Falcons are on the rise
Fitch beats Waterford for 10th win of winter in ECC Div. II battle
Groton — It was Senior Night for the Fitch girls' basketball team on Tuesday and a brief one at that because it has just one — guard Nyseanah Ishmael.
Ishmael, then, can appreciate more than any of the other Falcons how the program has risen over the past few seasons.
“Honestly, it's just wanting (to win) more than usual,” the Falcons cap- tain said about the changes in Fitch after a 45-28 win over Waterford in an Eastern Connecticut Conference Division II game.
The Falcons (10-5, 4-2) also ensured themselves their first non-losing regular season since 2011-12. They won just three games from 2016-2018.
“My first two years, I don't think we wanted it enough,” Ishmael said. “We just kind of settled into the tradition of not being so good. And (head coach) DJ (Berger) pushing us obviously (has helped).”
Ishmael had 10 points, seven rebounds and three steals for Fitch.
One developing strength for the Falcons that bodes well for both now and next season is their low post combination of juniors Charlotte Carney and Alyssa Virtue.
Virtue, a 5-foot-10 forward, had 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Carney, a 5-11 center, had 14 points, seven rebounds and three steals.
Asked if their size has given most teams problems, Virtue said, “I think it does, especially with Nyseanah. She's pretty tall (5-8), almost as tall as me and (Carney), so that gives guards a lot of problems with how lanky she is. She can get a lot of steals, and then you have us in the post working to shut down their post players.”
Carney and Virtue led the Falcons to a 44-30 edge in rebounds, a whopping 20 that were offensive.
“Their two bigs have really improved and the way they distribute the ball,” Lancers head coach Dan Still said. “It showed tonight. It definitely caused us problems. They did a nice job breaking us down, getting the ball inside, and they finished.
“They didn't finish our first game (a 53-42 Waterford win on Dec. 20). They finished tonight. That was something I was worried about.”
Sophomore forward Milena Walker had 15 points and 10 rebounds for Waterford (7-7, 3-3), which has lost seven of its last 10 games.
“I hate to make excuses, but we've had two players out with the flu and injuries,” Still said. “And I think we're in a funk right now. We're trying to figure it out. I think it's just a matter of us digging deep.
“We've got to be a reflective team. Take the lessons that we're going through and how we're apply them and make changes. It's a learning process. We're still young." The Lancers have only two seniors. Fitch pulled away to start the second half with a 13-2 run. Carney scored six and Virtue four during that run to push the Falcons ahead, 34-21, with 1:58 left in the third quarter.
“The biggest thing is their confidence and expectations,” Berger said about his team.
“Last year, they were just happy if we were in a game. This year, they're expecting to win games and upset if we lose.”