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
6th Grade Girls (White Team)
The Wilton 6th grade girls White team, sponsored by Servco Oil, split their two games this past weekend, winning against Bethel 43-24 and losing to New Canaan 12-19.
The game against Bethel was one of the best of the season. The team was aggressive from the start and willing to make an extra pass throughout the game. Amelia Hughes, Leah Martins and Ellie Copley each scored 10 points, making this the first game of the season with three players in double digits. Ellie Coffey added 8 points (4 rebounds) with Catherine Dineen (3 points, 6 rebounds) and Bella Andjelkovic (2 points, 5 rebounds) rounding off the effort. Erin Floyd was the best rebounder throughout the weekend with 11 of them in total. Morgan Lebek (4 points, 8 rebounds) and Gracie Kaplan (2 points, 2 rebounds) provided consistent effort pressuring the opponents and aggressively going after loose balls. Olivia Rossi, unfortunately did not play due to finger injury and will hopefully be returning next weekend. The team is looking forward to an end of the season tournament.
5th/6th Grade Boys
Sponsored by Tavern on 7, the Wilton 5th/6th Grade Boys team (a.k.a. “the 56ers”) faced Darien YMCA in Darien on Saturday, Feb 8. The team started strong and sustained a high level of play for the entire game against tough competition. Wilton got out to an early lead and fought back against a late charge from Darien to hold on for a 42-37 win. The game featured player contributions across the board with every member of the team contributing stats. Wilton dominated the boards with over 30 rebounds, getting more than 5 each from Connor Cummings, Jimmy Luce and Jefferson Mitchell. Steals by James Minnich, A.J. Preisano, Andrew Zizzadoro and Shane Talbin along with assists from Colin Tsai and Connor Lillis led to easy buckets for Wilton. Sharp shooters Lillis, Sean Wiseman and Ethan Jackson all scored from long range while Dylan Smith and Cummings combined for 24 points in the paint. The lead changed several times during the final minutes and Wilton had several key baskets down the stretch, including a huge 3-pointer from Jackson to tie the game with under three minutes left, followed by another 3-pointer from Lillis that increased the lead to four. Cummings then sealed the victory when he picked off an errant Darien pass and took it to the hole for the final points of the game.
The team fought another tough game on Sunday, Feb. 7, winning 57-46, against Bridgeport. Cummings led the Warriors on offense (18 points, 1 steal, 16 rebounds), along with Lillis (12 points, 1 steal and 3 rebounds), Taubin (5 points, 1 steal), Wiseman (5 points, 2 steals, 1 rebound) and Zizzadoro (5 points, 3 steals, 1 rebound). Mitchell, Luce, Preisano, Smith, Tsai, Jackson and James Minnich also contributed on both offense and defense, combining for 12 points, 4 steals and 16 rebounds.
The Warriors were rolling into the second quarter with a twelve point lead at one point but that’s when Bridgeport started making a comeback as Bridgeport’s big guys were starting to wear down the Wilton defense. Wilton didn’t let that stop them, coming back to lead 24-19 at halftime. In the third quarter was where a lot of the points came as Wilton scored 33 points for their second straight victory of the weekend as Wilton won by a final score of 57-46.
6th Grade Boys
Wilton’s 6th grade boys team, sponsored by Pinocchio Pizza Wilton, completed a back-to-back, 3-0 weekend, and in the process won their division.
In the first game of the weekend, a win against Fairfield, Wilton won 52-45. Wilton was led by the solid, all-around games of Max Andrews (4 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 2 assists), Kevin Hyzy (9 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 assists) and Matt Giller (6 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 assists). Additionally, there was a balanced contribution in scoring by Max Silva (8 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist), Zarius Eusebe (7 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists) and Parker Woodring (6 points, 1 rebound, 2 steals, 2 blocks). Defensively, Wilton held Fairfield under 40 points led by the defensive efforts of power forward Craig Hyzy (5 points, 3 rebounds, 4 steals, 1 assist), big man Jack Lynch (4 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal) and speedy guard Dillon Mannix (3 points, 2 rebounds).
The second game saw a short-handed Wilton team secure a second victory, this time over their rivals to the north, Ridgefield, 47-38. After a lackluster start and some weary legs, Wilton saw themselves falling behind early and trailed at the half 19-14. However Wilton dug in behind a strong defensive effort and terrific all around games by Kevin Hyzy (6 points, 4 rebounds, 8 steals, 3 assists), Andrews (10 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals, 1 block) and Woodring (4 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 assists). What followed was an offensive explosion by Wilton, outscoring Ridgefield 33-19 in the second half led by Eusebe (13 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 assist). Rounding out the scoring was Silva (6 points, 1 steal), Giller (3 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist) and Craig Hyzy (5 points, 3 rebounds). Lynch was a strong deterrent in the middle. He also grabbed a board and had a block.
On Sunday, Feb. 7, Wilton took on rival Westport. The game started out as a repeat of Saturday night’s affair, which saw Wilton fall behind 6-0 early, and then go on a 20-8 run before holding off a late charge by Westport to come out with a 51-49 win. Andrews notched a double double (14 points, 12 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 assist) to lead the Wilton charge. Eusebe led other scorers (10 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists). A solid team effort was on display as Silva (6 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 assist), Woodring (4 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 assists), Lynch (4 points, 3 rebounds), Mannix (4 points, 1 rebound) and Kevin Hyzy (4 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 block) rounded out the scoring attack. Craig Hyzy was all over the boards, boxing out, and cleaning the glass (5 rebounds). The game was sealed in the final seconds as Giller (5 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 assist) pulled down the game clinching rebound with two seconds left.
7th/8th Grade Boys
The Wilton 7th/8th grade boys team, sponsored by GOOD Morning Wilton, had a busy weekend, playing three games. Game 1 against Stamford was a nail biter as Wilton was up by 6 points heading into the fourth quarter. A desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer by Stamford tied the game at 40 apiece; sadly, it was a 46-40 loss in overtime. Maden Herve, as he did all weekend, led the Warriors with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Josh White added 7 points and 6 rebounds, Niko Kouvaris with 7 points and 5 boards and Ryan Kaufmann with 7 points and 7 rebounds and 5 steals.
Game 2 against Greenwich was a battle in the first half but Wilton’s defense did not show up in the second half. Despite a 15 point, 12 rebound performance from Herve, a three point barrage from Sam Strazza (12 points), and 7 points and 3 steals from Andrew Travers, Wilton was outplayed and lost 71-43.
Game 3 was a different game with a different outcome. A total team effort, again led by Herve’s 14 points, 5 boards and 6 blocks, White adding 13 points with 3 steals, John McMahon and Sean Sullivan keeping the ball in Wilton’s hands with key rebounds, Ben Wiener feeding assists to Travers (6 points) and strong defensive work from Davis Cote, Jermaine Vincent and EJ Fasano, who caused Stamford to turn the ball over multiple times, Wilton put up a relieving win 45-41.
8th Grade Boys
The Pain and Spine Specialists of Connecticut Wilton Warriors 8th grade boys basketball team defeated Newtown 47-41 on Saturday, Feb. 6, in a tough, fast-paced game marked by tough man-to-man defense and high energy throughout the first quarter with Wilton and Newtown trading baskets. Noah Levi (12 points, 6 rebounds) dominated around the hoop for Wilton throughout the first ten minutes. Newtown led 12-9 at the end of the first quarter. The second quarter started with a pair of threes by Kyle Hyzy (13 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists) and well-executed pick and rolls between Andrew Smith (4 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists) and Levi. Wilton took the halftime lead 21-19. At the beginning of the third quarter Newtown went on an 8-0 run after numerous questionable calls to take the lead 30-28. Drew Phillips (5 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals) and John Walsh (7 rebounds, 2 blocks) led Wilton’s defense and locked it down to close the quarter on a 7-0 run. Lewis Cropper (3 points, 2 assists) hit a huge 3-pointer to go up five with eight minutes to play at 35-30. Down the stretch key stops by Parker Ward (3 points, 2 rebounds), Reilly Sullivan (3 rebounds, 2 steals), and Patrick Cummins (2 rebounds, 2 assists) allowed Wilton to keep the lead. Tucker Walden (5 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals) and Hyzy hit four big free throws to seal the win in a nail biter 46-41.
On Sunday, Feb. 7, the boys split games going 1-1 for the day. They defeated Norwalk TMT in the first contest with Phillips having a monster game, putting in 13 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals and 2 assists. The game saw a few lead changes but with big men Levi (10 points, 8 rebounds and a steal) and Walsh (11 points, 3 rebounds, 3 blocked shots) taking control under the hoop and over-matching Norwalk, Wilton stayed in the game holding onto to a 42-41 3rd-quarter lead. Walden (11 points, 1 rebound, and 2 steals) and Smith (6 points, 2 assists, 2 rebounds) guarding helped set up a Cropper 3-pointer and allowed Hyzy to get to the line to hit two crucial free throws to help seal a 61-56 win. Ward (1 point, 3 assists, 1 rebound), Sullivan (2 points, 1 assist, 1 rebound, 1 steal) and Cummins (2 rebounds, and 2 steals) played tenacious defense, including a huge steal by Cummins with about 10 seconds left to round out the morning.
With only a 1-hour rest the 8th grade boys then took on Norwalk and lost a closely-contested battle 50-43. Walden (12 points, 2 steals) led the offensive charge, with Phillips (6 points, 1 assist, 8 rebounds, and 4 steals), Smith (5 points, 1 assist), and Hyzy (8 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 blocked shot) helping to round out the offensive attack and keep the game close. The Warriors found themselves down 24-16 at half but came charging back to take a 31-28 3rd quarter lead. Sullivan (6 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals), Walsh (2 points, 3 rebounds, 1 blocked shot, 1 steal), Cummins (2 points, 1 assist, 2 rebounds, 1 steal), and Cropper (2 points) helped keep the Warriors trading baskets throughout the 4th quarter but the overall size difference was what ultimately sealed the Warriors’ fate. Ward (1 rebound, 1 assist 1 steal) and Levi (1 assist, 3 rebounds 2 steals) both contributed tough play.
5th Grade Girls
The Wilton 5th grade girls team, sponsored by Little Pub, played three games this weekend. Saturday, Feb. 6 they hosted Weston and controlled the game from the start, which culminated in a crushing 26-5 win. Molly Snow (8 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals) and Kelly Holmgren (8 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal) dominated offensively, while Mary Scally (2 points, 14 rebounds, 3 steals) and Anna Joy (4 rebounds, 2 steals) maintained strong defensive play.
Sunday, Feb. 7 started out with another solid victory, this time over New Fairfield. The 19-4 win was achieved by tenacious play by Aly Rappaport (4 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals), Emerson Pattillo (1 point, 2 rebounds, 3 steals), Isabel DiNanno (4 rebounds, 4 steals) and Lucy Corrie (2 points, 1 rebound, 4 steals).
The weekend ended with a hard-fought loss against Ridgefield. Heather Plowright (4 points, 2 rebounds) and Ava Fasano (5 points, 2 rebounds) led the scoring. Despite strong efforts from the entire team, the girls came up short against this strong competition, losing 25-9.
7th Grade Boys
Wilton’s 7th grade boys’ basketball team, sponsored by Ackerly and Ward, played a pair of games against the two top teams in the second FCBL “A” division this past weekend.
On Saturday, Feb. 6, Wilton defeated New Haven 55-31 in a game that featured all 10 Wilton players scoring points. Wilton was led by Matt Murphy’s 12 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocked shots; Kyle Burns’ 11 points; Matt Gulbin’s 10 points (2 assists, 8 boards); Michael Coffey’s 8 points (2 assists, 2 steals, 14 rebounds); Trevor Martines’ 6 points (3 assists, 5 rebounds); Alex Cocoros, returning from a broken finger, scored 5 points (including 2 buzzer beaters); Mack Kepner’s 5 points; Owen Lillis’ 4 points (2 assists, 4 rebounds); Jimmy McKiernan’s 4 points (3 assists); and Chase Autore’s 2 points (2 assists, 2 steals).
On Sunday, Feb. 7, Wilton traveled to Madison to play the defending FCBL champions, but cam cup short, losing 51-45. Wilton led late, 45-42, before Madison rallied to victory. Gulbin led Wilton’s offense with 18 points (9 rebounds). Other scoring contributors were McKiernan with 8 points, Cocoros with 6 points (2 three pointers), Murphy with 4 points (4 blocked shots), Coffey with 4 points (7 rebounds), Burns with 3 points, and Kepner with 2 points. Martines provided much needed rebounding support with 7 boards. Autore had 2 assists and 3 rebounds and Lillis had 3 assists.
Wilton is now 25-5 overall and 9-3 in the FCBL A South Division.
5th Grade Boys
The Wilton 5th grade boys team sponsored by Abercrombie Burns & McKiernan, had a successful weekend coming out with a record of 3-1.
The team started with a tough fight against Ridgefield: down by 10 at half time, they tied it up in the 3rd quarter with several shots by Tommy McKiernan and Peter Gandolfo. Amazing defense by Jackson Duncan and Andre Wiest to keep a tight game, with a loss at the end of the 4th quarter.
They traveled to Trumbull on Saturday, Feb. 6 with continued great efforts. Spencer Liston, Tommy Walsh, Will Sullivan and Ryan Preisano played hard, as did the rest of the team, with Alexander Reyes and Griffin Turner keeping up a good defense for a win of 39-30 over St Theresa’s.
The success continued on Sunday, Feb. 7, with a great start from McKiernan, Liston, Wiest, Gandolfo and Duncan. Down by two at the half, continued efforts by Sullivan, Preisano, Turner, Walsh and Reyes led the team to a second victory, beating West Hartford 41-32.
The final game of the weekend brought the team to another challenging battle for a win. Down by 16 at the half, defensive pressure led them to a victory of 38-29 over Newton.