New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Valley girls shine at JCC Schoolgirl Classic
TRUMBULL — The first JCC Schoolgirl Classic in three years turned into a bit of a Valley party.
Seymour’s Kenzie Sirowich was named the game’s MVP and Sacred Heart Academy senior and Derby resident Rosa Rizzitelli won the Hustle Award.
It was fitting that two girls from the Valley stood out while being coached by Notre Dame-Fairfield coach and Seymour alum Maria Conlon.
“It was amazing playing for (Conlon). I have trained with her in the summer and watched her teams and always wanted to get coached by her,” Rizzitelli said. “I really appreciate everything about this experience. It was a lot of fun. We all play well together. We all know our skill levels and appreciate each other and feed off each other. I loved it.”
The West team, coached by Conlon and St. Joseph coach Chris Lindwall, beat the East team coached by Tim Tredwell of Hand and Rob Smernoff of Middletown 91-84 in the game held at St. Joseph’s.
The Valley connection did not end there as Notre Dame-Fairfield forward Sarah Macary is from Naugatuck and will be playing at Franklin Pierce next year with Sirowich.
The two have never played together before this week but already have a bond they feel will carry over to college.
“I get to play with Kenzie next year and I am super excited about that,” Macary said. “I can already feel the connection with us. We have that connection already and we will be looking to win a lot up there.”
Sirowich is the best player to come through Seymour High since Conlon dominated the NVL and getting to play for the hometown legend is something she has been dreaming about.
“It was truly an honor to be playing for her,” Sirowich said. “Everyone was asking if I was going to try and beat her scoring record but I think that deserves to be hers. She is the greatest of all time from the Valley. It really was an incredible honor being on this team.”
Conlon holds the JCC Classic scoring record with 39 points and was joking before the game she would have to pull anyone if they got close.
Conlon did admit Sirowich would be the one player she might let make a run at it because of the Seymour connection.
“This was a fun group to coach,” Conlon said. “Any time you get to coach players of this talent level, it is fun as a coach. I have formed a relationship with a lot of these girls over the years and it was awesome to get to see them in action today. This is what it’s all about. They haven’t had this game in a couple of years and it was a great crowd out today. It was a great opportunity for the girls.”
Sirowich drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key for the game’s first points but with so many talented players on the court, nobody was getting close to 39 and Sirowich even passed up open looks to get teammates involved at times.
Sirowich finished with 18 points while Caroline Lau of St. Luke’s had a team-high 20, hitting five 3-pointers.
For the East, Milly Walker of Waterford had a game-high 22 points.
For all the players, the week of practice with some of the best players in the state and a playing a game in front of a big crowd minus the pressure of the regular season was a perfect cap to their high school careers.
“Playing with the girls we normally play against and getting to play one more time with my teammate Dennaye Hinds was an amazing opportunity,” St. Joseph center Kirsten Rodriguez said. “It was fun and we all had a great time, especially getting to play on our home court one last time. Some of these girls are going to play at good schools and some of them might be going pro at some point. It’s amazing to be able to play with them.”