The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Thomaston tops Gilbert in key Berkshire League showdown
WINSTED — With six or seven more games left in the regular season, Berkshire League girls basketball is more fearsome than ever for the top four teams, much less the other five.
Thomaston and Gilbert proved that again in a 56-47 Thomaston win at The Gilbert School Thursday night.
Thomaston (11-3; 8-1 Berkshire League) and Northwestern came into Thursday tied for first, with their only league losses against each other.
Gilbert and Nonnewaug were tied for second, with just two league losses apiece.
“Every single game is very important,” said Gilbert coach Gerry Hicks, whose team drops into fourth place with the loss.
“You can’t just worry about the leaders,” echoed Thomaston coach Brian Mozelak. “If you do, the others become trap games.”
Gilbert (8-5; 6-3 BL), with all three of the leaders left to play again, stamped its identity Thursday as the biggest trap game of all, despite the loss.
The game was scoreless for the first minute-and-a-half thanks to tight man-to-man defenses.
Then, after a foul shot by
Golden Bear center Ava Harkness (14 points, many of them on putbacks and foul shots), Thomaston star Nicole Decker (game-high 28 points) found her space long range.
“(Decker) is a great player,” said Coach Hicks. “We took away more of her drives, but she was on fire outside.”
Beginning a string of five three-pointers for the game, the junior guard hit two threes in a row, stole a Gilbert pass, taking it full court, paused for threes by teammate Payton Mozelak and Gilbert star Emily Arel, then dropped another three.
At 15-3, the game seemed
headed for a rout.
“I told my girls ‘They’re going to come back,’” said Coach Mozelak.
They did, but not before Harkness added three more points.
The Yellowjackets scored seven more points in the quarter, on the first of three treys in the game by Alina Gutic (15 points), a great pass from Arel to Addy Lillie under the basket and a pair of foul shots by Arel (18 points).
Decker got loose in the second quarter for 17 points by the half. Arel’s whirling drives sent her to the foul line often
enough for halftime points.
“I have complete respect for Emily, but we have depth,” said Decker. “Everybody stepped up.”
Harkness had her biggest quarter of the game with seven points; Mozelak hit another three.
Thomaston led 34-25 at the half – and still, down by nine, the Yellowjackets weren’t going away.
Decker and Gilbert’s Andrea Buncalan matched three’s at the start of the third quarter, but six minutes into a scoreless period for Arel, Gutic’s second three of the night closed the Golden Bear lead to five, 39-34.
A minute later, Gutic’s third bomb brought the lead down to four, 41-37.
“I was proud of our comeback, but they kept scoring,” said Coach Hicks.
A three by Kiera Fainer brought the lead back to eight, 45-37, at the end of three.
With seven more points from Decker and closing foul shots by her teammates, Coach Mozelak was happy with a final-period near-standoff.
“We always struggle in this gym,” said Mozelak. “We know it’s going to be a battle every time.”
“I hope we learned something from it,” said Coach Hicks.
If so, it will be just in time for a hoped-for spoiler role against Nonnewaug Friday, Thomaston again Tuesday and
one more chance at Northwestern the following week.
After Tuesday’s rematch with Gilbert at Thomaston, the Bears go to Nonnewaug the following week.
In between, trap games abound for everyone.
THOMASTON 56, GILBERT 47
At The Gilbert School Thomaston ............ 18 16 11 11 – 56 Gilbert ................... 10 15 12 10 – 47 Thomaston (56): Kylie Decker 0-1-1; Nicole Decker 11-1-28; Payton Mozelak 2-0-6; Ava Harkness 4-6-14; Kiera Fainer 2-2-7; Totals: 19-10/22-56.
Gilbert (47): Emily Arel 6-5-18; Kimmy McCarthy 2-0-4; Andrea Buncalan 20-5; Alina Gutic 5-2-15; Addy Lillie 2-1-5; Totals: 17-8/9-47.
3-point goals: T – N. Decker 5; Mozelak 2; Fainer. G – Arel; Buncalan; Gutic 3.
Records: Thomaston 11-3; 9-1 Berkshire League. Gilbert 8-5; 6-3 Berkshire League.