Bellringers Bounced by Rival, Set Sights on Tourneys

East Hampton head coach Shaun Russell addresses his team during a timeout in a loss at Cromwell. The Bellringers have won all but two games this winter.

East Hampton girls’ basketball had an 11-game winning streak snapped following a 47-30 loss to Cromwell on Tue, Feb. 8. 
           
Prior to the loss, it had been 49 day since the Bellringers suffered defeat and the win streak started with a come-from-behind win over Cromwell on Dec. 28.
           
For Shaun Russell and his young Bellringers, the loss was merely a bump in the road. 
           
“It’s a Tuesday night, They don’t hand any trophies out tonight,” Russell said after the loss, “I think anytime you play a game like tonight—that is a mental game, a physical challenge—even if you win, these types of games help. This environment was raucous tonight and for a team with our level of experience it is something that we have to learn to play with and play through. Overall I have no problem with tonight, tonight is a good thing in the long run.”
           
The Shoreline Conference rivals traded blows for the first 16 minutes, exchanging the lead eight times. Jackie Russell, who scored 10 of her team-high 13 points in the first half, put East Hampton up 15-13 when she cut backdoor and received a perfect bounce pass from Liana Salamone with 6:30 to play in the first half. Salamone then gave the Bellringers their final lead of the game when she drained a pair of free throws to make it 20-19 with less than a minute to play in the half.
           
Salamone, a freshman, finished with 10 points in defeat.
           
Cromwell held a 21-20 lead at the half and then scored 25 of the next 33 points, including a 12-0 run spanning the third and fourth quarters, to break the game open and hold on for the win.  
           
Nevaeh Clark scored 13 and Jessica Grodzicki added 12 as the Panthers improved to 12-2.
           
“Tonight we got beat by a very good team, who played well. They deserved to win. They did a good job at doing the things they are good at and we have to adjust,” added Russell. “We have to stay focused on getting better and we have to learn something from tonight. There are lessons in this game tonight. It’s a reminder of the ways we need to grow and keep working on.”
           
During the 11-game win streak, East Hampton was efficient offensively, scoring over 40 points in each game and scoring over 50 four times, including a 70-point outburst against Portland on Jan. 21. 
           
The 30 points the Bellringers scored at Cromwell was their lowest scoring output since the 28 they produced at Valley Regional in the game prior to the winning streak. 
           
“Any time that we share the ball I think we are pretty good on that end of the floor,” said Russell, who added that the team made great improvements on the defensive end during the winning streak.  “Defensively they have impressed me and their work ethic has impressed me. I like the group we have and love getting into the gym with them. They work hard and tonight was a hurdle that we didn’t get over. There were some challenges and we didn’t meet them.”
           
Following the Cromwell loss, East Hampton rebounded with three-straight resounding wins.
           
On Feb. 9, they dominated Parish Hill by 49 points (69-20), holding an opponent to 20 or fewer points for the sixth time this season. Two days later, they downed Haddam-Killingworth 49-29 behind a dozen points from freshman Katie Ireland and eight points from Jordan Murphy. On Monday, they won a thriller over North Branford, 47-45, coming back from an eight-point halftime deficit to bring their overall record to 17-2
           
Next up is the Shoreline Conference (SLC) Tournament followed by the Class M tournament, which is slated to begin on March 1. 
           
Currently the Bellringers have the best winning percentage in the SLC and are tied for the second-best winning percentage in Class M. 
           
​Russell hopes to see a confident team on the court once the postseason tourney starts, adding, “Our maturity is building; every day they get a little better. For the most part our defense has been a security blanket, so I would like to see our group feel good offensively.”

East Hampton’s Jordan Murphy looks to pass as she is defended by Cromwell’s Adela Cecunjanin on Feb. 8 at Cromwell High School.