Terriers Balanced Lineup Bounces Platt

Head coach Josh Dinerman dug deep into his bench last Tuesday night, allowing everyone but the team manager to score during Rocky Hill’s 87-57 conquest over Platt at RHHS.

The win improved the Terriers to 9-3 and it was their second victory over the Meriden-based Panthers, also winning 80-76 back on Dec 23.

“We really stepped up offensively verse their pressure.  If we just share the basketball and not turn it over, we get good shots and we can capitalize. Defensively was what I was really happy with. They [Platt] are very athletic and very active and have some guys that can really play. It was about shell defense and rebounding the basketball, so we could get out in transition,” Dinerman said following the victory, which snapped a two-game losing skid. “After back to back losses, you just have to stop the bleeding and guys have to step up and play defense. We had to play disciplined basketball and just come out here and defend our home court, and have some fun.”

A dozen different players broke into the scoring column in the lopsided victory, led by team captain Alex Sikorski, who casually pumped in 18 points.

“It’s a division win, so it was pretty important for us. On offense we did fairly well tonight, we shared the ball and hit some shots,” said Sikorski, who knew what to expect thanks to the meeting earlier in the season, “They played a pretty good zone last time and they trapped pretty well. We were prepared for it the first time around but it was a little bit tougher, so we practiced against the zone and we were prepared for their traps tonight. I think we did pretty well with everything tonight.”

Sikorski is the the team’s leading scorer and main setup man this season, delivering several crisp passes to cutting teammates in the 30-point victory.

His coach sees significant development from Sikorski, both as a player and as a teammate.

“He’s playing like an all-state player right now and it’s not just performing. It’s more about the leadership and it’s more about demanding the basketball and knowing where to put guys. He’s growing up and his body is too. He put on 20 pounds of muscle and now he can handle playing the full game.”

The senior scored eight in the opening quarter. Junior teammate Will White led all scorers with nine on a trio of long range, high-arching threes. The duo’s production helped provide the home team a 25-15 advantage after the first eight minutes.

Rocky Hill’s first quarter offensive output was just the beginning of a well-balanced night of scoring. They added 19 in both the second and third quarter, and 24 in the final stanza.

In the fourth quarter alone, nine separate Terriers contributed, including senior JD Monaco, who scored four his eight in the final quarter.

Late in the third quarter, the visiting Panthers narrowed the margin to ten, but an unlikely scoring threat sparked a 17-0 run for the home team.

Sophomore Ethan Jowdy, who is attempting to fill the large shoes of injured middleman Dan Tonna, scored 10 points during the game-deciding spurt. He also had the tough assignment of trying to contain Platt’s center Anthony Forbes, who led the Panthers with 14 points.

“He really hasn’t had the chance to show what he could do yet, but tonight he definitely proved it. He made some shots and got some big rebounds,” Sikorski said of Jowdy.

“He was swing guy. He was playing some JV and I told him varsity only tonight,” Dinerman added, “He went out there and did his job. He ran the floor and he’s a very good offensive player. We’ve got to bring him along defensively and he knows that, but he’s just giving the effort and he’s learning as he goes.”

Fellow sophomore Riley Donovan also canned a pair of threes during the run and scored eight of his nine points in the second half. The underclassman fits in perfectly and has a pass-first mentality, dishing out a handful of assists, including a pair of perfect passes in the game’s opening minutes to Andrew MiMatteo, who helped lighten the scoring load with a dozen points. 

Donovan adds even more versatility to an already versatile lineup.

“He’s been starting most of the year and he’s super athletic. The first couple of games this year he started off a little slow, but now he’s getting into his groove,” stated Dinerman, “He’s one of the best defenders in the CCC. He’s long, he’s athletic, and he’s super active, and now he’s comfortable in the offense.”

Sikorski has also reached a great comfort level within the offense and is the undoubted catalyst of an offense averaging nearly 64 points per game over the first dozen contests.

“As a captain I feel like everyone can come to me for help and I can help out,” said Sikorski, “If I’m not able to get a shot, I love passing the ball to my teammates and helping them get open. I love sharing and just making our offense work.”

With the injury to Tonna, the team will be relying even more on Sikorski and the team’s ability to share the rock heading into the stretch run of the regular season.

“We’re not a super big team, but all these guys can share the basketball and we have Alex leading the team. All the teams are keying on him, so it does leave a lot of other guys open and sets them up,” added Dinerman, “We’re all about making the extra pass and sharing the basketball. We’re a tough guard if we’re sharing the ball.”

Following the victory, the Terriers had a full week off before their next game. The extra time allowed the coaching staff and players to polish up the things they do well and to work on their deficiencies.

“I think it’s a great time to have a week to practice and fine-tune things,” stated Dinerman, “We’ll definitely work on rebounding and free throw shooting, and we could always improve our spacing and organization. Also we can get some guys healthy, we’re kind of banged up and it’s going to be a great week to see how these guys improve and we can throw in some wrinkles for the second half of the season.”
 

Sports Around Town

Panthers Basketball Sweeps Portland
Both the Cromwell boys (65-58) and girls (64-20) defeated Portland on the hardwood last Tuesday night.
Noah Budzik scored 17 points and Austin Roy tallied 15 more, improving the boys to 7-5 and snapping a four-game losing streak.  Sean Melaven and Will Moore each chipped in with 10 points apiece and the duo combined for 14 rebounds. 
It was the third straight victory for the girls, improving their record to 12-3. Theresa Quinn hit eight of nine shots inside the arc, totaling 18 points, and Jenna Serrantino added 11 more. Geanna Williams ripped down a dozen boards in the victory.

WMRP Hockey Glides On
The Wethersfield/Middletown/Rocky Hill/Plainville co-op hockey team finished last week 8-2 after a 7-3 victory over the co-op team from Bolton/Coventry/Rockville last Friday night. Sophomore Ben Mroczka scored a pair of goals and dished out three assists, and Zac Forrest added a goal and four assists. The team is starting a four-game home stand next Mon, Feb 6 when they welcome the co-op of Enfield/East Granby/Stafford to the Newington Ice Arena for a 4:50 faceoff.

Newington Hockey Victorious
The Newington co-op team picked up their first WIN of the season, defeating the co-op of Brookfield/Bethel/Danbury 4-2 last Saturday. Alex Borselle had two goals and an assist, and Matt Lavoie and Patrick Doherty each had a goal and an assist. Goalie Adam Belair stopped 21 shots in the victory. Next up is a game with the Farmington Valley co-op this Saturday at the Newington Arena, starting at 7:40 p.m.

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