What caught my eye last week
Welcome back to another exciting season of Court Vision. Usually this is comprised of what caught my attention last week, but in this case we have to include the efforts from the first week of the season as well. So, here’s what caught my eye in the last two weeks.
TWO WEEKS AGO
WEDNESDAY
• Just like last year: Surprise, surprise, Mercy and Career are still good. The Panthers opened the season with a 70-37 drubbing of Hamden, and Mercy routed East Haven 60-29. Tanaya Atkinson led Career with 33 points, 14 boards and four steals. Meanwhile, the Tigers were led by Maura Fitzpatrick and Sarah Gallo, who both contributed 17 points in the season-opener.
friday
• Did I mention that Mercy is still really good?: Because they really are. Seriously. The Tigers took on a very talented, senior-laden Amity team and had them down 15-0 after the first quarter, led 17-0 in the second quarter and won 59-39. Fitzpatrick had 19 points and Kendra Landy added 14 points.
• 29 and oh-ver: Cromwell went on a great run last season, winning 28 games and capturing a Class M crown. The Panthers opened this season with a win to stretch their winning streak to 29. However, that’s as far as the streak would go as Morgan topped Cromwell 54-44. Tori Hopkins had 18 points and Kelsey Donaldson added 12 points for the Huskies. Mya Villard had 12 points in the Panthers their first loss since a 48-39 Class M semifinal loss to Weaver in 2012.
LAST WEEK
WEDNESDAY
• Built Ram tough: Cheshire looked very strong against a much-improved Hillhouse team, picking up a 75-61 victory. Sara Como had a team-high 25 points and Missy Bailey contributed 15 points. Meanwhile, for an Academics team that’s still trying to find themselves, Shyla Osmond had a team-high 21 points.
• The best things in life are free: East Haven lost 40-39 to Hamden. It was a tough one-point loss, but what makes it tougher to digest is that the Yellow Jackets shot a frosty 9-for-25 from the charity stripe. Fifty percent shooting from the foul line, and maybe East Haven picks up the win.
Friday
• Good effort: North Haven’s Jill Johnson is quickly making a name for herself in the area as a consistent scorer. She is second in the area averaging 27 points per game and dropped 40 points in a 61-51 loss to Hand. Despite the loss and the Indians’ 1-2 record, Johnson is a force to be reckoned with.
VOTE FOR ME
• The top player in the CIAC poll closes on Christmas at noon. Log onto www.gametimect.com to vote for either Capital Prep’s Kiah Gillespie, who currently leads, Desiree Elmore, Weaver’s DeJane “Snoop” James, RHAM’s Sarah Veilleux, Career’s Tanaya Atkinson or Cromwell’s Janelle Harrison.
EXCUSE ME?
The best quotes from the last two weeks.
“The first quarter was the difference, but I’ll tell you, if we didn’t have that quarter we might not have won the game. We came out aggressively and played well early. In fact, we could have had some more points.”
— Mercy coach Tim Kohs on a 15-0 first quarter in a 59-39 rout of Amity on Dec. 13
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“I told the girls, like anything in life, you have to play with confidence. Lucy Weissauer had a nice post up and finish. She played with confidence. You can have one or two stars, but others have to come to the party.”
— Foran coach Scott Nails after a 49-36 win over North Haven on Dec. 13.
“Down four, you’re looking for a miracle at that point.”
— Branford coach Justin Henry after a 39-38 loss to Guilford in which the Hornets trailed by four with 4.4 seconds left in the game.
WATCH ME
• Career at Kolbe-Cathedral, Monday, 5:30 at Sacred Heart University: A very intriguing matchup and possible trap game for the Panthers.
• Lauralton Hall at Mercy, Saturday, 5 p.m.: Rematch of last season’s epic Class LL final.
