The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Taking stock as hoops season hits midway point
Basketball coaches are still coaching and their teams are still competing. This being March 1, it is a feat in itself.
Better put, it is a testament to the time and effort that athletic directors, staff and coaches have logged to ensure that their playing environments are as safe as possible — for their teams and the visitors to their gyms — so that high school sports can go on.
I hope that those parents who have been vocal in their disappointment of not being able to attend in person also find a moment to thank these good folks for the painstaking days and nights they have spent toward the cause.
Now, back to ball.
The 12-game regular season has reached the halfway point for Middletown teams and most of the Shoreline Conference Dozen. Only a few are short of having six games in the books. The Coginchaug boys program, for example, is in catch-up mode from an early-February quarantine. The Blue Devils are in the midst of playing six games in 10 days. Oof.
No one can predict what tomorrow will bring. Or the day after tomorrow.
“Fingers crossed we make it through the year,” one Shoreline boys coach said after his team’s sixth game last week.
Despite school bans on fan attendance at the direction of the CIAC, moms, dads, grandparents and classmates have not been shut out of the game experience. Schools have performed a valuable service by streaming games live through the subscriptionbased NFHS Network, YouTube or Facebook Live.
Because coaches this winter are not allowed into gyms to scout opponents, some use the service for that purpose and watch the next day. In the COVID era, live streaming of high school sports feels like a game changer. I
watched the Haddam-Killingworth boys team hold off East Hampton from my couch, took notes, got the coaches on the phone and wrote a story. The quality of East Hampton’s stream was excellent.
Some schools even make the effort to condense games into two-minute highlight clips. One AD told me she believes that live streaming is here to stay. A no-brainer.
Here’s more of the good stuff going on around the area of late:
** Middletown junior Tyah Pettaway scored 30 points in the unbeaten Blue Dragons’ fifth victory of the season, 74-44 against Platt. MHS has torn through this year’s solely regional slate of Central Connecticut Conference games, but that changes Tuesday when No. 3 Newington (5-0) comes for a visit.
“The team knows that Tuesday will be a terrific challenge,” coach Rob Smernoff said. “We definitely feel after this performance that with a few solid practices, we can make things very interesting Tuesday. The team shared the ball extremely well against Platt and continues to support one another in this unique setting.”
Smernoff had high praise for Pettaway, who has raised her game this year. Her ability to convert from close range made those points against Platt pile up.
“We were able to force a lot of turnovers from our press and it seemed like every time she got near the basket, she finished,” Smernoff said. “Overall, Tyah is clearly improved from last season. The thing that can get lost is we have a very unselfish team with lots of offensive threats, so her numbers are very good, but her impact and ability level has gone up tremendously.”
Pettaway, a 5-foot-8 guard, leads the team in scoring at 15 points per game.
“Tyah is not a ‘me first’ kid who only cares about stats,” Smernoff said. “She truly only cares about whether we score more than our opponents.”
Junior guard Shadae Bushay (10 ppg) and senior Kya Mayo (8.6 ppg) have been solid complements to Pettaway on the offensive end.
** The Middletown boys rebounded nicely from a turnover-ridden, 50-45 loss to Maloney by crushing Bulkeley (67-23) the following night and Platt (83-51) two nights later to improve to 5-1.
“The last two games, we shared the ball a lot better,” coach Rick Privott said. “The kids are enjoying playing with each other. I’m not saying they didn’t play together against Maloney, but
Maloney was a good team.”
Against Platt, sophomore guard Marshall Butler extended his stretch of strong play with 16 points. Junior center Elijah Wilborn scored 15 and junior guard Matt Steuerwald also was in double figures. Butler has taken on his starting role with aplomb, standing out with his quickness, a smooth shooting touch and good decision-making.
“He’s playing with confidence and he’s not overdoing it,” Privott said. “He knows he can shoot and he knows my policy that if gets an open shot, he’s welcome to take it. But he doesn’t go overboard. Marshall doesn’t have to create. If the lane is open he takes it, if the shot is there he takes it. He’s taking what the defense gives him. That’s what’s impressive about Marshall.”
The Dragons visit Newington (4-2) on Tuesday in their only meeting of the regular season.
** Xavier won three times in six days and takes a 4-1 record into Monday’s home game against East Haven. Coach Mike Kohs has four seniors on this year’s roster, but only Parker Hunter played varsity minutes a year ago.
Hunter is having a very good start, averaging 15.2 points and having a presence on the glass. In the Falcons’ win over North Haven, his all-around game stood out when he turned in 19 points, 11 rebounds and six assists.
But the Falcons player to dial in on now and over the next two seasons is sophomore Justin Menard, who just happens to be the grandson of Tom LaBella, who won three state championships with the Middletown Tigers way back when.
A 6-foot-1 guard, Menard can shoot and score, and he handles the ball and plays good defense. In Xavier’s season opener, a 76-43 win at Branford, he was on point with his shot, making six 3-pointers and finishing with 33 points. He has 19 threes in five games, has scored 22 or more three times and is averaging 22 per game.
In Xavier’s win over Lyman Hall on Friday, Menard scored 22, Hunter had 14 and Nick Beaulieu filled the box with eight points, seven rebounds and four blocks.
A Shoreline coach who watched the stream of Xavier’s game against Notre Dame of West Haven used the word “pure” to describe Menard’s shooting touch.
** If not for a shaky opener against defending Shoreline champion Old Lyme, the Portland boys could be 5-0. The Highlanders are riding high with four straight wins heading into Monday’s home game against Valley Regional (4-2).
“I thought it was tough to judge us on that first game,” new coach David Bradbury Jr. said. “Now that we’re into a rhythm with practices and watching film, watching their confidence grow is tremendous to see.”
Bradbury played for Kevin Woods at Valley not too long ago and considers him a mentor, so it will be interesting to see how their competitive natures will work at this level.
There’s more intrigue. Bradbury was Valley’s freshman coach last season, so he knows the Warriors inside and out. And Woods is in line for career win No. 200 on Monday.
“We’re really looking forward to this game,” said Bradbury, who was trying like heck to contain his excitement.
There’s no two ways about it — Portland is playing inspired basketball under its 23-year-old coach. Senior Cam Latronica, a 6-foot-4 “stretch four” forward who did not play as a junior, has been a force at both ends, averaging close to a double-double (16.3 points, 9.6 rebounds).
“Cam has a good build and is long and athletic with great anticipation skills,” Bradbury said. “He rebounds with a passion.”
Seniors Cody Daggett, who scored a game-high 23 in Friday’s win at North Branford, is averaging 14.8 ppg and Mason Piersall (10.2) is the third Highlander averaging in double figures. Daggett also averages 5.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists and three steals per game.
Portland’s three-game week includes a home matchup against rival Cromwell. The Highlanders haven’t beaten the Panthers since at least the 2010-11 season. Cromwell’s experience is rising to the surface, especially on the defensive end, with the Panthers having won three straight after a 1-2 start. Seniors Michael Morgan and Zykarie Wilborn are back in the lineup, too.
** Call this Big Monday for Shoreline Conference girls basketball.
Defending champion East Hampton puts its 6-0 mark on the line against host Coginchaug. The Blue Devils started 4-0 and are coming off their first loss, 38-32 against Cromwell. Meanwhile, Morgan and Old Lyme, both 5-1, meet in Clinton. Both teams have won five straight.
AHERN WILL RUN FOR UCONN
** Middletown senior Sean Ahern has committed to run cross country and track at UConn. Blue Dragons coach Rob Weston was not short on superlatives in describing what Ahern has meant to the programs at MHS the last four years.
“Sean came in as one of our best runners and his inspiration and leadership has earned him the respect of his peers,” said Weston. “The dedication and hard work he puts in every day has definitely rubbed off on the team and has brought us a lot of success. Also having a runner that can compete with some of the best in the state on a team without a rich history of that, is invaluable.
“At UConn, I’m thinking it’ll be more of the same. He’ll get top-notch coaching and finally have guys on his level to train with every day. His outgoing personality and strong work ethic will mesh well with his new team, I’m certain. Ultimately, I believe he’ll take on the challenges of Division I head-on and emerge as a very accomplished runner and well-respected teammate.”
THIS AND THAT
** Coginchaug gymnast Ali Albanese, who competes with Daniel Hand’s team, finished second in the all-around in a meet that included Mercy and Guilford. The sophomore finished first on the beam and was second on the vault and bars.
** Portland’s Bradbury says the Portland Middle School basketball program has 42 boys involved this year, another sign of promise for the high school programs. “It’s great to see such excitement in the program,” he said. The numbers are up for the girls as well at the middle school.
** Let us not forget that Doug Elliot, whose name now graces the UConn baseball facility, played for Middletown’s Malloves Jewelers during their heyday in the Greater Hartford Twilight League. Elliot played at UConn, graduating in 1982, since has been a loyal supporter of the Huskies program.
** Collin Morikawa should be among the favorites at the Masters after winning the WGC-Workday Championship by three shots.
** After Tiger Woods’ latest mishap with a motor vehicle, we can only hope that he will come out of it whole. The golf part isn’t even a thought, maybe not ever now.
** Serious question: What will the plan be to keep Beman Middle School’s ground-to-roof glass windows clean on a regular basis?
** The performances of Frances McDormand in “Nomadland,” Daniel Kuluuya in “Judas and the Black Messiah” and Carey Mulligan in “Promising Young Woman” were just spectacular. The latter film was well worth the $20 rental on Prime. The story is unsettling and unnerving and unlike any I have seen in years, but it’s also topical and important to think about, especially for a younger generation.
** Finally, it’s a good day when Neil’s Donuts coupons show up in the mail.