Wilton’s Weekend Sports Wrap-Up Jan. 16-17

Each week, GOOD Morning Wilton will run news of weekend sports results 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

5th Grade Girls

The Wilton 5th Grade girls’ team, sponsored by Little Pub, split their two games this past weekend. On Saturday, Jan. 16, they hosted St. Mary’s and controlled the game from start to finish. Kelly Holmgren (6 points, 1 steal, 2 rebounds, 1 assist) and Aly Rappaport (6 points, 1 steal, 1 rebound) lead with scoring. Isabel DiNanno (1 point, 10 steals, 6 rebounds) was relentless on defense and Ava Fasano (6 rebounds) and Mary Scally (2 steals, 6 rebounds, 1 assist) dominated under the basket. Emerson Pattillo (2 points, 3 steals, 2 rebounds) and Heather Plowright (2 points, 3 steals, 1 rebound) were aggressive in their play. Solid performances from Lucy Corry (2 points, 4 steals, 5 rebounds, 2 assists), Anna Joy (2 points, 3 steals, 5 rebound) and Molly Snow (4 points, 3 steals, 5 rebounds, 2 assists) helped fuel the 25-6 victory.

On Sunday, Jan. 17, the team traveled to Darien. Despite strong efforts by all the girls they came up unsuccessful against a very tough competitor.

Team photo, above  Top row (L-R):  Coach Brittany English, Heather Plowright, Ava Fasano, Mary Scally, Kelly Holmgren, Molly Snow, Coach Kelley Ward.  Middle Row:  Lucy Corry.  Bottom row:  Anna Joy, Emerson Pattillo, Aly Rapport, Isabel DiNanno.

6th Grade Boys

The 6th grade boys’ basketball team sponsored by Pinocchio Pizza won a hard fought battle against Norwalk TMT on Sunday, Jan. 17. The young Warriors put out a whole team effort by defeating Norwalk 40-37.

Big man Jack Lynch led the way with 8 points, 9 rebounds and 1 steal. An all-around great effort by Zarius Eusebe, who hit two big 3-pointers to help Wilton gain a first half lead, finished with 8 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 3 steals. The first half saw a few lead changes between the teams but Parker Woodring‘s hustle (4 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals and a big block) allowed Wilton to go into halftime with a slight lead.

The second half once again saw the teams trade baskets but the great energy and hustle of Max Silva (4 points, 2 steals, 2 assists), Max Andrews (4 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal) and Matthew Giller (2 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist) helped the Warriors control the tempo and stay on top through the third quarter. Dillon Mannix (2 assists) played great transition defense for the Warriors and Grant Masterson showed his dominance inside by grabbing 3 rebounds, making a big steal and then driving to the hoop for a big basket in a key spot heading into the fourth quarter. Craig Hyzy (6 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist) came up big in the fourth quarter to help seal the victory, connecting on two of his three buckets driving to the hoop while his brother, Kevin Hyzy, put in 2 points, a rebound, 2 assists, 4 steals and a blocked shot to round out the scoring.

Wilton 7th/8th Grade Boys

The Wilton 7th/8th grade boys’ team, sponsored by GOOD Morning Wilton, played two home games this weekend but could not come away with a win.

The first game, on Saturday, Jan. 16, a rematch with Darien, was a tale of two halves. A turnover-filled first quarter left the boys down double digits early. An early 3-pointer from Andrew Travers and two buckets from Maden Herve accounted for most of the first half scoring.  But in the second half, the defense picked up and Ryan Kaufmann took control of the offense, pushing the ball up court and scoring 11 points, half of them from the foul line. John McMahon controlled the boards with five rebounds plus a steal and block. Sean Sullivan played hard, scoring four from the foul line and adding a few rebounds. The Wilton team won the second half but lost the game 29-45.

On Sunday, Jan. 17, game two against a big Fairfield Warde team was an offensive display but Wilton did not put up any fight on the defensive side of the court. Davis Cote provided 4 points while Josh White added three along with a behind-the-back assist. Jermaine Vincent scored 4 points along with a few rebounds. Sam Strazza was sharp from behind the 3-point line, adding 7 timely points. Herve added 8 points with 2 blocks, McMahon contributed with 7 rebounds and 3 pts, Travers had 3 steals and Ed Fasano applied pressure on defense, but Fairfield outran and outshot Wilton, securing a big 68-32 win.

5th/6th Grade Boys

The Wilton 5th/6th grade boys’ team, sponsored by Tavern on 7, lost a close game to a tough Westport team. Connor Cummings led the scoring, with multiple rebounds and layups. Ethan Jackson used his height to grab many rebounds, and scored a 3-pointer in the first half. Conor Lillis added multiple baskets and a 3-pointer of his own, and Andrew Zizzadoro’s multiple assists and steals helped keep the team within 5 points at the end of the first half.

In the second half, Dylan Smith and Colin Tsai turned up the pressure on defense, forcing some Westport turnovers, while Shane Taubin and AJ Preisano capitalized on the turnovers and scored a 3-pointer each. Jefferson Mitchell, Preisano, and Cummings added two points each from the free throw line, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Westport team, and Wilton lost by a score of 42-47.

8th Grade Girls

The Wilton 8th Grade girls’ basketball team had a hard fought loss against Weston 37-32 on Saturday, Jan. 16. Wilton had a rough start, remaining scoreless at the end of the first quarter. The remainder of the game the Wilton girls played stronger. Aggressive defense by Zara Wiest and Fran Gonclaves and strong offense by Paula Perez (5 points), Sophie Sudano (12 points) and Fiona O’Brien (5 points) kept the game close. Nancy Lynch and Grace Cahill had nice ball movement making great opportunities for Wilton. Although Wilton continued to get great rebounds from Caitlin Greef, Weston proved too strong in the end.

On Sunday, Jan. 17, Wilton played at home with a heartbreaking loss to New Canaan 23-21. Wilton had a great team effort with scoring by Lynch (5 points), Sudano (6 points), Gonclaves (5 points) and Perez (5 points), and solid defense by Wiest, Greef, O’Brien and Cahill, keeping the game close till the end.

7th Grade Boys

Wilton’s 7^th grade boys’ basketball team, sponsored by Ackerly and Ward, was victorious in all four games this past weekend.

The team convincingly defeated Weston on Friday night, Jan. 15, 49-28, in a game dominated by Wilton’s 2-3 zone defense. Wilton held Weston scoreless in the first quarter and it led at the half 22-10. The offense was energized by Trevor Martines’ two buzzer beater shots in the lane. The scoring was led by Kyle Burns’ 10 points (and 5 rebounds), Michael Coffey’s 9 points (and 11 rebounds), Alex Cocoros’ 9 points, and Mack Kepner’s 6 points. Wilton shared the ball effectively, as illustrated by sevearl players (Martines, Cocoros, Kepner, Owen Lillis, and Matt Gulbin) each contributing two assists.

On Saturday morning, Jan. 16, Wilton defeated a hot-shooting Trumbull St. Theresa’s team 71-51. A fast-paced first half ended with Wilton leading 34-32, before Wilton’s improved defense and size advantage wore down St. Theresa’s in the second half.  Cocoros’ (16 points) four 3-pointers jump-started the offense and he was joined by Matt Murphy’s 11 points (and 8 rebounds and 2 blocked shots), Coffey’s 9 points (and 8 rebounds), Jimmy McKiernan’s 9 points (two 3-pointers), Burns’ 8 points, Martines’ 7 points (and 7 assists), Gulbin’s 6 points (and 13 rebounds), and Kepner’s 5 points (and 3 assists).

In the semifinals the Bridgeport McGivney Center Tournament, Wilton defeated the Milford Magic, 62-32. Wilton was led by guards Martines (14 points), Lillis (3 points, 4 assists, 1 steal, 3 rebounds), Chase Autore (4 points, 2 assists, 1 steal), Cocoros (6 points), and McKiernan (5 points). Post players Murphy (12 points, 8 boards, 3 blocked shots), Gulbin (10 points, 7 boards), and Coffey (8 points, 12 boards) dominated the paint.

On Sunday, Jan. 17, Autore was a spark plug at both ends of the floor in leading Wilton to victory over the Greenwich Flame Red, 63-28.

Wilton is now 6-3 in FCBL league play and 19-4 overall.

8th Grade Boys

The Wilton 8th grade boys’ team, sponsored by Pain and Spine Specialists of Connecticut, won two of three games
this past weekend in Fairfield County action.

The Warriors started the weekend off on the right note by beating a highly-ranked Greenwich Flame team on Friday evening, Jan. 15, by a score of 46-42. The win was the result of a tenacious team defensive effort and balanced scoring. Led by Tucker Walden, Reilly Sullivan, Parker Ward and Drew Phillips on the defensive end of the court, the Warriors forced 11 turnovers. Kyle Hyzy opened the scoring with back-to-back 3-point field goals while Andrew Smith hit two key 3-point field
goals in the fourth quarter. Noah Levi, John Walsh and Phillips controlled the boards while Walden hit key free throws in the final minutes to secure the victory.

Saturday, Jan. 16 found the Warriors clicking on all cylinders as they convincingly beat St. Theresa’s of Trumbull 48-22. Once again, great defense and a balanced scoring attack led to another victory. The Warriors controlled the boards with Walsh grabbing 10 rebounds, Patrick Cummins had 6 and Ward adding another 5 off the glass to bring the team rebounding to a total of 37 for the game. Unselfish play led to 13 team assists while Walden had five of the team’s 8 steals. Cummins led the scoring with 10 points, Walden added 8, Walsh totaled 7 and Levi finished with 6 points. As St. Theresa’s mounted a comeback in the fourth quarter, Lewis Cropper controlled the tempo at point guard and guaranteed the win.

The boys ran into a red hot Fairfield squad on Sunday, Jan. 17, and lost 39-26. The Warriors could never get into a rhythm as Fairfield played suffocating defense. Phillips had some big steals and played strong on the boards while Cropper led the team
with 9 points followed by Hyzy with 6 points.

Overall the Warriors played great team ball on both sides of the court this past weekend. In particular, balanced scoring for the weekend demonstrates the great team concept created by Coach Blake Billmeyer:  Cropper (11 points), Cummins (18), Hyzy (17), Levi (6), Phillips (11), Smith (15), Sullivan (8), Walden (16), Walsh (11) and Ward (7).

6th Grade Girls

The Wilton 6^th grade girls’ travel team, sponsored by Servco Oil, visited Bethel and came away with a 30-21 victory on Saturday, Jan. 16. Gracie Kaplan started Wilton on a roll with a nice jump shot followed by some tenacious defense to put Bethel on their heels. Wilton pressured Bethel all game with fast breaks, led by Olivia Rossi, that turned into layups for Catherine Dineen and Amelia Hughes. Wilton also showed that it could play half-court offense as Ellie Copley and Ellie Coffey used ball fakes and dribble drives to score a couple of nice baskets. Wilton put the game away in the early fourth quarter as Bethel’s comeback attempts were thwarted by stifling defense and timely rebounding by Erynn Floyd and Bela Andjelkovic.

On Sunday, Jan. 17, Wilton lost 27-33 to a talented Sheehan Center team from Bridgeport in a tightly contested game. Wilton’s guards had their hands full with Sheehan’s quickness but Leah Martins (4 points) and Hughes (2 assists) were up to the challenge. Wilton’s wing players really made their mark in this game as Morgan Lebek (3 points, 4 rebounds) and Dineen (4 points, 3 rebounds) filled the lane on fast breaks and played tough defense, while Copley (12 points, 2 rebounds, a steal and a blocked shot) made her presence felt all over the court and turned in one of the team’s better individual efforts this year.