LOOKING BACK | BY GEORGE ALBANO

10 YEARS AGO

Shellyann Lindo was at her best as the Brien McMahon junior sprinter captured the indoor track State Open championship in the 55-meter dash at the New Haven Athletic Center. Lindo, who finished runner-up at last week’s Class LL state meet, won the Open in a time of 7.31 seconds, which tied her personal best set when she won the FCIAC title ... Adam Robertino of Norwalk High, also a junior and the Class LL state champ in the 55-meter hurdles, finished third in the boys Open meet.

Another NHS junior, Brandon Riggins, won the Class L state wrestling championship in the 189-pound weight class with a dominating 16-3 decision in the final.

The most successful regular season by a Brien McMahon boys basketball team in 24 years concluded with the Senators winning their final two games to secure the No. 6 seed in the upcoming eight-team FCIAC tournament. Both victories came on the road as the Senators beat New Canaan 70-49 and Harding 54-44 to finish 16-4 under coach Mo Tomlin. That represented McMahon’s best regular-season record since going 18-2 in 1986-87, the Senators’ final season under legendary coach Ralph King. In the win over New Canaan, Lamar Tate scored 22 points and Tyler Shular had 20, while Tate tallied another 23 points against Harding.

25 YEARS AGO

A great season got even better for the Norwalk High boys basketball team which won the 199596 FCIAC championship after the unbeaten Bears posted a pair of come-from-behind victories. After 25 years at the Wilton Fieldhouse, the FCIAC Final Four was moved to Fairfield High School this season and the top-seeded Bears beat No. 4 Trumbull 70-56 in the semifinals. NHS, behind most of the game, trailed 43-40 entering the fourth quarter and 48-46 with 6:21 left before going on a 24-8 game-ending scoring spree. TJ Trimboli scored 15 points while Paco Fabian and Keith Sellers added 14 apiece.

The Bears had to rally again in the championship game to beat No. 3 St. Joseph 84-74 and claim the program’s record ninth FCIAC crown and seventh under head coach Ray Barry. NHS trailed by 14 points late in the first half, its biggest deficit of the season, but cut it to 38-29 at halftime, tied it 54-54 after three quarters, and then outscored the Cadets 30-20 in the final eight minutes. Trimboli, who scored 20 of his game-high 30 points in the second half, including eight straight free throws in the closing minutes, was named the finals MVP. The Bears, ranked No. 1 in the state and fourth in New England, will take a 23-0 record into the Class LL state tournament.

Meanwhile, the Norwalk High girls basketball team, seeded No. 26 out of 27 teams in Class LL with an 8-12 record, posted a stunning 60-49 first-round upset at No. 7 Torrington, which was 17-3. Tori Fogle had 13 points and 10 rebounds, Tridina Williams added 12 points and nine rebounds, and Kelley Walsh also scored 12 points ... The Bears were eliminated in the second round by No. 10 Cheshire 63-23.

50 YEARS AGO

Brien McMahon wrestler Terry Fuller took advantage of a second chance and turned it into a state championship as he captured top honors in the 145-pound weight class at Yale’s Payne Whitney Gym. The top two finishers in each class at last week’s state sectionals qualified for the CIAC state meet. Fuller finished third and was an alternate, but when a qualifier in his class was over the weight limit, Fuller replaced him and went through the tournament undefeated, including a 4-2 decision in the final.

After winning its final eight games of the regular season to capture the East I Division championship, the Norwalk High basketball team ran into an even hotter team as Rippowam beat the Bears 73-59 in the FCIAC semifinals at Darien High School. The 18-1 Warriors, the West I Division champs, led 24-11 after one quarter and never looked back. Sammy Miller scored 22 points for NHS, now 13-7 heading into the state tournament.

The Home Oilers semipro hockey team gave local fans plenty to cheer about after defeating the Montreal All-Stars 10-5 to clinch the O’Keefe United StatesCanada Trophy. Sponsored by O’Keefe Brewery of Ontario, the two perennial powerhouses scheduled a five-game series spread out throughout the season. After a 6-6 tie the first week of the season, the Oilers won the next two meetings 5-4 and 4-2 while this latest victory over their Canadian rivals gave them a 3-0-1 series lead and the trophy regardless of the outcome in the fifth and final game. The Home Oilers’ 13th straight victory didn’t come easy, however, as they fell behind 3-0 after only five minutes. They cut the deficit to 4-3 after one period before outscoring the visitors 4-1 in the second stanza and 3-0 in the final period. Veteran Eno Kraft and former Harvard star Kent Parrot each scored a pair of goals for the Home Oilers, now 15-1-1. General manager and head coach Pete Correnty was presented the championship trophy during a postgame ceremony.