Boys Basketball
Newington finished the regular season 12-8 and then defeated Darien, 76-63, in the opening round of the Division II tournament. Mason Romano scored 26 in the first-round victory and then had another productive game in the second round, however the Indians dropped a heartbreaker to Amity, 56-54. The team will lose a half dozen seniors, including Julian Ortiz and Jaden Morris, but Romano will lead a solid unit returning next winter.

Cromwell had a perfect regular season (20-0) and then won the Shoreline Conference championship before running into an upstart St. Joseph team in the second round of the Division IV tournament. The 74-58 loss at CHS was the final game for four seniors, Nick Wright, Naimir Heyliger, JJ Tracy, and Jack Dooley. Leading scorer and rebounder Gabe Charleston will head a talented group returning next season. 

Wethersfield needed to win their last two games of the regular season to qualify for the tournament and then nearly upset Amity in the opening round, taking a lead into the fourth quarter before eventually losing 57-48. It was the final game for seniors Derek Tenney, Dante Burgos, and Liam Harrington, who all played important roles for the Eagles this winter.

Girls Basketball
Cromwell won the Class M state title, defeating Sheehan 60-51 at Mohegan Sun Arena, behind 18 points from Sadie Budzik. The win capped the team’s third title in seven seasons and their first since 2016. Seniors Gina Sousa, Jessica DellaRatta, Eliza Weston, and Taylor Yankowski all closed their high school careers as champions. Budzik, leading scorer Vanessa Stolstajner, and tourney-hero Najla Cecunjanin will be back as the hungry Panthers look to repeat.

Newington advanced to the quarterfinals in Class LL, defeating Shelton 54-50 in overtime in round one and then knocking off Glastonbury 55-44 in the second round, before falling to New London in the quarterfinals. Ashanti Frazier combined for 33 points, 17 rebounds, 11 assists, and 10 steals in the two tourney wins, and will again be leading the team next season with freshman-phenom/backcourt mate Karissa Zocco. Seniors Olivia St Remy, Aby Flores, Maya Gajowiak, and Erika Cuevas will be graduating.

Wethersfield won 15 of 20 regular season games and then knocked out Fairfield Warde, 57-36, in the opening round of Class LL. In the tourney win, Nicole Gwynn led the way with 21 points, while Alice Kelly and Isabella Samse each scored 16. The Eagles fell to Newtown in the second round, which was the final high school game for seniors Zoe Adams and Kaitlyn Swoverland. Gwynn, Kelly, and Samse will headline a loaded group coming back next season.

Middletown was defeated by Glastonbury in the opening round of Class LL, which marked the final game for senior captains Dominique Highsmith and MacKenzie Dunn. The Blue Dragons will have a young team returning next fall, led by leading scorer Kya Mayo.
Rocky Hill made a late-season push to qualify for the state tourney before falling to Kolbe Cathedral in the first round of the Class M tournament. The program’s all-time leading scorer Nikki Lukens will be one of a half dozen players graduating, leaving a large void to be filled by the likes of Aleksa Peterson and Corrin Stabile.

Ice Hockey
Newington co-op won 15 regular season games and then had a special run in the Division III tourney, breezing by Trinity Catholic 9-0 in the opening round and beating Tri-Town 3-2 in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, the Indians led late in regulation and almost earned a spot in the state championship but two late goals by Lyman Hall/H-K/Coginchaug ended the run. The team will lose their top four point-producers in Ethan Ranger, Matt Lavoie, Andrew Graham, and Patrick Doherty to graduation. Several key pieces will be returning, including Kilian Ranger, Sam Hedlund, Justin Stergos, as well as both goalies, Alex DiPaolo and Andrew Fogarty.

Wethersfield/Middletown/Rocky Hill/Plainville also won 15 regular season games and advanced to the semifinals in Division II after defeated E.O. Smith 3-1 and Watertown-Pomperaug 4-1, before getting eliminated by Branford. The Eagles will lose All-State goalie Jake Peckrul and defenseman Riordan Mertens to graduation. Fellow all-state honoree Trevor Piecewicz will be returning to carry the load next season.

Gymnastics
Wethersfield finished fifth overall at the Class M finals at Jonathan Law High School. Madison Bradbury and Erin Nargi earned All-State recognition following terrific all-around performances, including standout showings in the floor exercise, scoring 8.550 and 8.500, respectively. Sienna Brodeur. Vanessa Phrakoonkham, Sarah Gordon, and Meghan Appel also completed in the event. Bradbury and Nargi also competed in the Open Gymnastics finals in New Milford.

Indoor Track
Middletown’s Matthew Lecky placed second in the 1600 meters and Edward Williams finished third in the 55-meter dash at the Class L boys’ final. Lecky went on to place fifth at the Open Finals held at the Floyd Little Athletic Center.    

Cromwell girls finished sixth overall as a team at the Class S finals. Andraya Yearwood, Jordan Pare, Caitlin DellaRatta, and Cara Jordan won the championship in the 1600 Sprint Medley. Yearwood and Pare teamed with Melissa Woodcock and Kaitlin Lewkowicz for a third-place finish in the 4x200 relay. Pare, DellaRatta, Jordan, and Taylor Santos also finished in fourth place in the 4x400 relay. At the Open Championships, Yearwood was also the runner-up in the 55 Meter Dash and the 1600 Sprint Medley placed fourth.  
 
Wethersfield junior Clarrisa Nock placed second in the Shot Put at the Class L finals, finishing behind Susie Okoli of Wilbur Cross.
 
Swimming & Diving
 
Wethersfield placed fifth overall at the Class M finals, thanks to efforts of divers Hadden Gaunt and Brian Puglielli. Gaunt won the diving competition, held at Bulkeley High School, and Puglielli finished sixth at the event, earning a combined 53 points for the Eagles. Caleb Skowronek took home second place in the 100 Breaststroke and teamed with Matthew Iallonardo, Brendon Mansaku, and Holden Hoon for a runner-up finish in the 200 Freestyle Relay. Hoon also placed third in the 200 Individual Medley.
 
Middletown also had a nice showing at the Class M finals, placing ninth overall. Tyler Wenzel earned second place in diving and fellow senior Nick Lupacchino finished fourth in the 200 Freestyle. Junior Michael Flynn placed fifth in 100 Backstroke.
 
Wrestling
 
Middletown placed fourth overall in the Class L finals behind Elijah Cyr (113 lbs.) and Nygell Smikle (285 lbs.), who both won the state championship in their respective weight classes. Kalil Shabazz (126) finished second and Erik Dubon (220) placed third. Cyr went on to win the Open Wrestling championships, proving he was the state’s best wrestler in his weight class.
 
Wethersfield finished sixth at the Class L finals. Matt Laurie (138), Alec Arnold (170), and Austin Harnish (220) all placed second, and Bryce Arnold (120) took home third.
 
Newington’s Wyatt Bernard (195) had a third-place showing in Class L.
 
Rocky Hill’s Josh Loza (126) placed third at the Class S finals.

Basketball is a complex sport, yet sometimes James Naismith’s creation simply comes down to putting the ball through the old peach basket.

The Cromwell girls used precision shooting to eliminate Kolbe Cathedral, 51-47, in the semifinals at Maloney High School and then were perfect from the foul line down the stretch to hold off Sheehan, winning the Class M championship 60-51 at Mohegan Sun Arena last Sunday night.

Super Semifinal
The Panthers drained 10 of 18 three pointers and then hit clutch free throws in the closing minutes to hold off the Bridgeport-based Cougars.       

Vanessa Stolstajner connected on four of five from beyond the arc, scoring a game-high 22 points, and Najla Cecunjanin hit all three of her attempts from deep, adding 17 points.

“We knew that they would overplay us up top so the corners would be open. We put our two bigs behind the block and then we’d sneak through, which is how I had open shots,” said the 5’10” Cecunjanin, who added five rebounds and a pair of blocks, “I don’t think they expected me to be able to shoot because I’m such a big player. A lot of teams don’t expect me to have a shot, so that was an advantage for us.”

The Panthers offense was able to exploit Kolbe’s zone early and then played lockdown defense over the game’s final eight minutes.

“We knew that in order to be in tonight’s game that we’d have to be able to knock down shots. We came out early and did that and then they started overplaying, so we tried to get it inside a little bit,” said head coach Kelly Maher.

Leading 42-40 after three quarters, the Panthers allowed the first two baskets of the fourth before limiting the Cougars to three points the rest of the way.

The Panthers offense wasn’t much better, but they were able to capitalize from the foul line.

After falling behind 47-46 with less than a minute to play in regulation, Stolstajner was fouled near the top of the key and the Cougars also received a technical during the sequence. The steady junior connected on three of four foul shots, providing the Panthers a two-point advantage.

Following a defensive stop, Cecunjanin calmly sank two more free throws with 16 seconds to play, cementing the win and a spot in the Class M championship game.   

“I wasn’t thinking at all. I was just focused on making them because I had missed one,” said Cecunjanin, who had missed a 1&1 that would have tied the game earlier in the fourth, “I knew I couldn’t miss again because I can’t blow it for my team, we’ve worked so hard to get here. I just kept my composure, followed though and hit the shot.”

Cromwell’s killer instinct showed in the pivotal quarter, ending the game on a 9-3 run.  

“We talked about playing our game and keeping our head in the game. They started stalling, so we knew they wanted to go 1v1. We talked about making sure that we stood our ground and on those last couple of possessions we were able to do so,” added Maher.

“Coach always says to keep our composure,” said junior point guard Sadie Budzik, who added seven points, “We have to keep hope and always have the heart. It doesn’t matter the scoreboard, if you put out the effort on the court the scoreboard will take care of itself.”

Budzik was tasked with limiting Kolbe guard Gracen Kerr, who is a special offensive talent and led the Cougars with 20 points.

“It was tough, she is a really good player,” Budzik said of the matchup, “We knew what they were going to do so we just had to know who was who and defend accordingly.”

At times Kolbe had Cromwell on the ropes thanks to their size and speed advantage, especially down low with senior Shaniya Stancil, who added 14 points.

“They’re very athletic and they could jump over us, so we had to get low and push them back. The key was just to outwork them,” said Cecunjanin.

Title Triumph
Following a five-day rest, the Panthers outworked Sheehan for the first three quarters in the championship game, taking a nine-point lead into the fourth, before again polishing off the title tilt at the foul line.

Budzik scored a game-high 18 points, 13 coming in the second half.

After three quarters it seemed like Cromwell was in complete controlled, but the Titans from Wallingford stormed back and took their first lead of the game on a pair of free throws from Caitlyn Velez, which was part of a 14-3 run to start the fourth.

“They came back really quickly and we knew that would be possible because they came back against Berlin, so when they came back we knew we just had to keep our composure like we did against Kolbe,” recalled Cecunjanin, who had 15 points and eight rebounds, “We knew if we kept our composure it could work out in the end,”

Trailing 47-46, Cecunjanin converted a three-point play and then drained a three pointer from the left wing on the following possession.

Cecunjanin’s 6-point burst regained the lead for the Panthers, who scored 14 of the game’s final 18 points to close out the championship contest.

“I told them that they have to take one possession at a time. The momentum shifted towards Sheehan and I thought that we we’re trying to do too many things too quickly. Once we calmed down and took a deep breath I though we were able to get in our sets and get the options that we wanted, and we were able to get to the foul line and make them,” said Maher.

The Panthers hit their final nine shots from the line, securing their third title in seven seasons.

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
Sunday’s championship was the end of a long journey for a Panthers team that got stronger as the season aged.

“I think we were playing our best basketball here,” said Maher, referring to the state tournament, “They were able to overcome a lot of adversity and we overcame some of our weaknesses.”

Following back-to-back losses at the end of December, the Panthers won 21 of 22 games they played in 2019, including capturing their fourth straight Shoreline championship.

“They’re the best people ever. I love them so much and they make basketball so much fun. Winning with them is the best feeling ever, I wouldn't want to win it with anyone else,” Cecunjanin said of her teammates.

Starters Gina Sousa and Jessica DellaRatta are two of the four seniors, along with Eliza Weston and Taylor Yankowski, that were able to bookend their high school careers with championships.

“It’s amazing, because after my freshman year I didn’t know if I was ever going to be back in this gym at Mohegan Sun, but this year we had goal to come back and win it,” recalled Sousa, who played in nine games for the 2015-2016 team that defeated Notre Dame in the title game to finish off an undefeated season.

On Sunday, DellaRatta put the game’s first points on the scoreboard with a strong finish inside and Sousa helped ice the game with four free throws in the fourth quarter.

“It feels so amazing because not a lot of people expected us to be here because we lost so many great players, but it’s good to show that this group of girls has what it takes,” said DellaRatta.

Following the semifinal win, Maher called DellaRatta the team’s “unsung hero.”

“She does all the little things correct and she doesn’t get enough credit. She gets the big rebounds, and she can guard on the perimeter and down low,”

All four seniors filled important roles. And all four will be missed.

“They all mean so much to the team in different ways. Without all four of them we don’t get here. They’ve all had their moments throughout the year, and they all did things tonight that made an impact. Without them we’re not in this position at all, their leadership has been fantastic.”

Next year the team will have their three leading scorers (Stolstajner, Cecunjanin, Budzik) returning as they aim for back-to-back titles, but first the current group will hang another banner at CHS, the undisputed home of basketball champions.

“We knew what we wanted to accomplish,” added Sousa, “We worked so hard, we’ve been together every day since the day after Thanksgiving. We look to each other as sisters, it’s just one big family.”

Cromwell's Najla Cecunjanin fights for rebounding position with East Catholics #31 Cami Pasqualoni and #12 Tamisha Myers during the Panthers 51-40 quarterfinals victory last Thursday night

Winning any tournament game is a cause for celebration. Winning a tournament game at home and having a player reach the 1,000-career point milestone is a reason to party.

Cromwell girls’ basketball and Vanessa Stolstajner accomplished both last Thursday night as the Panthers upended East Catholic 51-40 and Stolstajner surpassed 1,000 career points during the Class M quarterfinals triumph at Jake Salafia Gymnasium.

“Winning the game obviously came first because if we didn’t win than I couldn’t even get it,” said Stolstajner, who scored her 1000th point on a free throw early in the fourth quarter, “I wasn’t counting in my head but when the crowd cheered, I knew. It’s a great feeling because it’s the last home game of the season and I never thought I could do it my junior year.”

Stolstajner scored a game-high 26 points, 20 coming in the second half, including a dozen in the decisive fourth quarter.

“I thought in the first half she was forcing things and in the second half she let the game come to her a little more,” said head coach Kelly Maher, “That’s when she’s at her best, when she lets things come to her instead of trying to do everything.”

Following a sloppy first half, both offenses heated up as Stolstajner and East Catholic freshman-phenom Lily Ferguson traded highlights during a back-and-forth third quarter.

Stolstajner had a personal 6-0 run early in the quarter before Ferguson had a LeBron-esque chase down block and canned back-to-back threes to provide the visitors a 24-22 lead with just over a minute to play in the frame.

A pair of free throws from Stolstajner and a three-pointer from Sadie Budzik regained the lead for the Panthers, who held a three-point advantage heading into the final eight minutes of regulation.  

Cromwell closed it out in the fourth thanks to superb foul shooting and an opportunistic defense, which is Maher’s bread and butter.

“We work on defense all the time. We talked about getting the stops and I thought down the stretch the kids were focused and did what they had to do. They were really working together to get those stops.”

After missing their first five free throws, the Panthers hit 27 of their final 33 from the charity stripe.

Stolstajner made her second home the foul line, hitting 18 of 19 after missing her first two.

Her milestone moment came when she drained a pair of freebies for points #1000 and #1001, putting the home team up 34-30.

Maher credited the turnaround to focus and Stolstajner was extra focused and aggressive from the opening possession of the second half.

“I’ve been trying to let the game come to me and the first half wasn’t the best, but in the second half I was making my free throws and we played with more urgency,” said Stolstajner, who also had three steals, “They were fouling, so we tried to be more aggressive and make sure not to let them shoot threes because that’s their game.”

Ferguson led East Catholic with 21 points, but Cromwell’s defensive rotation made it difficult for her to get good looks in the fourth quarter.

Budzik, who does a little of everything for the Panthers, played brilliantly on the defensive end until she was forced to leave with an injury after colliding with an Eagles player under the basket midway through the fourth.

“We go as Sadie goes, and I really thought she had a good game defensively,” added Maher, “I also thought that when Eliza [Weston] came in, she changed the game a lot.”

Weston came off the bench and scored all five of her points in the fourth quarter, while Nejla Cecunjanin scored all four of her points over the final eight minutes as well.

Senior Jessica DellaRatta helped seal the game down the stretch with key rebounds, finishing with 11 boards to go along with six points.

As a team the Panthers scored 24 in the final quarter, nearly doubling their output from the first three quarters combined.

“We wanted to win the Shoreline and we wanted to get further than we did last year,” said Maher, whose team defeated East Hampton 41-25 on Feb 22 to win their fourth straight conference championship, “This is a group of resilient kids. Whatever is thrown at them they find a way to respond and get the job done. I’m proud of them tonight.”

It was the Panthers first quarterfinals victory since 2016 and erased the memory of two straight second-round exits, both at home.

“We knew it was our last home game of the season. We were focused on making sure we played a solid game,” added Stolstajner, who is the team’s leading scorer after breaking out as a sophomore a year ago, “Getting varsity time my freshman year and then starting last year built my confidence. I know that the players trust me and my coaches trust me, so that helps a lot. Even though the first half didn’t go that well for me, my coaches were still encouraging me to take over.”

Her 1,000 career points is just the latest achievement for a player that Maher has seen sprout into a star.

“She’s more active in everything. She’s a better defender, she gets more rebounds, and set her teammates up more. She’s the main focal point so getting her teammates involved is important. She’s really picked up her game in that area.”

The Panthers are now Mohegan-bound to take on Sheehan in the Class M championship game this weekend after besting Kolbe Cathedral 51-47 in a highly-competitive semifinal at Maloney High School on Monday.

Stolstajner again led the way with 22 points and Cecunjanin added 17.

"It feels amazing, we've worked so hard. We've been working towards this since the beginning of the season. We start with small goals, but Mohegan was our goal in the end and now we're going," said Cecunjanin.

"It feels awesome, my brother was able to get there last year with his friends," added Budzik, whose brother, Noah, won a state title at Mohegan last March, "It just feels great to get there with my friends who I've been playing with my whole life. We just have to win one more game."

 
The Starting Five: Local Athletes of the Week

Hadden Gaunt- Wethersfield (Diving): Gaunt won the Class M diving competition held last Wednesday at Bulkeley High School. The Sophomore finished with a total score of 435.95, improving on a second-place finish in the class finals a year ago as a freshman. Over the next couple of seasons, the Eagles will have a terrific one-two punch on divers as Gaunt will be competing with sophomore teammate Brian Puglielli, who finished sixth at the class finals.

Tyler Wenzel- Middletown (Diving): Wenzel placed second with an overall score of 431.90 at the Class M diving finals. The senior has also been an accomplished Outdoor Track & Field performer for the Blue Dragons and is off to Marist College in New York next year where he will continue his diving career.

Joshua Loza- Rocky Hill (Wrestling): Loza placed third in the Class S finals, defeating Hermin Pomales from Windham in the 126 LB division. The senior wrapped up his high school career by competing in the State Open at Xavier High School.

Alex DiPaola- Newington (Hockey): DiPaola was flawless in goal as Newington co-op shutout Trinity Catholic, 9-0, in the first round of the Division III ice hockey tournament last Tuesday. The Indians went on to defeat Tri-Town 3-2 in round two, behind a goal and an assist from Andrew Graham.

Aaron Cholewa- WMRP (Hockey): Cholewa scored a pair of goals as the #9 Eagles upset top-seed Watertown/Pomperaug, 4-1, last Friday in the quarterfinals of the Division II tournament. The sophomore has been a consistent offensive force all season, including scoring a goal in the team’s first-round upset of #8 E.O. Smith.

Ashanti Frazier fell in love with the game of basketball while watching Kobe Bryant.

Last Tuesday night she had a Mamba-like moment.

The junior point guard converted a three-point play late in regulation and then came up with the game-clinching steal in overtime as #7 Newington held off #26 Shelton, 54-50, in the opening round of the Class LL tournament.

“Big time players make big time plays and she made a big time play for us,” said Newington head coach Marc Tancredi.

Shelton trailed for most of the game before catching fire from the field in the fourth quarter, taking their first lead at 41-40 on Maggie Howard’s fourth three-pointer. Howard finished with a team-high 18 points, 16 coming in the second half.  

The visiting Gaels increased the advantage to 46-43 with under a minute to play in regulation before Frazier channeled her inner-Kobe.

“I knew we had enough time going down, so I was calm,” recalled Frazier, who is also a big fan of Duke basketball, “I knew what I needed to do, get to the basket as quick as I could and finish.”

Frazier dribbled to the left wing and spun back towards the middle of the key where she collided with two defenders as she flipped up a shot that rattled around the rim and dropped. Her ensuing free-throw knotted the score at 46.

“We drew it up to get her the ball and for her to get to the hoop, and good things happen when that happens,” stated Tancredi.

Shelton scored the first three points of overtime, but freshman Marlie Zocco tied things up with a clutch three-pointer as the Indians closed the tourney game on an 8-1 run.

It marked the program’s first tournament victory since 2010.

“In pregame we said that anything can happen in a state tournament game and we knew they were going to play us tough. We came out a little bit slower tonight, but good teams find a way to win and we found a way to win.” said Tancredi, who is in his first year leading the Indians, “They made a little bit of a run, but we were resilient. We persevered and we made plays at the end.”

“Shelton has a terrific offense, they run you around the whole time and they set phenomenal picks. I give respect where it should be given,” added Frazier, who helped close out the game on the defensive end.

Up 53-50 with nine second remaining in the extra session, Frazier stole a pass and was fouled. She split the pair of free throws, putting the finishing touches on a 20-point, 7-rebound, 5-assist, 3-steal performance.

Before things got wild late, Newington had controlled the game’s tempo with their defense which surrendered only 14 points over the first two quarters.

Tancredi was shorthanded coming into the opening round game, down two starters in Karissa Zocco and Alexie Armour.

The early offense came from seniors Maya Gajowiak and Olivia St Remy, who combined to score 13 points in the first half.

Gajowiak continued to fill it up in the second half, finishing with a season-high 16 points.

“She’s just gotten better as the games have gone on. She really stepped up in her role tonight,” Tancredi said of Gajowiak, who added eight rebounds, “She’s been big for us and it only helps us and makes us stronger when we have everyone back and healthy.”

St Remy did her usual damage down low, racking up 20 rebounds for the third time this season. It was the 14th time that she’s reached double-figures in rebounds.

Tuesday night could have been the final game for Gajowiak, St Remy, and the team’s two other seniors, Aby Flores and Erika Cuevas.

“Before we got on the court we said that this could have been our last game. We try and stay upbeat on the court because we never know. We always want to know that we fought hard,” said Gajowiak.

Frazier spoke with the seniors spoke prior to Tuesday’s tip and they all agreed that this group had some unfinished business.
Over the past three years Frazier has created a strong bond with the seniors, especially Gajowiak.

“We’re like best friends, we sit in classes together and eat lunch together. We can joke on and off the court and the whole time we’re laughing. I’m truly grateful for her and I cherish every moment that I have with her on the court,” said Frazier, who is following in the footsteps of her mentors at NHS, which include recent graduates Abrial Murray, Ariel Keen, and Ali Houldcroft.

“Abrial taught me how to pass and Ariel taught me how to have fun on and off the court. Ali as well, she helped me learn how to laugh. I was always so serious and I would always get down on myself. They taught me how to get over things,” said Frazier, who was born in Missouri and moved to Newington when she was seven years old, “They ‘re like family to me. Literally they all just text me today.”

Their tutelage and friendships have provided Frazier the confidence, and now the dynamo guard is making the most of her time on the court with a variety of celebrations and comic relief with her current teammates.

At one point in the third quarter Frazier chased a loose ball out of bounds and her momentum carried her through an open doorway. She reappeared through a connecting doorway a few moments later, drawing laughter from the entire crowd.

“The whole team feeds into the celebrations,” a smiling Frazier said, “It’s not just in games, I’ll do it in practices and then the next girl will do it and the next girl will do it too. Or they’ll make a shot on me and they’ll do their own celebration. I think everyone gets into it.”

Like Kobe, it’s basketball 24/7 for Frazier.

She recently joined the Mass Elite, which is one of the most successful club basketball programs in New England.

“It’s high school, AAU, fall league, high school. And there are no complaints,” Frazier said of her yearlong basketball regimen.
But before she can join her Mass Elite family, she’s got more work to do with her high school family.

Last Friday was a second-round triumph over #10 Glastonbury, 55-44, at NHS.

[Karissa] Zocco and Armour returned to the lineup, combining for 24 points.  Zocco finished with a game-high 18 points on six three-pointers.
Frazier was her usual well-rounded self, finishing with 13 points, 10 rebounds, seven steals, and six assists.    

Next up are the Class LL quarterfinals. The Indians enters with a record of 22-4, including the postseason, and will look for win #23 against the #2-seed New London Whalers.

Not bad for a team that went through a coaching change in the offseason when Tancredi replaced the departing Rick Bangs.

“A lot of the coaching styles were the same and the ones that changed, changed positively,” said Gajowiak, “In practice we do a lot more drills that are game-like. A lot of it is 5v5, 4v4, 5-4. A lot of game-like situations.”

Win or lose, the current group at Newington has set a new standard for success on the scoreboard and as teammates.

“Whenever someone is down, we’re always there for each other,” said Frazier, “It’s we over me.”

The quarterfinals bout is Thursday, March 7 at New London. Tip is 6 p.m.