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Class LL girls basketball: Stamford edges FCIAC rival Greenwich, wins first state title

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CIAC Championship Weekend Scoreboard

Stamford celebrates its Class LL championship over Greenwich (Photo Derek Turner)

Stamford celebrates its Class LL championship over Greenwich (Photo Derek Turner)

UNCASVILLE >> With standout senior Tiana England struggling to find her shot, Stamford turned to its supporting cast in the Class LL state championship game against FCIAC rival Greenwich.

Sophomore Alexa Kellner scored a game-high 19 points, including a clutch 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter, to lead the fourth-seeded Black Knights to a 50-45 win over the No. 10 Cardinals  Sunday at the Mohegan Sun Arena.

It was the first CIAC state title for Stamford (25-2), which entered the state tournament ranked fifth in the GameTimeCT/Register Poll. Both teams were making their first trip to the final. Greenwich defeated the Black Knights 64-55 during a regular season contest on Feb. 3.

“She (Kellner) hit some very big shots for us down the stretch,” Stamford coach Diane Burns said. “When defenses collapse on Tiana, our shooters know when you catch, knock it down, and Alexa knocked some big shots down for us. I am happy for her. She’s tough. Tough kid.”

Kellner’s 3-pointer came with 4:27 left in the game and gave the Black Knights a 44-38 lead. That shot was part of an 8-0 run that allowed Stamford to pull away late in a game that was close throughout.

“My shots weren’t really falling in the first half,” Kellner said. “But I let my defense kind of fuel my offense, and I didn’t stop shooting, and I didn’t really get frustrated. I tried taking it and they eventually started to fall.”

England, who will play next season at St. John’s, made just 4 of 20 shots she attempted  from the floor and finished with 10 points. She dished out a game-high seven assists.

“I knew there were other things I had to do,” England said. “If I’m not scoring, I can’t hold my head down. They (the team) follow what I do, so I had to get it in another way.”

England was overcome with emotion following the final whistle.

“It (the title) means a lot,” England said.

Stamford and Greenwich both recorded 32 rebounds but Stamford held a 15-7 edge on the offensive glass.

“I think what plagued us the entire game was the rebounding,” Greenwich coach Chrys Hernandez said. “They crashed the board a whole lot harder than we did. It allowed them to get some (easy) opportunities which, in essence, ended up costing us the game.”

Greenwich senior Abby Wolf scored 12 of her 14 points in the second half. She also grabbed nine rebounds. A layup by Wolf cut the Stamford lead to 40-38 before the Black Knights when on their championship-clinching run late in the fourth quarter.

“I didn’t necessarily know she (Wolf) went on a run,” Hernandez said. “We tried to get the ball into her but, all season long, we’ve gotten to where we are because we moved the ball around. I think at times we got into a lot of one-on-one action and they were able to double, triple team Abby.”

Junior Emily Anderson added 12 points and five rebounds for the Cardinals (19-5).