Sun attempt to remain WNBA’s only undefeated team tonight in Atlanta
The Connecticut Sun have been very good a mere five games into the WNBA season.
Connecticut has also caught some lucky breaks, something head coach Curt Miller readily admits.
The Sun (5-0) are the league's last unbeaten team headed into today's game at the Atlanta Dream (McCamish Pavilion, 8 p.m., NBCSB). It's the third game of their four-game, seven-day road trip.
The Dream (2-3) are the first team Connecticut will play that has their entire team. Its other opponents were without key players to either injuries or overseas commitments.
“You are what your record says you are”, to quote Bill Parcells, and the Sun have played very well. On the other hand, it's somewhere between foolish and lunacy to make definitive judgments on any athlete or team after just a few games. Especially against undermanned opponents.
“We've been very fortunate,” Miller said. “This league is about talent and luck ... how your schedule plays out ... can you stay healthy."
Moriah Jefferson, Kayla McBride, Kelsey Plum (Las Vegas Aces). Candace Parker and Jantel Lavender (Los Angeles Sparks). Shenise Johnson (Indiana Fever). Stefanie Dolson and Allie Quigley (Chicago Sky). Elena Delle Donne and Tayler Hill (Washington Mystics). All were either hurt, ill or overseas when their teams played Connecticut.
“We have not played a team at full strength,” Miller said, “but it's not like we're the only team playing those (teams).
"Certainly, a little bit of luck has gone our way . ... We caught Washington (Sunday) playing its fourth game in six days. You could see how that
Hinckley then switched to a different pole for his attempts at 14-0, knowing he likely couldn't achieve the jump with the one he had been using. On one attempt he landed facefirst in the pit, drawing laughter from a few teammates standing nearby.
“It was just a little too big for me,” Hinckley said, smiling.
Stonington's Cam Whalen also finished in a tie for second place in the 110-meter hurdles, not what he had hoped for as the top seed coming into the race. Whalen, however, bumped a hurdle mid-race and had to recover. Deshaune Poole of Hillhouse won with a time of 14.57, with Whalen and Nicholas Pronovost of Coventry in a dead heat for second at 14.60.
“At first, definitely, yeah,” Whalen said, asked if he was disappointed with the result.
“The first half of the race I was ahead; I was feeling pretty good. I hit one pretty good on my trail leg. After that, I had to gather myself. If not, those runners will catch up to you pretty quick. They all had a good race. … I was feeling it, to be honest, in the beginning.”
Whalen then came back to finish fourth in the 300 hurdles, placing despite not being in the fast heat. Whalen won the second-fastest heat in 39.61.
Other top boys' finishers were NFA's Chris Hebert, third in the javelin (171-9); Waterford's Shayne Beckloff, fourth in the 100 (11.11); NFA's Brenden Sholes, tied for fourth in the high jump (6-4); East Lyme's Dylan Hatajik, fifth in the 200 (22.40); Ledyard's Collin Wiltshire, fifth in the triple jump (45-1.25) and Stonington's Rhys Hammond, sixth in the 800 (1:53.96). East Lyme's 4x800 team of Sam Whittaker, Chris Abbey, Matthew Kung and Ryan McCauley was sixth in 8:05.45.
NFA's Allyson Lewis, among the favorites in the high jump after a meet-record leap of 5-8 to win Class LL a week ago, also faced a glitch in her plans. Lewis uncharacteristically missed her first attempt at 5-4 — she's jumped a season-best 5-9 this spring — shaking her confidence.
“Just a bad day,” Lewis said. “My goal was to make each jump. When I missed that one … I don't know what happened. I was just nervous today. I definitely let my head get to me today.”
Lewis cleared 5-4 on her second try, but later missed all three attempts at 5-6 and finished fifth.
Other top local girls' finishers were Waterford's Sophia Podeszwa, third in the 300 hurdles (45.30); NFA's Paige Martin, third in the pole vault (11-0) and Fitch's Colleen Duffy, fifth in the discus (114-3). Fitch's 4x100 team of Madison Powe, Lily Johnson, Janaya Burley and Abby Rogers was sixth (50.37).
Southington won the girls' team title, edging Bloomfield 35-32. Danbury won the boys' championship with 51 points, while Stonington was seventh with 21 and NFA was eighth with 20.5. v.fulkerson@theday.com