Torrington tops East Lyme in opener

TORRINGTON — No. 4 Torrington shook off a drowsy first quarter, then rolled to a 52-30 win over No. 29 East Lyme in the CIAC Class L Girls Basketball Tournament’s first round Monday afternoon at Torrington High School.

“We did what we wanted to do,” said Torrington coach Mike Fritch.

“We knew they foul a lot.”

Referee whistles came hand-in-hand with a tough man-to-man Viking defense, collapsing on Torrington drives and often double-teaming Torrington star forward Leah Pergola (12 points).

The Raiders persisted. Their reward was 21 free throws compared with nine for East Lyme.

Viking coach P.J. Zipser was dismayed with Torrington’s arrival at the one-and-one foul-shooting bonus point in both halves – especially when they hit that point in the third quarter in the second half.

“This was one of our worst games of the year,” said Coach Zipser, whose Eastern Connecticut Conference team finished its season 7-14.

The second part of the Raider plan involved Viking star Izzy Pazzaglia.

“We knew she was their best player,” Fritch said.

Pazzaglia fouled out midway through the final period, but Torrington held the senior guard to nine points before that.

On a cold-shooting afternoon for both teams, when even layups were sometimes hard to come by, the third and most important part of Fritch’s plan centered on Torrington’s own defense.

“We knew they don’t win if they score in the low 30s,” he said.

The Raiders’ usually fast-paced offense is often stoked by their defense.

Monday, Torrington (18-4 from the NVL) began the game in a 2-3 zone that held East Lyme to just seven points in the first quarter. The problem was, Brianna Murelli was the only Raider scoring consistently at the other end, totaling six of Torrington’s eight points in the first period.

The solution was a loose, trapping full-court press in the second quarter.

“We’re sometimes more

effective this year in a zone, but I like instilling the man-to-man mentality,” Fritch has said.

Call it jet fuel for the Raiders. Murelli began the second-period scoring with one of Pergola’s many assists for a layup.

Rachel Brewer-Karimi scored nine of her 10 points for the afternoon.

Haley Burger finished a fast break and loosened up on the perimeter on her way to a game-high 15 points.

Two foul shots by Viking Lindsay Todd (team-high 12 points) and a closing layup by Pazzaglia only reduced the Torrington damage to 2313.

“We played man-to-man in the second half,” Coach Fritch beamed.

It was the finishing touch for the Torrington plan.

The Raiders led 33-22 at the end of the third period, despite a threepointer by Todd at the end of it. Pazzaglia made her exit in the fourth quarter. By the end of the game, the Vikings were as low as it’s possible to get in the 30s.

Mission accomplished for Coach Fritch and his Raiders.

Their next assignment comes Thursday at Torrington High School against No. 13 Fitch, a 50-47 first-round winner over No. 20 Bethel.

Peter Wallace/For Hearst Connecticut Media Torrington coach Mike Fritch and his team had their way against East Lyme in the Class L Tournament first round Monday afternoon at Torrington High.