Rocky Hill Girls Basketball Scores Milestone Victory

Rocky Hill Kistryn Arcata at the four line

Allyson Toulouse has stressed defense since the first day that she took over as the girls’ head basketball coach for the Rocky Hill Terriers. It didn’t take long for her message to be received by her players, who are rewarding the first year head coach with tenacious defensive efforts on a nightly basis.

Their latest effort resulted in a season-defining 58-48 victory over the previously undefeated RHAM Sachems at Rocky Hill High School on Friday night. It marked the first time the Terrier girls have beaten the Sachems since joining the Central Connecticut Conference.

“I told {the team} how proud I was of their unselfishness on offense, their intensity on defense, and their poise during all four quarters,” Toulouse said following the game, “I felt that Friday night was the best team basketball we have played yet. We are such a defensive minded team, and that showed so much in this game.”

RHAM came into the contest with a perfect 10-0 record and were led by 2013 Gatorade Player of the Year, Sarah Veilleux. Veilleux, who has committed to playing collegiately at St. Joseph’s University in Pennsylvania, came in averaging over 35 points per game this season.  She finished with 38 points Friday night, but the Rocky Hill defense frustrated her and her Sachems’ teammates with an incredible defensive scheme. Toulouse deployed a full-court trapping-press defense for most of the game, which helped give the home team an early lead, which they never relinquished.

The relentless team-defense allowed Rocky Hill to dominate the game’s tempo from start to finish, RHAM’s only lead of the game was 2-0. Rocky Hill senior captain guard Valerie Kobialka’s layup put the Terriers up 4-2 and Toulouse’s girls never looked back from that point on. They closed the first quarter on a 9-0 run, thanks to two mid-range jumpers by Kraymer Bond and the defensive energy of Madison Stabile.

Stabile came off the bench and energized the Terriers with her smothering defense and basket-attacking mentality on offense. The sophomore sensation finished the game with a team-high 13 points and added a handful of steals and rebounds. She also single handedly thwarted a Sachems comeback late in the third quarter. Following an 8-2 run by RHAM, the Rocky Hill lead was cut to 38-31 with 2:32 left in the third quarter. Stabile swung the momentum back towards Rocky Hill with back-to-back layups proceeded by a steal on a cross-court pass. She then grabbed an offensive rebound and finished off glass for her sixth straight point. Bond finished the third quarter with a layup of her own, and the 8-0 Terriers’ run gave the home team a comfortable 46-31 lead heading into the final quarter.

Kirstyn Arcata was another of Rocky Hill’s deep rotation of girls that had a big night on both ends of the court. The senior sparked the Terriers with nine of her 11 points in the second quarter. She also was assigned the tough task of defending Veilleux for most of the night. Arcata was able to keep Veilleux from getting inside the key and forced her to shoot difficult jump shots. Her defensive endeavor worked and led to several transition points for the Terriers.

“As a coach, there is nothing better than having a deep rotation,” Toulouse said about the team’s depth, “We are able to sustain our defensive intensity because of that. {The players} know what it takes to go hard for 32 minutes, and it fuels their emotion and energy for the entire game. You can see if on their faces.”

After the monumental win, it is clear that Toulouse’s preseason defensive vision has come to fruition and that the team is playing with continuity. After starting the season 2-4, the Terriers have won six of their last seven games and are hitting their stride at the right time. The tournament is less than a month away and the team is playing with a confidence that is almost tangible inside the gymnasium.

“We have to continue to get better every day, and never be satisfied,” Toulouse said about preparing for a tournament run, “The girls are buying into the system, our team philosophy, their trust in each other, and now we are winning because of it.”

“We are peaking at the right time, and I am excited for the next month and half of basketball,” Toulouse added, “This victory is a testament to our relentless hard work, our will to win, and desire to be better.”

The team will look to keep the momentum going into February when they travel to Hartford for a 7 p.m. tip with E.O. Smith on Thursday. Toulouse and her Terriers will then return home for a pivotal game versus Hartford Public on Monday Feb. 3rd. The conference game will tip at 5:30 p.m. at Rocky Hill High School.
 
High School Girls Basketball Round-Up　

Cromwell Back to Championship Form
Coach Kelly Maher has her Cromwell Panthers playing at championship level, winning eleven straight games since losing the second game of the season. The latest victory was a 53-31 domination of Old Saybrook.

Janelle Harrison is making the most of her senior season, averaging a 17 points and nine rebounds per contest, while shooting a team-high 49% from the field. Fellow senior captain Emily Appleby has assisted Harrison, dishing out five dimes a game.

Maher said earlier this season that Harrison and Appleby have been mentoring the younger players, prepping them for a tournament run. One of those players is sophomore Mya Villard, who has been tremendous on both ends of the court, scoring 11 points and hauling down 10 rebounds per contest.

Cromwell next travels to the shoreline on Thursday for a rematch with Old Saybrook, who they have defeated the last 13 times. Following the game with Old Saybrook, the Panthers will return home with a chance to avenge their only loss of the season on Thursday, Feb 6th when they battle the Morgan Huskies. The winner of the game will have sole possession of first place in the Shoreline Conference. The game with the Huskies is scheduled to tip at 7 p.m. at Cromwell High School.
 
Wethersfield Forced to be Road Warriors

The Wethersfield Eagles started the season losing three of the first four games, but since then they have reeled off six wins in their last eight contests. This run has Michelle Libby’s girls are on the cusp of their first tournament berth in four seasons.

“The girls have matured tremendously since the first game.” Coach Libby said, “Their ability to make smart decisions on the court is the biggest factor. They are showing they can close out games. They have learned from last season's struggles and experiences and are demonstrating they are stronger and better competitors this season because of it.”

The Eagles are in the midst of a brutal five game road trip, which started with a 51-25 loss to Glastonbury last Friday. The good news is that, following the road trip, the team will finish the regular season playing their last three games at home, starting with rival Manchester on Feb 10th for a 7 p.m. tip.
　
Newington ‘s Seniors Leading the Way

As seniors, Stasha Greenalch and Kayla Guest have not only accepted the leadership role on for the Newington Indians, but they have also assumed a bulk of the offensive responsibility. The two seniors have kept Newington afloat in the highly competitive Central Connecticut West Conference. Greenalch is averaging 15 points and six steals per game and Guest is adding 13 points and six rebounds per game.

Despite a loss to Northwest Catholic last Friday night, Newington is 7-5 and remain in contention for a tournament berth. They are chasing five teams ahead of them in the conference standings. One of those teams is Simsbury, who they edged 30-28 earlier in the season. They have a chance to leapfrog the Trojans in the standings if they can beat them again on Friday, Jan 31. Tipoff is 7p.m. at Newington High School.

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