Gilbert drops Bloomfield, 55-48, in Class S basketball

WINSTED — It’s hard to imagine Gilbert’s 55-48 Class S first round girls basketball win over Bloomfield going any better for Yellowjackets team leader Liz Wexler than it did Tuesday night at The Gilbert School.

The senior, out with an injury for most of her sophomore year, came into the game needing 17 points for her 1,000th. She had 18 by the half, 31 for the game.

“I felt confident and my teammates got me the ball,” she said.

That led the No. 15 Yellowjackets (13-8) to a 29-21 halftime lead against No. 18 Bloomfield (11-10) in a physically pounding game in which the Warhawks alternated between displays of pure athleticism and youth while starting three sophomores, a freshman and a junior.

“We missed 25 layups,” said Bloomfield coach Juan Cains, shaking his head while admiring Gilbert’s guards — Wexler, her sister Jill, and Angie Delacruz.

“They have three fantastic generals,” Cains said. “They share the ball and they execute.”

Meanwhile, Gilbert coach Gerry Hicks exploited the

Warhawks youth with an effective full-court press.

“I thought we could rattle them, but I knew they would never give up,” Hicks said.

Bloomfield’s athleticism and youth produced ebbs and flows. The Yellowjackets started with an 11-3 lead behind Wexler, Dileysi Sarmiento and Delacruz, then fell back to a Warhawk charge by Sansa Woodard, Gabriella Douglas (12 points) and Leigh Ann LaBad (11 points), producing a 15-13 Bloomfield lead at the end of the first period.

Wexler kept up the Yellowjackets flow as unobtrusively as possible while adding nine more points and a 29-21 Gilbert lead by the half, including a layup with her 1,001st point just before the half.

“She’s the consummate player,” said Hicks. “She never let 1,000 points enter into her comments. She said, ‘If I get it, I get it, but we need to win the game.’ ”

The physical toll showed on both sides by the second half. Gilbert lost much of its rebounding spring against the taller Warhawks while Bloomfield’s youth missed second and third chances.

Wexler stayed the course – eight more points in the third quarter – with major help from Marcela Moreira (7 of her 10 points for the game).

If there were any doubts this was Wexler’s night, they evaporated with her third three-pointer, from near half court at the third quarter buzzer, swelling the Yellowjacket lead to 48-34.

Nevertheless, Hicks was right. Bloomfield never gave up. Jayanna Whitt, Jalah Turner, Jalisa Turner and LaBad started the fourth quarter with a 12-2 run, closing the gap to 50-46 with 4:08 left to play.

“We’ve qualified for the state tournament for the last four years and never won a game,” Liz Wexler said.

This was her last chance before leaving to play for Division III Roger Williams University in the fall. It wasn’t slipping away. Not this night.

With a four-point lead, the Gilbert guards began eating the clock until Wexler sank a layup, 52-48, with 2:39 left.

The last trace of Warhawks youthfulness came in their refusal to stop the clock with fouls until the final seconds.

“Sometimes they have their own agenda,” said Coach Cains.

When the fouls finally came, Liz Wexler was at the line.

She provided three more points for a historic Yellowjackets win.