The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Somers eliminates Wamogo in second round
LITCHFIELD — No. 18 Somers beat No. 2 Wamogo 53-45 in a Division IV Boys Basketball Tournament second- round game at Wamogo High School Thursday night.
Technically, it was a stunning upset. Wamogo, 21-3, is the Berkshire League regular-season and league tournament champion. Three weeks ago, the Warriors beat Somers handily, 52-41, in a non-league regular-season game.
On the court Thursday night, the final outcome was no upset at all.
The Spartans, 13-9, led from beginning to end, often by 10 points, with a high of 12 in the final period. They broke Wamogo’s formidable trapping press multiple times for easy down-court baskets by game-high scorer Connor Marchi (18 points). Senior guard Colby McCormick held Wamogo star Carter Nordland to seven points.
“No excuses; they played better than we did,” said Wamogo coach Gregg Hunt.
Nevertheless, a lot can — and did — change in three weeks.
“I had a bad game plan last time,” said Somers Coach Tony Pazazzese. “We were having a hard time scoring, so we tried to press them. They burned our defense. Tonight, we settled on a half-court man-to-man defense.
“(McCormick) is one of the best defensive players in our (NCCC) conference.”
McCormick did a great job, but Nordland inadvertently helped by playing on a bad foot limiting his cutting ability Thursday.
Still, the most important change came at the other end of an injury, to Marchi, one of two 6foot-5 starters for the Spartans. Marchi, a senior, broke his collarbone in the football season, spending much of basketball’s regular season, including the game against Wamogo, recovering with limited playing time.
Thursday, at Wamogo, Marchi was at full strength, having already contributed to a firstround “upset” over No. 15 Canton, a 52-41 winner over Somers in the regular season.
If Somers’ twin towers weren’t much of a factor in Wamogo’s win three weeks ago, they showed up right away Thursday night.
Marchi scored the game’s first points on a
layup. Jake Yvon, the other 6-5 Spartan, followed with one of his two threepointers for the night. When a blocked Warrior shot turned into a Spartan steal and fast-break finish by Marchi, a lesser team than Wamogo would already be on its heels.
Wamogo’s 6-1 senior center Wyatt Femia (teamhigh 15 points) set out to right the Wamogo ship, first with an artful dish to Justin Ferrer, then a baseline jumper and a drive to the hoop by Preston Cordeau.
Somers led 7-6 at the end of the first quarter. That was as close as the Warriors got on Thursday.
Marchi and Yvon were back at it early in the second quarter, Marchi on a fast break, a drive and a putback, Yvon with his second unguardable three-pointer. Femia fought back with a fast break and two layups assisted by Ferrer, plus a Nordland three-pointer.
Femia’s second layup closed it to three points, 18-15, an Anthony Turtoro runner did it again, 20-17.
Then the Spartans went on a 9-2 run, featuring a three and a fast break by McCormick and a steal and two fast breaks by Troy Maia (15 points) to close the first half at 29-19.
“That run was the killer,” Hunt said. “We just couldn’t make that one shot we needed to get back in.”
Anthony Turtoro, Ferrer and Drew Lutz each made big shots in the third quarter, but they were just enough to cut Somers’ lead by two, 42-34, by the end of the period. Marchi rampaged for another six points, McCormick sank his second three and Maia was in for another two baskets.
Maia took over for seven points in the final period while the Spartans built their lead to 50-38 with 3:35 to go, resisting the Warrior traps.
“We practiced a lot against them,” said Coach Palazzesi.
In the end, there were no excuses from Wamogo.
Recent sea changes bode well for Somers in its quarterfinal game Monday at No. 10 Seymour, a 7170 winner against No. 7 Brookfield. If there’s another “upset,” others in the Spartan path would do well to disregard the No. 18 designation.