Ledyard can’t overcome slow start vs. Newtown

Colonels fall behind 30-9 at halftime and suffer second straight defeat

Ledyard — In Dave Cornish's 10 years coaching at Ledyard High School, the Colonels have played everybody. Anybody. Doesn't matter how big, tough or the pedigree.

And yet Saturday felt as though Cornish might have been better served scheduling a team with "Tech" in the name. As in: lesser degree of difficulty than the actual opponent, Class LL Newtown.

It was a sleepy Saturday inside Judy Standish Gym. Ledyard played that way during a 56-43 loss that had Cornish scratching his head.

"We turned the ball over. We beat ourselves," Cornish said. "It surprises me, the lack of energy, because we have a lot of seniors."

A lot of seniors who should have been ornery after Thursday night's home loss to Stonington.

Instead, Newtown, coming off a win at Crosby in Waterbury — tough place to win — led 15-2 and 30-9 in the first half.

"We went to Newtown on a Saturday afternoon last year, too," Cornish said, "and didn't play very well either."

Riley Ward led Newtown with 19 points, while Jack Peterson had 13 and Jack Kuliyouski had nine.

Newtown forced 14 first-half turnovers without playing much pressure defense. It continued Ledyard's habit of a first-half malaise. The Colonels (3-2) scored 14 in the first half at Bacon Academy earlier this year, 14 against Stonington and had 16 Saturday.

"I don't know how to explain it," Cornish said. "We can't do that. You exert a lot of energy just trying to get back into the game." Jabari Jones had 16 to lead Ledyard, including a notable dunk in the first half on a putback.

It doesn't get any easier for Ledyard. The Colonels are home against unbeaten Fitch (live-streamed at 6:45 p.m. on theday.com) and then go to unbeaten Norwich Free Academy on Thursday.

"Fitch is probably the second-best team in the league right now," Cornish said. "We need to be ready for their pressure. I think we will because our guys like to go up and down and play in that kind of game. But then teams that sit back in a zone are teams we struggle with."