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.
Wilton Youth Basketball
8th Grade Girls
The Wilton 8th grade girls’ basketball team advanced to the Fairfield County Basketball League championship game next weekend by winning both its games this weekend. Wilton waited until the right time of year to begin playing some of its best basketball of the season. Every player contributed to the wins this weekend.
During the first round, Wilton beat Orange by a score of 34-16. Wilton jumped out to a 20-4 lead at halftime and coasted the rest of the game. Wilton was led in scoring by Sophia Sudano with 21 points, and Nancy Lynch contributed a point along with 4 blocked shots and three rebounds; and Zara Wiest contributed four block shots, two assists and three rebounds. Francesca Goncalves dominated the boards with 10 rebounds. Several players contributed steals and assists rounding out a complete performance. Other players that scored included Grace Cahill and Caitlin Greef, with each contributing 4 points. Fiona O’Brien and Paula Perez each contributed 2 points.
On Sunday, Feb. 28, in the second round of the playoffs, Wilton turned in a strong 27-point win outscoring Stamford 60-33. The scoring was spread out as nearly every player scored. Once again, Sudano led with 26 points, followed by Lynch (11), Cahill (8), O’Brien (6), Goncalves (4), Perez (3), and Wiest (2). Greef contributed with solid defense along with an assist and rebound. Wilton will play for the championship next Saturday, March 5, at Ridgefield High School.
6th Grade Boys
The Wilton 6th grade boys’ team, sponsored by Pinocchio’s Pizza, had two playoff games this weekend. Game one vs. Darien was an impressive team effort with a final score of 56-37. Craig Hyzy was the man of the hour, leading the team with 15 points. The first quarter ended with a 3-point buzzer beater by brother and teammate, Kevin Hyzy. The Warriors’ ball movement and tenacious defense, including 15 steals, was led by Parker Woodring. Rebounding was a key element to the win thanks to Jack Lynch and Max Andrews. Zarius Eusebe continued to shine with his spectacular ball handling up and down the court. Max Silva and Matthew Giller made NBA range shots to help pull the game in Wilton’s favor. Dillon Mannix added to the 3-point tally and Grant Masterson left no breathing room for the offense in the win.
In Game two, the Wilton Warriors came up against a new opponent in Orcutt-Bridgeport. This team came out swinging from the start and Wilton had a deficit of 20-29 at the end of the first half. Andrews led the offense with 14 points overall. Giller and Kevin Hyzy contributed with their own pair of 3-pointers which led to a third quarter comeback, tying the game at 38. Woodring led the defense with 3 steals and tallies in all categories. Eusebe helped the points accumulate on the Wilton side. Mannix showed his athleticism with explosive rebounding and a basket as well. Silva added his own touch by making his free throw. Masterson and Lynch sacrificed their bodies on the defensive end including blocks and rebounds. Craig Hyzy was a monster on the boards. Although the game ended with a Wilton loss of 48-55, this is a special group of boys. A lot of credit for their season of success was thanks to Coach Cunningham and Coach Byrnes. Tip your hat to the 6th grade boys for always giving their fans a Warrior effort!
7th Grade Girls
The WBA’s 7th grade girls, sponsored by JoyRide Wilton, went into the weekend’s FCBL tournament with a will to win and ended the weekend victorious in all three games by out scoring their opponents 115-55.
In their first match up on Friday night, Feb. 26, Wilton came out strong against Pomperaug. The night was marked by outstanding performances by all of the girls, including Riley Eaton with 8 rebounds and Mareid Kehoe, Alexis Castaldi and Eleanor Greene, who provided smothering defense to lead the Wilton squad to a 35-9 victory.
In the quarterfinals on Saturday, Feb. 27, the girls faced off against St. Mary’s, who handed the girls a tough loss the prior weekend. After trailing by as many as 11 points in the first half, Wilton rallied to end the half down 24 – 20. The second half, however, was a different story as the Warriors dominated. Led by Lily Umphred, who scored 14 points in the second half to finish with a season high 17 points, Kristina O’Sullivan and Megan Koziolkowski guiding the offense at the point, and Callie Juddleson controlling the glass with a game high 14 rebounds, Wilton cruised to a 50-30 victory in the quarterfinals.
On Sunday afternoon, Feb. 28, the Wilton 7th grade girls squad battled Brookfield in the semi finals. The Warriors controlled the action right from the first tip. Leading the way was Mary Grace Dellisanti with numerous steals on defense and some sweet shooting from the outside. Riley Eaton delivered another strong performance down low with 6 rebounds and 3 steals while Umphred controlled the paint pouring in 14 points. The 30-16 victory secured a spot for Wilton in the Championship game next Sunday, March 6 in Darien.
5th Grade Boys
The Wilton 5th grade boys, sponsored by Abercrombie, Burns, McKiernan & Co. Insurance Inc., took on Bristol in their first playoff game. on Saturday, Feb. 27, to notch a 46-32 win.
Tommy McKiernan (9 pts, 6 steals, 2 assists), Spencer Liston (9 pts, 4 rebs 4 steals), and Ryan Preisano (9 pts, 5 rebs, 2 steals, 2 assists) led the charge on offense for Wilton. McKiernan and Liston forced multiple turnovers on defense, resulting in an early 12-4 lead.
Peter Grandolfo (8 pts, 5 rebs, 2 steals), Alexander Reyes (5 pts, 6 rebs) and Tommy Walsh (2 pts, 4 rebs) continued the solid play through the first quarter. Bristol, however, went on a bit of a run in the second quarter to bring them back into the game. Going into the third quarter up 20-17, Wilton again caught fire sparked by defensive intensity. Will Sullivan, Griffin Turner, Jackson Duncan (4 pts, 6 rebs, 4 steals, 3 assists), and Andre Wiest (6 rebounds) got huge steals and cleaned the glass, neutralizing Bristol.
Grandolfo punctuated the end of the third with a coast-to-coast “and 1” layup. The fourth quarter was another great one for Wilton with their shots falling and overwhelming full court press disrupting Bristol’s offense throughout.
In their second game of the weekend, however, the 5th grade boys fell short in a hard-fought, triple-overtime semifinal game against Fairfield PAL, 54-60.
Wilton was fueled by Grandolfo (10 pts, 5 steals), McKiernan, (12 pts) and Reyes (8 pts, 3 steals). Wilton opened the game on fire, getting back to back 3’s from McKiernan and one from Liston (7 pts, 5 steals, 4 rebs). With two minutes remaining in the quarter, Walsh recorded a steal and coast-to-coast layup, making the score 13-7. Sullivan (2pts) and Ryan Preisano (3 points) were aggressive in Wilton’s 2-3 zone, forcing Fairfield into multiple turnovers during the period.
Down 15-9 to start the second quarter, Fairfield began to play lock-down defense and pound the glass, converting several second chance opportunities and cutting the Wilton margin to one entering the half. Keeping Wilton in the game were Wiest (4 first half points), Duncan ( 6 points, 6 rebs, 2 steals) and Turner, who disrupted Fairfield’s front court throughout the game on defense. Down 38-33 at the end of the third, Wilton came to life to start the fourth quarter. Liston got the Warriors going with a quick steal and layup to bring Wilton to within 37-38. Reyes then grabbed a steal and went the length of the court on his own, finishing with a layup. A McKiernan layup evened the score at 41 all.
Down 46-43 with 3:30 left in regulation, Grandolfo hit a clutch 3 from the corner to even things up. Two minutes later and down a basket, Grandolfo let loose with a nothing but net jumper from the left wing, bringing the Wilton faithful to their feet and sending the game into OT number one.
With points hard to come by and down two with 10 seconds remaining, McKiernan took matters into his hands and hit a long jumper to tie the contest at 50. A big defensive stop followed, sending the game into OT number two.
In the second extra session, Fairfield remained poised on their final possession, milking the clock to two seconds and nailing a short jumper in the lane as the horn sounded, sending the game into the third and final OT locked at 52.
Unfortunately for Wilton, Fairfield controlled the final tipoff and attacked the rim for a quick two, followed by excellent team free-throw shooting which allowed them to pull away for the victory.
5th Grade Girls
The Wilton 5th Grade Girls Travel Basketball team, sponsored by Little Pub, won both of their playoff games this weekend and will play for the FCBL Bracket B Championship on Sunday, March 6.
Saturday, Feb. 27 saw Wilton beat a physical Southbury team 24-7. The team earned 6 points each from Emerson Pattillo (5 steals), Ava Fasano (5 rebounds, 2 blocks) and Isabel DiNanno (4 rebounds, 3 steals), along with Lucy Corry’s 4 assists and Aly Rapport’s 2 points led the scoring, while a stout defensive effort from Molly Snow and Mary Scally (10 rebounds each) guided Wilton to the win.
On Sunday, Feb. 28, Wilton won a close game against Westport 16-14. Heather Plowright (3 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals) and Fasano (5 points, 4 rebounds) helped pace the offense, and strong defense by pick pocket Anna Joy (5 steals), Kelly Holmgren (3 rebounds) and another 10 rebounds for Scally, allowed Wilton to hold on for the win.
8th Grade Boys
The Wilton 8th Grade Boys basketball team, sponsored by the Pain and Spine Specialists of CT, wrapped up their season by splitting a pair of playoff games. In the first game on Saturday, Feb. 27, against Easton Redding, Wilton jumped out to an early lead and cruised to a 53 – 40 win. Drew Phillips, in his first game back from injury, led a balanced scoring effort with 10 points. Tucker Walden had 9, Andrew Smith had 8, Reilly Sullivan and Noah Levi had 6 points each, Parker Ward and John Walsh contributed 5 apiece.
In the second game on Sunday, Feb. 28 against Milford, Wilton fell behind early, but fought back to tie the score at halftime. In the second half, the lead changed several times before Wilton finally lost in the closing minutes 57 – 52. Smith led all scorers with 13. Kyle Hyzy contributed 12, with Walden scoring 11 and Phillips 10 points. Walsh led all rebounders with 6, Phillips, Levi and Walden contributed 5 rebounds apiece, with Patrick Cummins, Lewis Cropper and Hyzy pulling down 4 boards each.
7th Grade Boys
Wilton 7th grade boys’ basketball team, sponsored by Ackerly and Ward, opened the FCBL 7th grade “AA” playoffs with a win against a hot-shooting Newtown, 46-43, in the tournament quarterfinals. Wilton led much of the game, but it could not maintain leads against a Newtown team that made 11 three-pointers in the game. Matt Gulbin‘s ‘made’ free throw and put-back basket on a missed free throw in the final moments provided the final margin of victory. With 7 seconds remaining, Newtown had a final chance to tie the score, but Wilton’s smothering defense stopped Newtown from advancing the ball into the front court.
As is the norm, Wilton had a balanced attack. Kyle Burns led scorers with 9 points (3 rebounds); Matt Murphy had 8 points (5 rebounds, 3 blocked shots); Gulbin had 8 points (6 rebounds); Trevor Martines had 7 points (3 assists, 5 rebounds); Mack Kepner had 5 points, including a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer; Jimmy McKiernan had 4 points (3 assists, 4 rebounds); Alex Cocoros had 3 points; and Michael Coffey had 2 points (4 assists, 9 rebounds).
On Sunday, Feb. 28, in the semifinals, Wilton played Bloomfield after Bloomfield defeated number-one seeded Madison in the quarterfinals. Wilton lost that highly contested game 61-60. Bloomfield started out hot, grabbing an early 12-4 lead before Wilton stormed back to take a 31-20 lead into halftime. Early in the third quarter, Wilton extended the lead to 16 points before Bloomfield mounted a strong comeback. The game went back and forth in the fourth quarter with Wilton holding lead most of the time.
Wilton, with its Blue and White units subbing every 2 minutes, was relentless at both ends of the floor in one of its best performances of the season. Burns led scorers with 10 points; Murphy scored 9 points (a buzzer beating tip-in, 6 rebounds); Martines had 9 points (5 steals, 3 rebounds); Coffey had 8 points (6 rebounds, 2 blocks); Kepner had 8 points; Gulbin had 8 points (4 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks); Cocoros had 6 points (2 three pointers); McKiernan had 2 points; Owen Lillis had 2 assists and 2 steals; and Chase Autore had 2 rebounds and 2 assists, including an assist to Burns for a three pointer following an offensive rebound.
Wilton finished the season 28-6 overall and 10-4 in the FCBL “A” Division League play and “AA” post-season play.