Rams can’t slow Warriors
Wilton remains unbeaten with strong second-half showing
WILTON — In the moments following the Wilton boys basketball team’s latest victory, senior cocaptain Kevin Hyzy sent a clear message.
“We’re happy,” Hyzy said, “but we’re not satisfied.”
The Warriors were put to the test on Friday night, trailing at halftime for the first time this season before rallying for a decisive 63-40 win over New Canaan at Zeoli Field House.
Known for their uptempo offense, the Warriors’ defense took the leading role this time as they held New Canaan to just eight points in the second half.
A 10-0 run to open the third quarter erased a fivepoint deficit and put Wilton ahead for good at 37-32.
“Today was a good thing,” Wilton coach Joel Geriak said. “New Canaan came out shooting and we were down. They punched us in the mouth and we (were) down by 10. It was good to see our kids respond to it and they reacted by playing better defense.”
The Warriors remained unbeaten at 6-0, and have won their first three FCIAC games, knocking off Warde, Norwalk and New Canaan during the past eight days.
New Canaan had a hot start shooting, nailing eight 3-pointers during the first half to gain the lead. The Rams, who have lost three straight after a 4-0 start, couldn’t carry the momentum into the second half.
“We played excellent basketball in the first half and we’ve got to find a way to be more consistent and play that way for 32 minutes,” New Canaan coach Danny Melzer said. “That’s especially true in the FCIAC against really good teams with experience. We’re learning on the job and the effort of these kids and the energy is A-plus.
“The second half didn’t go well at all, but in the first half, we looked like a team that is building towards something good.”
The Warriors had four players hit double digits, including Kevin Hyzy, who netted 13 points in the second half and had a teamhigh 15 overall. Tommy McKiernan, Craig Hyzy and Max Andrews each scored 10.
After scoring 27 in the first half, Wilton was moving up and down the court quickly in the final two quarters, led by point guard Parker Woodring.
“We want to play uptempo,” Geriak said. “We had 27 in the first half and we want to be in the 60s and 70s range (for the game). We made sure we got out in transition, pushed the tempo and got some breaks.”
For the Rams, Mike Sanseverino had a team-best 11
points, nine of which came on a trio of 3-pointers. Jack Hladick had 10 and Santi Lacayo had eight.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Kevin Hyzy, Wilton: The senior continued to lead the Wilton offense, scoring 15 points and leading the second-half charge with 13 in the final two quarters.
QUOTABLE
“New Canaan is always tough and they came out hot. We knew coming into the second half it was going to be about our defense, especially in the first four minutes. We reinforced the intensity, kept it up, and the offense came back in the second half.” — Wilton senior Kevin Hyzy