16 Red Summary of Memorial Day Tourney. Game 1 vs. CT Storm 15's: Tremendous offensive half for both teams as the Red jumped out to a 34-30 lead. Reynesha Archer (Manchester) sparked us in the first half as she had 8 points and 4 rebounds, three of them offensive. Jen Ruys (Lyman Hall) made great post moves and dropped in 11 points and Damika Martinez (Platt) had 12 first-half points. The Storm team was undeterred as they dropped in 8 three-pointers for the game and stayed close until the last 5 minutes as the Starters pulled away for a 70-59 victory. Archer finished with 11 points and Martinez with 20 points and 6 assists.
       Game 2 vs WBA Knicks: The Starters attacked the hoop and were rewarded, going 13-14 from the line en route to a 35-27 halftime lead. Leading the way was Alexis Vazquez (Berlin) with 13 points, including 3 three-pointers and handled the point as Martinez got some well-deserved rest. Sara Kelley (Newtown) had 15 points and 3 steals and 16 Red won convincingly 61-48.
       Game 3 vs WBA Knicks 15's: Good team who spread the floor and shot the ball well, WBA attempted 30 three's for the game and made 10 of them. Our approach was a little different as we only made 3 three-pointers but got layup after layup, attacking them long. They had no answer as we slowed down only for halftime leading 45-27. The second half saw more of the same with the final score of the Starters winning 81-61. Lindsay Karle (Lyman Hall) shot 7 for 9 and dropped in 16 points, with a variety of attacking moves off the dribble. Jen Ruys (Lyman Hall) had 10 points and 4 rebounds and Elise Chase (Rockville) had 8 points and 7 rebounds including a deep three pointer. Amanda Cormier (Wethersfield) had 4 points and 4 assists along with a very nice hesitation move to the hoop.
       Game 4 vs Kingston Vipers: Another incredible start as Starters 16 Red missed less than 5 shots in the first half on their way to a 48-31 halftime lead. Was it too much to ask for the same in the second half? Possibly, as we just sort of slowed down, cooled off considerably and the Vipers got hot and drew to within 7 points. Elise Chase (Rockville) and Reynesha Archer (Manchester) were sent in to specifically stop two of the Vipers and they did their job. Damika Martinez's (Platt) number was called three times down the stretch and each time we needed her she delivered, scoring 6 of her 16 down the stretch as the Red won 67-62. Sara Kelley (Newtown) had 13 and Lindsay Karle (Lyman Hall) had 19 points and the team was a perfect 16-16 from the free throw line! All in all a pretty good weekend.
       Team Notes for the weekend the Red shot 60 for 74 form the free throw line.

       This weekend the CT Starters 16 Blue started off our Summer Classic Tournament versus the CT Northstars. We were able to shake the rust off early (15-2 deficit) and get a victory, winning 46-40. With contributions from all players, Alexis Marek & Lindsey Henry led all scorers with 8 apiece. Kelly Riddle (1), Alexa Vernadakis (3), and Mariah Berry (3) knocked down some 3’s from behind the arc. Defensively, we were able to regroup and all 5 players on the court worked together to seal the win.
       Game 2 versus WBA Knicks was a tough loss. With the Knicks leading at the half 22-20, the lead went back and forth and the game was kept close until the final 4 minutes of the game. We struggled to get a score and stop, which made it hard to get the game down to the wire. Ashley Jordan took over in the second half and led all scorers with 11. Alexis Marek hit the boards and led with 7. Defensively we allowed too many of their players to contribute offensively, but we never gave up during the game. This game was one that we had to reflect on and realize we had to come ready to play and put together an entire game. The final score was 44-38.
       Game 3 versus the Louminati All-Stars was one that was up and down the court. 8 out of our 9 players contributed on the offensive end. We went down 33-29 at the half and with some halftime fuel, we came out determined to turn the half around and play like we’re capable of playing. Despite offensive scoring from Kelly Riddle (11), Becca Pope (13), and Lindsey Henry (9), we lacked a full effort on the defensive rebounding end and allowed several of our opponents to score double digits. We didn’t give up and played with what we had, but it was just a game that got too far out of reach for us. Ellen Donohue had 4 steals defensively while Ashley Jordan and Becca Pope shot 100% from the free throw line. We lost by the final score of 67-57.
       Our final game of the weekend ended on an awesome note. We pulled a win off against Waterbury P.A.L. that showed no matter what, a game "isn’t over until it’s over". Ellen Donahue was clutch from behind the arc, knocking down four 3’s, including back to back 3's with less than 25 seconds left to erase a 6-point deficit and send the game into OT. Mariah Berry's "and one" 3-point play with 11 seconds left turned out to be the game winner. Maura Hall was the game’s effort winner, getting down and hustling for loose balls. Overall, I was very proud of the girls and how they executed end of the game directions during “CRUNCH TIME”. This win was nearly as much about the win, but more so about the fact that when you’re down in a game you can either rise to the challenge or back down. The girls, without hesitation, stepped up to the challenge and came up with a victory in our first overtime game of the season. The final score was 50-49. This was a win that was won by the players, not the coaches.

       15 Red Memorial Day Tournament. The Starters were back in action after a weekend off against the Luminati on Saturday. 15 Red came out a little flat and had trouble taking care of the ball in the first half tallying seventeen first half turnovers. Sarah Benedetti led all scoring with 15 points and both Loren Pachesa and megan Roux had 10 points. The Starters only had a four point lead at the half, but they took control in the second breaking out to a 60-43 lead. It was not the best basketball, but it was a win for the Starters.
       Game 2 of the holiday weekend was against the Next Level Athletics. 15 Red came out strong and showed the N.L. Athletics what they were all about. The lead at half was 22 points and the Starters never looked back. Sarah Benedetti scored 20 points and Taryn Roy and Kerri Stolle both chipped in with 6 points. It was a well rounded effort by all and the Starters had another victory with the final score of 48-20.
       The first game on Sunday morning the Starters knew was going to be tough. They were matched up against a very talented WBA Knicks from New York. Despite the poor shooting by the Starters, they found themselves in a ball game at the half with a score of 25-23. The game was a defensive clinic put on by the Starters led by Ashley Kinney who also had 10 points and five rebounds. Loren Pachesa (5 steals) led all scorers with 17 points and did a great job maintaining composure against a very scrappy and aggressive Knicks team. Sarah Raftery played well and pulled down 10 rebounds and Sarah Benedetti earned a double-double with 10 points and 17 rebounds. The game was won by the team that worked the hardest and really executed on both ends of the floor. The Starters were playing as a team and held on for a huge victory over an excellent team, 60-49. This was a well deserved win and balanced effort by all members of the 15 Red team.
       The final game of the weekend was against the CT Storm. The coaches were worried about a let down after such a big win in the morning in the last game of the weekend. They were right--the Starters came out lethargic and sloppy, but still managed to have a 27-8 lead at the half. The second half was better and the Starters held on for their foruth win of the weekend. Sarah Benedetti found her shot and hit for 18 points. Tara Higgins did a great job on both ends of the floor with 8 rebounds and 6 points. Jessica Frawley scored 6 points and had three assists and Ashley Kinney had five steals. Ali Berman had a great game scoring seven points and four assists and three steals. The final score was 59-33.
       The 15 Red had a great weekend. The win against the Knicks was one to be proud of and really showed how the girls have started to play together as a team. This weekend was a great way to get prepared for our next weekend in Albany. Have a great day off tomorrow and we will see you all Tuesday 7-9 at East. A job well done ladies!!!

       Hello Folks- This is Jesus (pronounced Hay Zeus) doing the write ups this week. No, I was not the guy on the sidelines in the last game. 14 Red finished 3-1 at the Connectiuct Starters tournament this weekend. With a few more made layups, the team would have gone 4-0. Nonetheless, it was a positive and productive weekend. It is the second consecutive tourney that the team has gone 3-1.
       The team played all four of their games at St Joseph's College in West Hartford. The first game on Saturday was versus the WBA Knicks. We got off to a strong start and led 29-16 at the half. We cruised to a 52-27 win. Ashley Petrarca (Taft School) (who has class on Saturdays!) got to the game shortly before the tip-off and scored 18 points. Cassidy Caravella (Somers HS) added 15 including 2 three-pointers. A.J. Levy (Maloney HS) scored five points on 5-8 from the free throw line.
       The second game on Saturday was versus the CT Cobras. We got off to a good start but trailed 22-21 at the half. It was a nip and tuck second half. We won a close game by the score of 40-36 (It remained close basically because we shot 5-15 from the line). Cassidy Caravella scored 19. She hit three 3-pointers and was 4-6 from the line. Gabby Desisto (Hamden HS) scored on a nice pass from Ashley Petrarca to seal the victory.
       The first game on Sunday saw us play the CT Cougars. It would turn out to be a frustrating loss for us. We had difficulty with layups and free throws. We shot 8-16 from the charity stripe. We were down 22-20 at the half. Kristen Van Gilst (Lewis Mills HS) hit a 3 to help us stay close. We were down 18-9 and closed the half on a 11-4 run including Kristen's three ball. We lost 44-38 in a game that saw us have numerous second chances. Cassidy Caravella scored in double figures for the third straight game, with 14 points. Chelsea Foster (Avon HS) had five including 3-3 from the line. Brie McClelland (Mercy HS) had a beautiful left hand lay up and was fouled on the play to give us a 1 point lead.
       The last game of the weekend saw us play Team CT. Team CT only had 5 players as some of their regulars were missing. Making her 14 Red debut was Rachel Franzluebbuers (East Catholic HS). She scored 9 points and we won easily by the score of 54-30. Olivia Sutherland (Lyman Hall HS) hit a three pointer, as the team nailed 5 overall for the game. Claire Laing (Rocky Hill HS) was lights out as she hit three 3's during the second half. Kayleigh Shaughnessy (Fermi HS) scored her 5 points in the first half as we led 24-17 at the half.
       Team Notes: Our record is now 13-7, winning 6 of the last 8. We will practice this week to prepare for the Albany Capitals tourney next weekend (Wolf Road here I come!). Congratulations to Kayleigh as she marched in the parade in Enfield on Sunday morning. Great job girls, remember the schedule for Albany will be out soon and it will be tough. Be ready for tough practices on Tuesday and Thursday. 'Til we meet again, may your head be up to avoid walking into walls and missing lay ups.

       East Catholic was the home of 14 Blue as we opened up play in the CT Starters Summer Classic. Our first game of the weekend was against the Wescon Fillies. The Fillies jumped out on us early and often as they found the Starters asleep and unmotivated in the beginning moments of the game. We struggled to get ourselves going offensively as we missed too many scoring opportunities and found ourselves in a lot of one on one situations. We trailed 28-16 at the half. We were hoping that the second half was going to be our half; however it was even worse than the first. The Fillies outplayed us in every aspect and deserved the win. Final score: Wescon Fillies 64, Starters 38. Megan Schuppe (Avon), Sara Hubbard (Hartford) and Carrie Polomsky (Wethersfield) combined for 28 points in the loss. Rachel Franzluebbers (East Catholic) and Brenna Roy (Stafford Springs) combined for 8 pts, 12 rebounds and 3 steals.
       Next up was the LI Renegades. The Renegades like to run and press and that was something that we didn’t allow them to do for the majority of the game. With that being said, we played some strong basketball both offensively and defensively with our matchup zone. The trio of Dana, Brenna and Sara on the top of our matchup gave the Renegades fits as they struggled to identify what they were attacking. We trailed at the half but it was a completely different team than we saw earlier in the day against the Fillies. The second half began and we did a better job of handling their pressure as we moved the ball well and made the extra pass to get our teammates open looks. Consequently, their lead started to decrease more and more, eventually leading to LI calling a time out with 8 minutes to go with the score 23-19. Their coach got their players refocused, as they picked it up offensively and defensively and outscored us 12-4 over the next 3 minutes. 14 Blue didn’t have enough to answer back but that didn’t stop them from hustling to the final whistle. Final score: LI Renegades 48, Starters 31. Megan Schuppe and Sara Hubbard led the team in scoring with 13 and 10 respectively in the loss.
       8:30am was the time for our first game of the day as we played the CT Bandits. We traded baskets early on, but as the half went on the Bandits started to impose their will as they made the big plays offensively and defensively to give them a 13 point lead at the half. I believe the half-time speech motivated our girls as we started to play with some confidence and it showed on both ends of the floor. The girls came all the way back to take the lead with under 4 minutes to go behind a 3-pt basket by Sara! The Bandits battled back and we traded baskets until the final minute of the game. We turned the ball over on a defensive rebound and they scored on the next two possessions to give them the lead for good. Trailing by 6 with under 12 seconds to go, we marched down the floor but took too much time to get Megan open for a 3 point shot…she ultimately knocked it down, but there were only 1.1 seconds remaining. The Bandits completed a pass against our pressure man-to-man to hold on for the win. Final score: CT Bandits 45, Starters 42. Megan and Sara led the team once again in scoring with 20 and 18 respectively in the loss.
       Our final game of the weekend was against the CT Cobras. We got off to a very slow start as both teams struggled to find their groove against the opposing defense. Megan Schuppe got us going offensively as she attacked the basket strong; however, she was called for 2 offensive charges and was forced to sit on the bench for the rest of half. With that in mind, we had to play the rest of the half with the 5 on the floor as we only had 6 players total for this contest. Nonetheless, we held a slim 1 point lead going into the half. The second half came and the girl’s energy was much improved as we started to get out on our “break”, which consequently gave us an opportunity to press which led to more easy baskets. Before you knew it, our lead went from 1 to 15 and we coasted to a 10 point win. Of note it was great to see Dana Queno (Wethersfield, 2 pts, 4 steals, 3 assists) attack the basket with some confidence. Sara Hubbard (19 pts) Megan Schuppe (13 pts) and Demis Christodlous (Berlin-10 pts) led us in the scoring department. Final score: CT Starters 50, Cobras 40.
       Weekend Notes: Want to give a big thank you to all the parents and players who helped out at East Catholic, especially Mr. Queno, Caponigro, and Polmosky as you guys did a great job. Want to continue with our best wishes to Allie Caponigro, who hasn’t played since the Storm Tourney. Our last game of the weekend saw everyone who played scored!

       The CT Starters 12-Red team played this weekend in the CT Starters Summer Classic. It was a very successful weekend for the Red 12 Team.
       Opening game of the tournament was at The Pope John Paul School in New Britain against the CT. Cougars. The Starters led off strong against their opponents. Leading the scoring for the 12's was Missy Bailey with 10 points including two 3-pointers. Margaret Frawley hit a 3 pointer at the 7 minute mark to put the Starters up by 10 points and it seemed to kick the offense into high gear. Nikki Nash chipped in with 6 points along with Sarah Thompson and Lexy Prince scoring 4 points apiece. Coach Eco's team executed their half court offense in splendid fashion. When they were called to play pressure D, both Caroline Teti and Lily Dolyak seemed to make all the plays which led to a load of transition points. Off the bench, Mika Howard had 2 quick steals which led to 2 points by Lexy Prince and Kelsey Clemens and a Starters 31-10 halftime lead. In the second half Sarah Thompson had her best scoring output of the season. Thompson scored 10 points, scoring at will inside the paint. Nikki Nash also added 8 points in the second half. Nikki Nash and Sarah Thompson ended up scoring 14 points apiece, leading a balanced attack for the Starters. Final Score: Starters 58- CT. Cougars 29.
       In Game Two action, Starters Red 12's played against the CT Rage. In the first 5 minutes both teams couldn't muster much scoring. The Starters carried an 6-2 lead with 10 minutes left to play in the first half. Nikki Nash had 4 points at that point when Margaret Frawley hit a 3 pointer with 9:50 left to play. It seemed to ignite the Starters as Caroline Teti stole an inbounds pass feeding Missy Bailey, who hit a 3 pointer. Lily Dolyak then scored the next 6 points for the Starters, one on a nifty left handed layup. Mika Howard entered the game near halftime and forced a Rage turnover that led to a Lexy Prince basket, giving the Starters an 18-8 halftime lead. In the second half, the Starters outscored their opponents 21-10. Lexy Prince was the recipient of 3 terrific inside passes by Missy Bailey. Bailey used her quickness to the basket to dish off to both Prince and Nash, exhibiting great versatility as both scorer and playmaker. Final Score: Starters 42- CT. Rage 21.
       In a matchup of two undefeated teams, the CT Starters were matched up against the CT Cobras led by Coach Brannan. In first half action, Lexy Prince led all scoring with 8 points, along with a team leading 8 rebounds. Missy Bailey tested the Cobras defense by driving to the basket. She was continually fouled by the Cobras and attempted 8 foul shots. Caroline Teti and Lily Dolyak slowed the quick Cobras backcourt up the court, keeping them from getting into any kind of offensive scheme. Margaret Frawley and Mika Howard were summoned from the bench on numerous occasions to keep pressure on the Cobras backcourt. The Cobras scored the last 2 points before halftime which gave the Starters a narrow 18-17 halftime lead. Second half play was as exciting a half of basketball as you could get from two teams. The Cobras had 7 players contributing offensively in the second half. The Starters put a lot of pressure on the Cobras defense. Sarah Thompson had 2 quick rebounds along with a steal to lead the Starters defensively starting second half play. Lily Dolyak and Missy Bailey continually drove to the hoop forcing the Cobras to play tough defense. For her effort, Lily Dolyak went to the charity stripe 6 times along with Missy Bailey 4 times. Dolyak scored 4 points along with Bailey's 5 points to soften up the Cobras defense. Kelsey Clemens contributed 8 points in the second half along with a gritty, tough showing by Lexy Prince with 10 second half points to keep this game very close near the end of the game. Nikki Nash had a basket to keep the Starters up by 4 points with 1:25 remaining. The Cobras answered offensively and tied the game with 8 seconds remaining. With the score tied at 47, time ran out for the Starters as they crossed the half-court line and the Starters faced their first overtime game of the season. It is all about who plays better basketball in a 2 minute overtime period. Baskets by Kelsey Clemens and Missy Bailey pushed the score to a Starters 51-47 lead. Each time the Cobras brought the ball upcourt, Lily Dolyak and Caroline Teti made the Cobras guards work very hard, eventually leading to one costly turnover that resulted in a Bailey basket. Final Score: Starters 51- Cobras 47 in OT.
       The Middlesex Rage led by Coach Appleby was the final test for the Starters. A victory over their opponents would give the Starters a 4-0 tournament record. Front-court play by Lexy Prince (6 points) along with Nikki Nash and Kelsey Clemens (4 points each) led all scorers at halftime. Lily Dolyak and Missy Bailey each had 2 points. Margaret Frawley helped out with one steal and two rebounds to close the halftime scoring, giving the Starters a 20-11 lead at halftime. With a nine point lead at intermission, the Starters needed only 16 more minutes of basketball to improve to 16-5 in overall play for the season. Caroline Teti scored 4 points in the first 5 minutes of second half play, hitting jumpers from the outside. Mika Howard calmly hit a jumper near the 3 point stripe. Missy Bailey had a 3 pointer along with another bucket to chip in with 5 points in the second half. Sarah Thompson had a basket to increase the lead to 13 points for the Starters. Again, Lexi Prince and Kelsey Clemens each scored 6 points in the second half to push the outcome of this game to a 46-24 Starters victory.
       The Starters Red 12 Team travels to Albany May 30-31 to play in The Albany Capitals Summer Slam. They will be playing at the University of Albany-SUNY's PE Gym-Building 2 on Saturday May 30th at 11:50 AM; their opponent will be the Bethlehem Orange. Later that day, the Starters will play the FM Starz at 5:40 pm. On Sunday, the team will play Whipple City Magic at 11:25 am, with the possibility of advancing to the finals at 1:35 PM. See you there.

       The Starters 11 Red team went 2-2 this past weekend at our own Summer Classic tournament. Our first game started off against the CT Storm. In our first meeting against the Storm, we lost by one. In this game we played very solid defense and worked the ball around on offense. We won this game by a score of 39-33. Cindi-Rose Morgan lead all scorers with 14 points and once again was very aggressive on the boards, leading the team with 9 rebounds. Natalie Ruel had 8 points and shooting 2-2 behind the arc. Michaela Marcus had 6 points and 4 steals.
       The second game of the day was against the Wescon Fillies. After a sluggish start, we pulled together and once again played good defense. We came up short in the end, losing 28-24. Nicole Rojas had 5 points and 4 assists. Jeanna Willis and Hannah Michalik played great defense, as they rattled their guard players, forcing a lot of turnovers. Jessica Berry and Tashai Price combined for 7 points and 14 rebounds.
       Our first game on Sunday was against CT Tsunami. This game showed that we can share the ball. Everybody scored in this game as we ended up winning 40-33. Morgan led all scorers with 15 points and 7 rebounds. Berry and Rojas chipped in with 5 points apiece. Willis had 3 points and dished out 5 assists.
       In our last game we played against a very talented WBA Knicks team. We did not play our best basketball in this game. Michaela Marcus had 11 points and 4 steals and Natalie Ruel chipped in with 4 points. Tashai Price continued to be big on the boards and grabbed 7 rebounds. Hannah Michalik once again played solid defense for us and diving for the loose balls.
       We have the next two weekends off but will work to continue to get better in our practices.

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