Defending Class LL champ Mercy rallies after slow start
Mercy, the defending Class LL champion which lost three starters to graduation, had a predictably rough start to the season. The Tigers lost to Hamden, 51-36 in their first game. They were 2-4 after six games.
But the Tigers are starting to jell. Their last loss was to East Haven, fifth in the state in The Courant's rankings, and that was close, 54-52. On Jan. 9, they avenged their first loss with a 49-46 win over Hamden.
“We've gotten better,” Mercy coach Tim Kohs said. “I hoped we would. We have seven seniors, but only two of them are experienced players. We're getting more experienced.
“Hamden was the first team we played the second time. They're a very good team. We played well. We've played good defense for the most part. We have a hard time scoring a lot of the time. We're starting to figure that out.”
Kameryn King, a senior guard who will play at the University of New Haven next season, is leading Mercy (5-4 before Wednesday's game against Sheehan) in scoring, averaging 20 points. Her backcourt mate Lexi Leon, another senior, has been out due to illness or injury but is starting to feel better and hit four threes in the first quarter in a 68-34 win over Branford Friday. Sophomore forward Lilly Hedge, one of the team's best rebounders, had 17 rebounds in an overtime loss Dec. 18 to Notre Dame-Fairfield.
“We're good enough to beat anybody,” Kohs said. “But we have a thin margin for error.”
Newington avenges only loss
On Dec. 28, Newington lost its only game of the season, 42-41, to Sheehan.
Monday night, the Indians, 10th in The Courant's area rankings, got a chance at revenge and beat No. 9 Sheehan 60-50 behind 21 points, five steals and three assists from junior guard Ashanti Frazier and 10 rebounds and seven points from senior center Olivia St. Remy.
“Our game plan was to take their bigs out of the game — they have two talented bigs that hurt us last time we played them,” Newington's first-year coach Marc Tancredi said. “We kind of sped up the tempo a little bit, got out in transition and then pulled the bigs away from the hoop and our guards were able to get in and drive.”
Last year, Newington went 9-12. This season, the Indians are 11-1. Tuesday night, Mancredi was at the Windsor-Berlin game, as his team will have to play both before the season is over.
“I think one of the things, when I first got the job, was just building a culture where we work hard every day, we try to find an identity for our team, and I was blessed to have a few talented players still in the program,” Mancredi said. “We have a good balance of upperclassmen and younger kids.”
Westbrook depth has boost
Westbrook lost two of its 14 players to injuries before the season started.
But the Purple Knights have 12 players this season, way more than the four they were down to in mid-December last season.
“We're off to a really good start,” coach Kelly Landino said Sunday. “We're healthy this year, so far, knock on wood.
“Last year, we had a fractured elbow, two [injured] ankles. One girl with vertigo. One coming back from an ACL [tear], a month longer than we hoped. Last year was very tough.”
Westbrook took one forfeit, over Christmas break, then had to rearrange its schedule to move games later in the season.
So far, despite a loss to undefeated East Hampton Tuesday night, the season has been much better for Westbrook (6-4).
“We're not deep but everybody's healthy,” Landino said. “I walk into practice and say, ‘Look at all these people.' ”
Landino's daughter Savannah Marshall, a senior who will play at Sacred Heart next season, had a triple-double in a 58-43 win over Old Saybrook Jan. 2. Marshall, who leads the team in scoring and rebounding, had a career-high 40 points, to go with 16 rebounds and 12 steals that night.
Lori Riley can be reached at lriley@ courant.com.