Run of redemption
After early exit last year, Ellington gearing up for a better postseason
GRANBY — The Ellington girls basketball team lost one senior starter Sunday after she tweaked her hamstring in practice. Another one went down with an ankle injury before the regular season finale against Granby on Monday.
But two freshmen came in to start and ended up being the leading scorers in a 47-31 victory over Granby in an NCCC game Monday night.
Ellington (17-3) is currently ranked No. 1 in the Class MM rankings. There is some tough competition in there for the state tournament — last year's Class S champion Northwest Catholic
moved up to MM and has knocked off some good CCC teams, Sheehan plays in the SCC and Suffield (whom Ellington has beaten twice)
and Bacon Academy will also be in the mix. The brackets will be announced Feb. 21.
Last year, Ellington was seeded third and had a first-round bye before losing in the second round to 18th-seeded Berlin. So coach Teighlor Clare-kearney added some bigger schools outside the NCCC to the Knights' schedule. They lost to Manchester, Woodstock Academy and Enfield but she hopes that down the road, that experience will pay off.
“We played Berlin and they're playing a harder schedule — it was a completely different game,” Clare-kearney said. “I was like, ‘We have to prepare better.' ”
Ellington is also top-seeded in the NCCC tournament, which opens with play-in games Wednesday and quarterfinals Friday. Clare-kearney, whose team hasn't won the tournament title in her six years of coaching at Ellington, also learned something from that experience last year. Coaches love to say they are taking things “one game at a time.” She admitted she did not.
“We had a great year last year an di thought it was‘ the year ,’” she said. “Bolton beat us in the regular season. Then we lost in the semifinals to Somers. That was tough.
“I knew we would get Bolton again in the finals. I was so focused on that so maybe it was me that wasn’t present. This year I’ve been mindful about talking about what we’re doing Friday after we win this game. ‘Let’s just focus.’ ”
So they did. Two starters down, no problem. freshman millieo liva had 14 points and fellow freshman Lyndsie Kozik had 13 to lead the Knights. they found out they were starting Monday.
“In the end it comes down to the team and how you practice together,” said Ellington senior Jenna Garrow, who scored eight points monday .“we include everyone in the drills so if one person is hurt, that doesn’t affect our game because we’ re used to playing with everyone.
“(The freshmen) did more than I expected, yeah.”
Ellington also did a good job defensive ly, limiting gran by senior Alyssa Bordonaro, who will play at Clark next year, to 10 points.
“We’re in a good spot,” she said. “One game at a time. One game at a time.”