Killingly eventually finds its footing and beats Putnam in Div. II final
Mohegan — The Killingly girls' basketball team needed to take a deep breath and relax.
Killingly got off to shaky start against top-seeded Putnam in Tuesday night's Eastern Connecticut Conference Division II final. It missed its first six shots. It watched the Clippers score the game's first seven points.
A 3-pointer by sophomore Sophia Moore finally got Killingly on the board after more than four minutes, and then it was game on.
Senior Trinity Angel hurt Putnam inside and sophomore Emma Carpenter did her damage outside the arc as Killingly won 55-49 in the ECC's first conference final at Mohegan Sun Arena.
“It turned the game around for us,” Angel said about Moore's 3-pointer. “It gave us confidence. … We're still in it.”
Angel had 15 points, 10 rebounds, four steals and two blocks to earn tournament MVP honors for Killingly (18-5).
Carpenter had 21 points, including five 3-pointers, five rebounds, and two steals. Sophomore Moore added eight points and two steals, and she and Carpenter both earned all-tournament team honors.
"I'm so proud of these girls," Killingly head coach Gina Derosier said. "We'll move back to two (from Division III in the regular season and play in the D-I tournament) where we belong, but still, these girls work so hard, and I have no doubt that we're going to be back stronger next year."
Angel said, "People are going to look at Killingly basketball totally differently."
Senior Kayleigh Lyons had 17 points, six steals and four rebounds for the Clippers (19-4) and junior Abby St. Martin added 16 points and eight rebounds. Both made the all-tournament team, too.
“I keep telling everybody, ‘we're 12 kids from a small, tiny school, and they have a heart like a lion,'” Putnam head coach Mandi Hogan said. “The kids just fight-and-fight-and-fight and never give up ever.”
The teams had split their regular-season meetings.
“I’m so proud of these girls. We’ll move back to (from Division III) to two where we belong, but still, these girls work so hard, and I have no doubt that we’re going to be back stronger next year.” KILLINGLY COACH GINA DEROSIER
Putnam took a 7-0 lead 3 minutes, 49 seconds into the game as Killingly couldn't make a shot and kept turning it over.
Moore made her 3-pointer with 4:56 remaining in the quarter that got Killingly moving.
“I told her before the game, 'if you give us nothing but defense on Kayleigh Lyons. … I don't care what you do,'” Derosier said. “When she came down and knocks that down, a big three like that, it speaks volumes to Sophia Moore as a player.”
The game was tied at 15 with 4:17 remaining in the half when Angel and most especially Carpenter helped put Killingly ahead to stay.
Angel made the first of two free throws for the lead. Carpenter followed with her second 3-pointer of the quarter and scored eight of her team's 11 in that quarter.
“She brought it today,” Derosier said of Carpenter. “She had ice in her veins. I told her (Monday) if they collapse down on Trinity and you knock one down, you're going to open things up for everybody. And that's exactly what she did.” n.griffen@theday.com