boys
The Wilton 5th Grade boys’ travel basketball team, sponsored by Abercrombie Burns McKiernan & Company Insurance. Inc., lost to Danbury and New Canaan in two hard fought away games, 35-38 and 29-48, respectively this past weekend.
Tommy McKiernan, Jackson Duncan, Spencer Liston, and Griffin Turner put points on the Danbury board, with 3-pointers from Tommy Walsh and Ryan Preisano. Wilton led by 15 points at the half. Andre Wiest, Will Sullivan, Peter Grandolfo and Alexander Reyes played admirable defense on Danbury’s rally until the final 10 seconds when they were able to pull ahead. The team put up a respectable front against New Canaan the following day, with scoring from Wiest, Liston, Grandolfo, Reyes, McKiernan, Preisano and Duncan, while Turner, Sullivan, and Walsh worked hard on defense.
Wilton 7th Grade Boys
The Wilton 7th grade boys’ team, sponsored by Ackerly and Ward, opened their FCBL league play with a pair of impressive wins.
Playing against Norwalk Youth, Wilton took an immediate 8-0 lead and never looked back in winning 64-42. Wilton was led by Kyle Burns (15 points, three 3-pointers), Matt Murphy (12 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots), Matt Gulbin (11 points, 9 rebounds), Jimmy McKiernan (11 points) and Trevor Martines (9 points, 3 assists). Mack Kepner (2 points) played shut down defense on Norwalk’s top guard and Alex Cocoros (2 points, 4 rebounds) was key to passing the ball to the interior).
Wilton defeated the Greenwich Flame Red on Sunday 68-40. Burns led the scoring with 22 points and Owen Lillis provided a spark with 10 points. Michael Coffey scored 6 points and had 6 rebounds, while Chase Autore (3 points) provided much needed defensive intensity. Wilton is now 2-0 in league play and 9-1 overall.
Wilton 8th Grade Girls
The Wilton 8th grade girls basketball had mixed success over the weekend losing a close contest to Shelton on Saturday, Dec. 12 while defeating Westport 7 in a non-conference game on Sunday, Dec. 13. Paula Perez controlled the ball while Zoe Rappaport and Nancy Lynch successfully worked their patterns. Sophie Sudono‘s speed continued to frustrate opponents while Francesca Goncalves and Zara Wiest provided defense inside and points in the paint. Fiona O’Brien was key in transition and Caitlin Greer and Grace Cahill provided intensity at mid-court resulting in steals. Hopefully Anna Breen and Callie Drake will be back soon for league play.
Wilton 6th Grade Girls
Over the weekend, the 6th grade Wilton girls team sponsored by Servco Oil endured a heartbreaking loss and enjoyed a dominating win.
On Saturday, Dec. 12, Wilton played a tough St. Marks team out of Stratford. Wilton led almost the entire game and had strong scoring from Amelia Hughes (8 points, 1 rebound), Isabella Andjelkovic (5 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal), Ellie Copley (4 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal), Olivia Rossi (4 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists) and Leah Martins (4 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists). Wilton got off to a strong start with great defense by Morgan Lebek (5 rebounds, 5 steals, 1 block), Erynn Floyd (2 points, 1 assist, 1 steal) and Gracie Kaplan (2 rebounds) and led at the half 12-11. Wilton led the entire second half until 40 seconds left in the game when St. Marks scored on a layup to take the lead for good for a final score of 28-27. Catherine Dineen was on the DL with a broken finger and Ellie Coffey was unable to attend.
On Sunday, Dec. 13, Wilton took on a strong Norwalk team and a shootout ensued. Wilton had strong offense from Rossi (10 points, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 rebound), Copley (8 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal), Martins (6 points, 3 assists, 1 steal), Lebek (6 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 assists), Hughes (5 points, 2 assists, 1 steal), and Floyd (4 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist). Wilton had strong defense from Andjelkovic (2 rebounds, 1 steal), Kaplan (2 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block), Coffey (2 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals) and led at the half 20-4. Wilton had to hold off a high scoring Norwalk team in the second half to preserve the win with a final score of 43-33. Dineen was on the DL with a broken finger.