Playing on the road against a conference rival, Newington girls’ basketball rose to the occasion and beat Glastonbury 55-39 in the quarterfinals of the Class LL state tournament at Glastonbury High School on March 8.
Sophomore sensations Bela Cucuta (18), Selah Prignano (18), and Kendall Miller (12) led the offensive charge, combining to score over 81% of the team’s points. After the home Guardians had whittled a double-digit lead down to a single point, the Nor’easters defense began to swarm in the second half, allowing only 11 points total over the final 16 minutes. “At this point in the season, defense is going to win basketball games,” stated NHS head coach Marc Tancredi. “I know we can score the ball, we just need to get stops and that’s what it came down to. “ A three-pointer from Cucuta put the No. 5-seed Nor’easters up 21-10 within the first minute of the second quarter and it looked like Newington would run away with the game. But the No. 4-seed Guardians, who won 17 of 20 regular season games, were not about to go quietly into the night and went on a 20-8 run to narrow the deficit to 31-30 in the early stages of the third quarter. Sophomore Maddy Handrahan led the Guardians’ rally, scoring seven of her team-high 17 points during the scoring run. Tancredi said he emphasizes the basics to his team during Glastonbury’s surge. “Just be great at the simple plays, the 50/50 plays,” Tancredi preached to his team in an effort to swing the momentum. “Basketball is not a hard game, do the simple things great and we’ll put ourselves in the position because we have players that are talented that can score. If we can dominate those little aspects of the game we will put ourselves in that position.” Newington responded with a 6-point run, capped by another triple from Cucuta. Cucuta, the team’s leading scorer this year, also starred on the defensive end, racking up a career-high six blocks. “It’s about defensively getting stops and consecutive stops, and I thought we did a much better job in the second half at building that lead,” added Tancredi. Later in the third, Miller nailed a three-pointer to prompt a 9-0 run to put the game out of reach. Miller scored seven of the nine points during the run. “She is our unsung hero; she does all the dirty work,” Tancredi said of Miller, who added 10 rebounds, four assists, and three blocks. Junior captain Ella Stair added seven points in the victory, which advanced the team to the state semifinals for the second straight season.
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Rocky Hill’s Dom Violette celebrates a goal during the Terriers upset win over New Milford in the first round of the state tournament on March 6. Photo credit – Brian Beausoleil Photography.
After starting the season with four straight losses, the Rocky Hill co-op ice hockey team closed the 2022-2023 campaign with a bang by upsetting New Milford 3-0 in the opening round of the Division III state tourney and then knocking off Tri-Town (6-1) in the quarterfinals round. The multiple town team—featuring players from Rocky Hill, Middletown, Plainville, Haddam-Killingworth, Bristol, and Vinal Tech—entered the state tournament as a No. 15-seed following a 7-13 regular season and pulled the biggest upset in hockey this season, eliminating the No. 2-seed of New Milford, who won 17 of 20 games in the regular season. “The boys did a nice job at preparing themselves both physically and mentally, and then they just executed,” Rocky Hill head coach Dave Dubos recalled. “They were confident and focused on what we needed to do.” Rocky Hill’s tourney win was shocking on many levels. Along with a 15-seed eliminating a 2-seed in the state tournament for only the second time since 2008, they also avenged a 5-0 loss to New Milford on Dec. 28. At the time, the December loss at New Milford dropped the Terriers to 0-4. Despite the discrepancy in records and the early-season shutout loss, the Terriers felt like they were equals heading into the tourney bout. “I felt like we were going to win; I believed that we would come out on top,” recalled Dubos. “We knew we could compete with them and match them, and that’s what we went out and did.” Rocky Hill flipped the script in the tourney rematch as goalie Kyle Kundrath (Vinal Tech) put in a masterful performance in the opening round win, shutting out a New Milford team that was averaging nearly seven goals per contest in their previous 10 games—all wins. Dubos praised Kundrath for his dedication, saying he is one of the first players at the rink every day. “He’s an amazing teammate and outstanding goalie,” added Dubos. “To shutout a team like that is really commendable.” Tyler Poulin (Rocky Hill), Dom Violette (Rocky Hill), and Olaf Talar (Plainville) netted the goals for the Terriers. It was an extra special night for Poulin, who was coming back from a broken collarbone he suffered in the team’s second scrimmage this winter. Because of the time table for recovering from the injury, the only way Poulin would play again is if the team made the state tournament. After losing 11 of their first 13 games this season, the Terriers ended the season by winning five of seven, including four of their final five games. The late-season push earned the battle-tested Terriers a spot in the tourney and allowed Poulin to finish his senior season on the ice. “We have a lot of ‘whys’ and getting Tyler back on the ice and making states was one of them,” said Dubos. “Having him back has been huge. That has helped us tremendously with our confidence.” In the quarterfinals win over Tri-Town, the offense ignited for six goals, the team’s second most in a game this winter. Talar netted two goals, while Poulin, Violette, Cole Bates (Rocky Hill), and Zachary Harmon (Bristol) also scored. Kundrath was again stellar between the pipes. Captaining the team on the ice through the memorable season are Poulin, Violette, and Tanner Phillips (Middletown). Dubos said his captains have been “tremendous” with helping mesh all the pieces together by organizing workouts in the offseason and calling the trio “an extension of the coaching staff.” “All three of them have been here since the birth of this program three years ago. They live and breathe our values,” added Dubos. “These guys have set the expectations high and held everyone accountable.” This is the third season for the local co-op in Rocky Hill. They were previously part of Wethersfield co-op before the Eagles turned into a town-only program prior to the 2020-2021 season. Following last season’s 6-13-1 finish, the Terriers reapplied for the co-op and added the Bristol schools and Vinal Tech in the offseason, welcoming in more players and more moving parts. 12 of the 22 players this year had never played together and the early–season struggles reflected a growing period. Dubos said it took a while to find the right chemistry but the commitment was there from day one. The team practices in the wee hours of the morning, getting to the rink around 4:15 a.m. and starting practice at 5 a.m. “It’s 22 guys that didn’t know each other coming together like brothers, creating a family. In three months they did that and that is pretty powerful,” stated Dubos. Along with winning a pair of memorable state tournament games, the Terriers also closed the regular season with a 5-0 win over Northeastern as the team played their Cancer Awareness Charity Game, collecting donations for a good cause and honoring families that have lost loved ones. Dubos said the charity game was a reflection of the player’s willingness to play for a cause greater than hockey, which they have done all season. “They played selflessly and they are committed to each other and committed to the program,” added Dubos. “They are giving us everything they have.” Despite 75% of the team’s roster being underclassmen, Glastonbury High School ice hockey made the state tournament after a strong finish to the regular season.
The Guardians blanked South Windsor, 2-0, in the regular season finale on Feb. 25 to wrap up a seven-win campaign. Head coach Ken Barse called the win over the Bobcats of South Windsor the team’s most complete performance of the season. “I saw a 45-minute effort,” recalled Barse, praising the efforts of goalie Patrick Sullivan and standout defensemen Drew Hazard and Sean Huempfner. Sullivan made 22 saves, registering his second shutout of the season despite playing with a broken thumb for the last dozen games of the regular season. Barse said Sullivan, a sophomore who has started every game the last two years, has become the foundation of the team. Ben Howey and Jack Christina provided the offense in the team’s final win, each finding the back of the net. The Guardians—who entered the state tourney as the No. 15-seed––had their season come to a close in the first round of the Division II tournament, falling to 2nd seed Woodstock on March 7. It was the final game for Hazard, Howey, and Sean Sullivan—the team’s three seniors. Barse said the seniors had to take on more responsibility this year because of how young the rest of the roster was. Hazard was named team’s Hobey Baker Award winner—given to the team’s most outstanding player. Barse called Hazard one of the smartest players he’s ever coached. Howey was in his first year playing with the Guardians, previously playing club hockey before finishing out his high school hockey career at GHS, and Barse said that he provided a missing element this winter. “Ben brought that edge to the hockey team that we have been missing for years. He’s always on the edge of a penalty, but his heart and energy is unquestionable,” added Barse. “He’s an electrifying player that sparked a lot of fire.” Because of the lack of experience, Barse was forced to play several young players this winter. Many of his players, including starters, were learning on the fly and had to suffer through several setbacks during games. “I look down the bench and I see how young these guys are. But now they are so battle tested,” added Barse. “They have been put in situations that most freshmen and sophomores don’t get put into. It is very promising for the next couple of years.” Along with many positive moments, like the win over South Windsor and a tie with powerhouse Simsbury, the team suffered some heartbreaking losses, most notably a pair of one-goal losses to Farmington and Newington in February. In the loss to Newington, the Nor’easters scored two late goals, including a controversial game-winner in the closing seconds to win 5-4 Barse called the last-second loss the most disappointing in his 27 years on the bench. He added that those are the types of growing pains that a young roster has to endure, saying the losses are “a sign of a young hockey team.” The cupboard should be full next season with 18 of 21 players returning. Leading point scorer Michael Rodriguez will return to lead the offensive, while Huempfner, who Barse called a “rock” and a “warrior”, will head the defense. Ben Jean, who Barse described as “gritty” and “dependable”, is also returning along with Liam Resto, who starred as a freshman before breaking his collarbone in the Newington game. “Right now we’re kids without beards and we’re playing kids with beards,” stated Barse. “I’m hoping two years from now I’ll see some full beards on some of our kids.” The 7th grade Glastonbury boys travel basketball team celebrates after finishing an undefeated season on March 5. Picture (front row) from left; L.J. Bigliazzi, Jesse Carabase, Matt Roby, Noah Young, Aiden Patel; (back Row) assistant coach Justin DeLisa, assistant coach Brendan Ristaino, Jake DeLisa, head coach Dee Patel, Noah Wallace, Teddy Ristaino. (Hidden in back row) Dacio Nigam / (not pictured) Armaan Garbera.
The 7th grade Glastonbury boys travel basketball team, a part of the Glastonbury Basketball Association (GBA), completed an undefeated season by winning the North Central Connecticut Conference (NCC) 7th grade championship, polishing off a 19-0 season with a 35-26 victory over Simsbury in the title game on March 5. It ended a remarkable run for the local squad featuring 10 players who hadn’t played together prior to the season. Head coach Dee Patel said it took a few games for the team to find their footing, but once they did he knew they had something special brewing. “It takes a lot of time to get that cohesiveness with a team, but by the third or fourth game it just clicked,” recalled Patel. “They were a group of boys that were really selfless and they all had the same goal of wanting to win basketball games.” And winning they did—convincingly. 16 of the 19 wins were by 10 or more points and they outscored the opposition by a total of 352 points (18.5 points per game). With each passing victory, the visions of an undefeated season became clearer. Patel said the players were very much aware of the undefeated season, yet remained focused on the next opponent. “What we talked about in our overall discussion was that no one puts more pressure on us than we do,” added Patel, who sensed a more confident group as the season aged. “Over time they started to develop that relationship and they started to know where each other were on the floor and they made that extra pass,” he added. “They all knew their roles. No one tried to go beyond the scope of what we were trying to do and that made them super special.” The culmination was the championship victory over Simsbury. Both teams displayed stout defensives, but ultimately Glastonbury’s teamwork and tenacity prevailed, with all 10 players contributing to the win. Shooting guard Aiden Patel led the team with 10 points and center Teddy Ristaino had his best game of the season, scoring six points and hauling down several rebounds. Armaan Garbera continued to demonstrate his athleticism on both sides of the ball, leading the defensive charge by holding Simsbury’s primary scorer in check and causing multiple turnovers throughout the game, and Jesse Carabase also starred on the defensive end. Guards L.J. Bigliazzi, Matthew Roby, and Dacio Nigam kept a high tempo, while big men Jake DeLisa, Noah Young, and Noah Wallace countered the oversized front-court of Simsbury. Aiden Patel and Garbera were the leaders of the court, being named team captains midway through the season for their contributions. “A lot of what they did on the floor, it was never about scoring points. It was about how they find that right player on the floor, how do I make a difference on defense,” Dee Patel said of his captains. “They did all those little things that go unnoticed.” Dee Patel, who coached the team with assistants Justin DeLisa and Brendan Ristaino said the undefeated championship run is something he will not forget. “They were a very special group of boys,” said the proud coach. “I can’t stop smiling when I think about it. It was such an incredible journey.” Glastonbury junior captain Connor O’Leary is defended by Trumbull’s Sean Racette in the 4th quarters on last week at GHS. The Guardians would lose the game in overtime, eliminating them from the state tournament.
The boys basketball team at Glastonbury High School played three solid quarters at GHS and then ran out of gas in the Division II state tournament, losing 59-55 in overtime to Trumbull on March 7. Leading 29-28 at the half, Glastonbury came out of the halftime locker room on a mission and scored six of the first nine points of the second half. Junior captain Connor O’Leary scored eight of his game-high 21 points in the third quarter as the Guardians took a 43-38 advantage into the fourth. Then the well dried up as Glastonbury managed only two points over the final eight minutes of regulation. O’Leary had a chance to give Glastonbury the lead in the closing seconds of regulation but his shot rimmed in-and-out before Trumbull’s Ryan Johnston was just off the mark on a three-quarter court shot at the buzzer. After Brandon Fowler providing the visiting Eagles a 47-45 advantage in overtime, O’Leary tied it with a pull-up jumper, but a 7-0 scoring run by Trumbull secured the lead for good in the extra session. Johnston led Trumbull with 17 points, while Fowler and Sean Racette each added 13. Glastonbury sophomore David Smith scored 16 points and grabbed a team-high six rebounds in the loss. “We missed shots,” said GHS head coach Jim Vaughan, whose team made only three shots in the fourth quarter and overtime. “We got tired and we started to miss.” Vaughan added that the team missed Adam Molusis, who was the team’s point guard and has been sidelined since February. Molusis was one of five seniors on Vaughan’s roster this year, joining Jordyn Sams, Owen Peterson, Gage Haines, Brendan Hutt as players who will be graduating this spring. Sams, a team captain, allowed the Guardians to take control of the game in the second quarter by scoring eight straight points, including back-to-back three-pointers. He was the ultimate utility player this winter, starring on defense and finishing the tourney game with five rebounds, three assists, and a pair of steals before fouling out in overtime. Despite battling a slew of injuries the last two seasons, Vaughan said his handful of seniors were instrumental in evaluating the program back to pre-pandemic levels. “They played hard and they are a great group. I will miss them,” added Vaughan. “They got us back to where we should be. We had a long year last year because of injuries, but we are back to where we need to be.” The team won 14 of 20 games in the regular season, winning the first four games to start the season and going on a six-game winning streak during February. Vaughan won his 300th career game during February’s win-streak when the team defeated E.O. Smith on Valentine’s Day. “If we were whole I thought we would have a real good chance to win a bunch of games in this tournament, but every game we are trying to piece it together who is going to handle the ball and who is going to do what,” reflected Vaughan. The team’s 15 total wins was the most the team has had since the 2019-2020 season. They should be strong again next season with the return of the team’s two leading scorers in O’Leary and Smith. East Hampton team captains Brady Lynch (left) and Nate Ireland discuss strategy coming out of a timeout during the Bellringers state tournament loss to Wolcott on March 6. The loss ended the season for East Hampton, who won double digit games for the second straight season under head coach John Antolini.
East Hampton High School boys basketball team fell to Wolcott, 65-56, in the first round of the Division V state tournament on Monday at EHHS, ending a year of growth for the young Bellringers. “We showed a lot of energy on defense, but we just had too many breakdowns,” second-year head coach John Antolini said following the elimination loss. “They were a little quicker than us and when they made their runs we had some breakdowns and offensively we just didn’t have it tonight. It took us time to adjust to their defensive pressure.” East Hampton sophomore Brady Lynch scored a game-high 21 points, yet the deep rotation of the visiting Eagles was too much for the scrappy Bellringers to overcome. Wolcott’s high-octane approach overwhelmed East Hampton in the first few minutes of the game, allowing the Eagles to jump out to a 6-0 lead. Antolini said his team looked a little “nervous” from the opening tip, but credited his team for settling in after the unsettling start. Lynch had consecutive contested layups and Austin Cuthbertson drained a jumper to counter Wolcott’s six-point run. The teams continued to trade buckets throughout a physical first quarter, which ended in a 16-16 tie. Wolcott again started quickly in the second quarter, scoring the first eight points and added another scoring spurt to start the third quarter, upping the advantage to 36-25 in the first few minutes of the second half. But as they have done all year, the Bellringers battled back as they attempted to save their season. Sophomore Jadin Sawyer ignited a third-quarter run with consecutive baskets on offense and a pair of blocks on defense. Cuthbertson then drained a three-pointer to pull the Bellringers with 36-34 at the 2:50 mark of the third. After Wolcott built the lead back up to seven points, Sawyer sank a deep three-pointer to bring the Bellringers within 43-39. Sawyer scored nine points, all in the second half. Antolini said that Sawyer has shown a lot of growth as a sophomore, playing a major role in key games this winter. “Offensively he has been a big asset,” added Antolini. “He has developed into a great player and now he just has to apply that in all three phases.” East Hampton remained within striking distance throughout the third quarter, but ultimately Wolcott had just too much firepower. The Eagles ended any chance of a comeback with an 8-0 scoring run to start the final quarter, increasing the lead to 51-39. Quinten Outlaw (18), Terrance Stevens (17), and Joe Ferrucci (13) led a balanced scoring attack for Wolcott. Antolini called his team “young and learning.” “We haven’t gotten over the hump in a few of these 50/50 games,” added Antolini. “We fought hard to come back, but we were very much out-of-sync tonight and we just didn’t have enough in us.” The loss ended Antolini’s second year on the Bellringers bench. East Hampton won 12 of 20 regular season games in Antolini’s first year running the program and, despite losing eight sensors to graduation, the team again won double digit (10) games this year. The loss to Wolcott was the final game for seniors Nate Ireland and Nick Chunko. Ireland averaged a double-double (scoring over 10 points and grabbing over 10 rebounds per game) and did a lot of the dirty work down low. Chunko spent a majority of the season as the team’s sparkplug off the bench before earning his way into the starting lineup with a strong finish this winter. “Their leadership has been amazing,” Antolini said of his departing seniors. “They are going to be missed and they taught a lot of these young guys how to play the right way.” Lynch, who averaged over 20 points per game and was named to the All-Shoreline Conference (SLC) first team, will lead a strong nucleus coming back next season. Following the conclusion of his second season in East Hampton, Antolini is optimistic that the building blocks are in place for a fruitful future. “They showed a lot of energy, they showed a lot of heart and hopefully they are helping me build a culture for years to come,” said Antolini, who was pleased to see several of the players who graduated a season ago supporting the team from the stands. “These guys fought hard all year and it’s unfortunate we didn’t come out on the right end, but we had a great year.” RHAM’s 4x800 relay team won a state championship and broke the school-record this winter. Student athletes from the left; Cam Rhodes, Konrad Jandzinski, Josh Gauthier, and Sam Fortin are flanked by coaches Mark Logans and Olivia Mondo.
After RHAM’s 4x800 relay team of Sam Fortin, Josh Gauthier, Konrad Jandzinski, and Cam Rhodes won a Class M state title the only left to do before celebrating was to throw up. Three of the members of relay team had run to exhaustion, causing Gauthier, Jandzinski, and Rhodes to each take turns vomiting into a nearby trash can. The fun-loving trio joked with Fortin that he “didn’t run hard enough” — sparing him a visit to the receptacle. Next was the celebration. Along with winning the state title, the four set a new school-record with a time of 8:19.58 to edge runner-up Ledyard (8:21.75) at the Floyd Athletic Center in New Haven on Feb. 11. It was the third time the team broke the school’s 4x8 record this season, first breaking it at the East Coast Invitational (8:33.25) on January 14 and then re-breaking it at the Central Connecticut Conference (CCC) with a time of 8:25.93 as the relay team captured a conference championship on Jan. 28. With their time at the state meet, the team had put the original record in the dust, smashing the previous mark of 8:43.40 set a season ago. “Our initial plan was to break the record and we weren’t sure if we could do it, but we demolished it every single time and we just kept going,” recalled Rhodes, who added the success can be linked back to chemistry. “We are all really good friends; we trust each other to do what we are supposed to do.” Jandzinski added the team was confident heading into the state finals, adding, “We knew it would be close, but we were sure that we had it in us. We knew if we ran a good race that we would be able to win, and we did it.” Prior to the season, winning a state title wasn’t really on the foursome’s radar because never ran a relay together. Now, three months later, they stood atop of the podium at the class meet and etched their names in the RHAM record books. “When we came into the season we didn’t really expect any of it, so it kind of came out of nowhere,” recalled Fortin. “All of it is very exciting.” Gauthier added that the four were following the lead of RHAM’s ultimate record-breaker, Liam Calhoun, who shattered multiple running marks prior to graduation last spring. “We had a terrific leader the previous year,” Gauthier said of Calhoun, who is now running for Wesleyan University. “He achieved a lot and we wanted to follow in his footsteps, so we wanted to work hard and so we could get the state title.” The four agreed that the key to any successful relay team is building a rapport, along with each member knowing their role. Fortin runs the first leg of the relay and sets the stage, saying, “I just want to get out hard and get us a lead and set a good pace for the rest of the race.” In any relay the first exchange is crucial and the exchange between Fortin and Gauthier was on-point at the state meet. “Sam does a great job,” said Gauthier, whose job is to maintain the pace as the second leg. “I always try to stay with the person in front of me and keep the people behind me. That doesn’t always happen, but that’s the goal.” When Jandzinski took the baton for the third leg, his goal was to keep the momentum going, saying, “I was trying to keep us close and make sure Cam has a good chance at finishing and closing.” Once Rhodes got his turn, the team was in second place, but the speedster did what he does best on the final leg. “My teammates know I have a good finishing kick, so my mindset is to keep with those people in front of me and find that good opportunity to kick,” recalled Rhodes, who blazed into first place and never looked back. Once the team had hurled and hugged, they realized they had set a new standard of excellence for future relay teams at RHAM to shoot for. They had also qualified for the State Open and would eventually qualify for the Nike Indoor Nationals, which will take place in The Armory in New York City from March 10-12. It will mark the first time that any of the four will compete on a national level. “Competing at state meets is really challenging, but this is going to be another level of competition,” stated Gauthier. “Hopefully we can beat the record (again) if things go to plan. I think it will be a good experience just to see what a national meet is like.” GHS senior Lola Awofala defends Trumbull’s senior captain Elizabeth Lynch during the Guardians state tournament win last Friday. Awofala was great on both ends of the court, powering a defense that held Trumbull scoreless in the third quarter.
Senior Lola Awofala did a little of everything as Glastonbury High School girls basketball defeated Trumbull, 38-29, in the second round of the Class LL state tournament at GHS on March 3. Awofala scored seven points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and blocked four shots as the Guardians used a dominant defensive effort in the second half to eliminate the visiting Lions of Trumbull from the tourney. Glastonbury, who entered the tournament as the No. 4-seed after finishing the regular season with a record of 17-3, had an extended layoff between games and Awofala said the team remained focused in practice and approached the game with the right mindset against the No. 14 Lions. “No matter what our regular season was there was always the possibility that we might not continue on the rest of the season, so we wanted to play as hard as we can together,” stated Awofala, who is one of five seniors on the roster. Trailing 21-20 at the half, the Guardians changed up the defensive strategy entering the second half, which worked to perfection as Trumbull failed to score a single point the third quarter. “We made a little defensive shift. We got into a compact zone, just to try and switch up some tempo,” said GHS head coach Chris Vozzolo, who credited assistant coach Tim Bosworth with the halftime adjustment. “We certainly didn’t expect to stay in it for 16 minutes, but after we held a good team like Trumbull scoreless, we decided to stick with it. The change in tempo proved to be a good answer.” Awofala led the surge on both ends of the court after halftime. She scored the first five points of the second half, converting an old-fashioned three-point play and then scoring on a rebound put back on the following offensive possession, giving Glastonbury a 25-21 lead. She also locked down Trumbull’s senior captain Elizabeth Lynch, who scored the first four points of the game, but was held without a point the rest of the night. Glastonbury outscored Trumbull 12-0 in the decisive third quarter and Awofala credited the team's defensive connectivity in the zone for securing the scoreless quarter. “We pride ourselves on our defense,” added Awofala. “We had to remember that practice makes progress, not perfect, so let’s keep progressing.” Sophomore Maddy Handrahan scored a game-high 15 points, including seven straight in the third quarter. Awofala set up Handrahan on a three-pointer midway through the quarter when she received a pass on the right post and immediately fired a pass to Handrahan, who drilled a straight away triple from top of the arc. Playing the team’s first game in 13 days, it took a while for the Guardians to settle in. They were held without a field goal for the first five minutes of the game until junior Lily Woodworth lifted the lid on the basket by nailing a three-pointer. As she has done all season, Woodworth sparked Glastonbury off the bench by scoring seven points, all in the first half. Awofala said team chemistry and a strong support system has been the key to the Guardians success on the court. “We have a great bond; we love each other so much,” added Awofala. “We lift each other up, and I think we carry that to the court with how we treat each other.” Vozzolo said that Awofala development this season has been “unbelievable.” “It’s because she is smart and has all these amazing characteristics,” added Vozzolo. “She is willing to learn and willing to lead.” After starting the season with consecutive losses, Awofala admitted that her confidence was low. “I beat myself up and I wasn't as confident as I should be,” recalled Awofala. “It was important for me to turn the page and I think now I’m the most confident that I have been.” The win over Trumbull was the team’s 19 win in the last 21 games. For the third year in a row, the Armored Artemises won the Connecticut State FTC (FIRST Tech Challenge) Championship—finishing ahead of 23 other teams to take home the Inspire Award at Wolcott High School on Feb. 18.
FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is a robotics community that prepares youth for the future through a suite of inclusive, team-based robotics programs. Armored Artemises, a Glastonbury community robotics team consisting of students from middle and high school, will now head to the World Competition in Texas next month. Robotics is an interdisciplinary branch of computer science and engineering that involves the design, construction, operation, and use of robots. Along with excelling at robotics, the team of eight members is equally passionate about making STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) more accessible to girls and gender minorities. The team’s mission is to introduce youth to STEM through fun, hands-on experiences such as FIRST. Armored Artemises was founded by current members Audra Becher and Harlow Ton-That, who wanted to take their interest in robotics to another level. “It started as an all-girls team because we wanted to provide an inclusive environment for girls who were interested in STEM and robotics,” recalled Becher. “After four years we decided to become a gender minorities team to become more inclusive to transgender and non-binary students as well.” Ton-That first became interested in robotics in kindergarten after attending a FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) for the first time, calling the initial experience “the coolest thing” he had seen at the time. Becher and Ton-That were on a FIRST Lego League (FLL) team together in grade school and wanted to expand on their passion, creating a team that is now a three-time state champion. The robotics season runs from January through April and each year the strategy for competition changes, meaning the robot will change too. Armored Artemises’ current robot is named Wazowski and the team’s goal at the beginning of the season was to make it a one-of-a-kind. “A majority of the robot is costume made, which is cool and new this year,” said Ton-That, whose father Hoa Ton-That is one of the team’s coaches. “Most of the parts are made specifically for this robot.” The team’s founders have also been inspirations for others who have become team members. Ananya Lingamallu joined the team after being mentored by the pair of founding members during her days in FLL. Lingamallu said being with the team has taught her so much more than just robotics. “Not only do you get to learn about the technical part by working hands-on, but you learn a lot through our outreach and the judging interviews for the awards help you get more confidence,” stated Lingamullu. Anya Mishra, Atikan Nakacharoensith, Bella Weidmann, Carina Weidmann, and Isabella Noelle Objero are the five other members that make up a team that is excelling in and out of competition. Lingamallu’s mother, Prasanthi Lingamallu, is one of the team’s coaches. “Just being involved with them and seeing how they approach things, I am incredibly proud,” stated Prasanthi, who added that team members are “trailblazers” because of the work they do outside of robotics. Outreach is also a big part of the team’s mission and the team has spent over 500 hours dedicated to outreach events to further the agenda of making STEM more accessible to girls and gender minorities. Last September, the team attended the New Haven Pride Festival, showcasing the robot and allowing the kids at the event to operate the machine. They also used a custom laser cutter to create pronoun pins, which they sold at the event. The team is also working with the University of Connecticut (UConn) Electrical and Computer Engineering department to organize the Husky Robotics Invitational that will be held on June 17 at the McHugh Hall on campus in Storrs. UConn will be offering tours of the campus robotics lab and introducing participants to the school’s new robotics major, offering a pair of scholarships to seniors who are interested in the new major. All of the hours of dedication to robotics and outreach have added up to three straight Inspire Awards at the state competition. The Inspire Award is the most prestigious award and is given to the team that best embodies the challenge of the FIRST Tech Challenge program. The team that receives the ward is considered a strong ambassador for FIRST programs and shares their experiences, enthusiasm and knowledge with other teams, sponsors, their community, and the judges, as well as showing success in performing the task of designing and building a robot. The Covid-19 pandemic canceled the World Competition the first year the team won the award in 2021. This year will mark the second consecutive year the local team will attend the massive event featuring over 190 teams from across the globe. It will be the team’s last time using Wazowski in competition before repurposing the machine for next season. Worlds are scheduled for April 19-22 in Houston, TX and the team is looking for sponsors or help with funding the trip. A GoFundMe–gofund.me/3eeb2da7–has been started to help in these efforts Visit armoredartemises.org to learn more about the team, or if you are interested in becoming a sponsor. Wazowski is a one-of-a-kind custom robot created by the brilliant minds of Armored Artemises. Rocky Hill’s #14 Kate Oostendorp defends Bassick’s Natae Campbell, while #12 Alyssa Gau guards Jazmin Williams during the Terriers state tournament win at Rocky Hill High School on Feb. 27.
The four seniors on the Rocky hill girls’ basketball team played together for the final time at RHHS, earning a 68-27 win over Bassick in the opening round of the Class MM state tournament last Monday night. Kate Oostendorp, Alyssa Gau, Christina DeNovellis, and Abi Boutin—all team captains—walked off the home court for the final time after four seasons in which they have helped transform the program back into contenders. Playing an unfamiliar opponent in Bridgeport-based Lions of Bassick High School, the Terriers used crisp ball movement and a smothering press defense to jump out to an early lead and never look back. “We wanted to come out and get on top of them early,” said third-year head coach James McKinnon. “Our press is relentless and we wanted to put the pressure on them and force them to play faster than they wanted to.” On the Terriers first trip down the court, freshman Kelsey LaMay scored before Gau stole a pass and converted a layup. DeNovellis then scored in transition following a perfect lead pass from Oostendorp, making the score 6-0 within the first minutes of the game. “We always play so much better in our home gym with our fans. It’s a much better atmosphere” said Oostendorp. “I think it helps the whole team get really pumped up and helps with morale.” DeNovellis said that the players get energy from the home court fans, adding, “Everyone on this team is involved. No matter who is in the game, the whole team is cheering for them.” LaMay finished the tourney contest with a game-high 14 points. She starred on both ends of the court, also registering six steals and grabbing a handful of rebounds. McKinnon said his first-year point guard had her two best practices of the year in the days leading up to the tournament game, which translated to the game. “Kelsey was unbelievable tonight; she is a fearless player,” added McKinnon. “She is a warrior and she played like that tonight.” McKinnon was also impressed with the team’s defensive pressure, particularly how they got into passing lanes. He praised Oostendorp, who has three steals, for her defense on Bassick’s standout junior Natae Campbell. Campbell was held to five points, none coming after the first quarter. Oostendorp also delivered offensively, scoring four straight points to put the Terriers up 11-2 lead midway through the first quarter. Gau closed the opening quarter by canning a triple from the baseline with an assist from LaMay. Starting quickly was important for the Terriers who were playing their first home tournament game under McKinnon and considering the game time was moved up because of the incoming snow storm that occurred later that night. “It was really nice to get our nerves out. We were so excited the entire day, we couldn’t wait for the game,” stated Gau. “We just wanted to get out here and play our best.” After Bassick scored to start the second quarter—narrowing the gap to 16-10—Rocky Hill went on an 11-0 scoring run, leading to a 25-point quarter, ballooning the advantage to 41-15 at the half. Freshman Katie Harding scored seven of her 13 points during the second-quarter scoring barrage. DeNovellis said it’s been rewarding to watch Harding and LaMay during their first year on the high school courts. “Honestly it has been great to watch them grow,” added DeNovellis, who stars on the low block with Harding. “I feel like we’re all more comfortable on the court and all of [the seniors] have supported them.” With a large halftime lead, the seniors played sparingly in the second half and McKinnon was able to have them exit the game together after DeNovellis delivered a perfect bounce ball to Harding for the layup, putting the home team up 59-27 with 4:21 left in regulation. Boutin said the best part of the senior’s time at RHHS was “creating that bond with each other and creating that friendship.” Several of the team’s future stars shine in the second half. Along with LaMay and Harding doing their normal damage, fellow freshman Madisyn Aurigemma scored eight points. It was an extra special night for Aurigemma, who was celebrating her birthday and was surprised by her teammates, who collectively sang “Happy Birthday” to her following the conclusion of the game. Junior Faith Belliveau also added eight points, all in the second half, and sophomore Angelina Daly scored six and had several pinpoint assists over the final 16 minutes. But the home finale was about the departing seniors. When they were freshmen, the team won only three games and then the foursome endured the restrictions of the Covid-19 condensed season as sophomores during McKinnon’s first year with the team. Over the last two years the team won 25 games, including 14 total games this winter. The 14 wins are the most for the program since the team made the state semifinals in 2017-2018. Oostendorp said the best part about the team was “how much they cared about each other.” “It’s cliché to say this team is a family, but it really is,” stated Oostendorp. “We all hang out so much, and being at practice for two and half hour every night we’ve all bonded so much and that bond has a allowed us to be that successful.” Gau added, “We’ve played together since middle school, so it’s amazing to see each other grow throughout the years.” The No. 14 seed Terriers tourney run came to an end when they fell to No. 3-seed Sheehan in Wallingford 49-37 on March 2. Aurigemma led the way with 14 points, five rebounds, and three steals in the loss. It marked the end of the season for the Terriers and the end of the roundball road for the four influential seniors. |
AuthorSports Editor for the Rare Reminder, Glastonbury Citizen, and Rivereast News Bulletin Archives
December 2023
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