The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Innovation wins first state title
Staff reports
Innovation, which began its program just five seasons ago, won the first state title for any of its team sports Sunday with a convincing 61-42 win over Old Lyme.
Linwood Hazelwood, a 6-foot-3 junior, led the Ravens with 14 points and nine rebounds. senior guard Lester Emmanuel paced Innovation in scoring with 15 points and 6-4 senior Leonard Okonya led all players with 12 rebounds, all on the defensive end.
Senior guard Ramiesh Bogle played well all-around for Innovation with 11 points, eight rebounds, five assists and four steals. Senior point guard Carlos Gonzalez had seven points, five rebounds and three assists.
Innovation (Academy of Science and Innovation Magnet School, located in New Britain), lost its first 27 games as a program.
Old Lyme was led by Brady Sheffield and Raymond Doll, who each had 11 points. Doll also had eight rebounds.
DIVISION III BOYS
Farmington waited 80 years for another chance at a boys basketball state title. The wait is over. Makhi Hawkins led the Indians with 20 points, including 10 of 11 from the free throw line, in a 55-45 win over Amistad in the CIAC Division V state championship game at the Mohegan Sun Arena Sunday.
Farmington blitzed the Wolves to start the second half, scoring the first 12 points out the gate to turn a 10-point deficit into a 28-25 lead. Farmington had five steals in the run. Farmington outscored Amistad 24-10 in the third quarter.
Bube Momah, a 6-foot-7 sophomore added 16 points and 17 rebounds for Farmington (21-3). Grayson Herr had 11 rebounds and six points. Jake Dunst had five of Indians 11 steals.
Arthur Edwards led Amistad with 15 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, but fouled out with just more than two minutes remaining.
Amistad trailed 42-41 and later 47-43 with 2:52 remaining.
Cyprien Joseph scored 11 points and added five rebounds for Amistad (18-7).
CLASS M GIRLS
Cromwell held off a furious comeback from Sheehan Sunday at the Mohegan Sun to win its third Class M state title since 2013.
After trailing by as many as 16 in the third quarter, Sheehan battled back to take a 46-44 lead on a conventional three-point play from Caitlyn Velez that brought an eruption from the Titan faithful, with 2:32 left.
Cromwell responded to the 31-9 run with an 8-1 run of its own, paced by Najla Cecunjanin (jumper and free throw and 3-pointer) to go up 52-47 with 58 seconds left.
The Panthers (25-3), were led by Sadie Budzik’s 18 points. Cecunjanin added 15 points and eight rebounds and Vanessa Stolstajner had 13 points.
Sheehan’s Olivia Robles scored 17 points and added seven rebounds. Madison Larkin scored 17 and also had seven rebounds.
DIVISION II BOYS
The only team to reach the finals in back-to- back seasons is now also a repeat state champion.
Kenny Hill led three players in double figures with 19 points for top-seeded Waterford, which defeated No. 6 New Britain 63-56 in the finale Sunday. The game was played before 6,878 people.
Waterford won the Division III state championship over Avon last season. The Lancers finished 26-1, their only loss in overtime to East Lyme on the road.