Jill Martin led Amity with 19 points vs Stamford #ctgb pic.twitter.com/pYDzKxBtzG
— Scott Ericson (@EricsonSports) March 3, 2020
STAMFORD — Amity’s Jill Martin was not going to let her trip to Stamford be the last time she got to put on her Spartans uniform.
The senior point guard controlled the ball all night, especially in the fourth quarter where she scored 11 of her game-high 19 points.
Martin and No. 23 Amity came to No. 10 Stamford and pulled the upset 52-42 in the CIAC Class LL first round, giving Martin and the other seniors at least one more game in the black and gold.
“All of us seniors did not want this to be our last game,” Martin said. “Someone’s season had to end and it couldn’t be ours. We did not want it to be ours. Dribble penetration was key. We needed to and it was wide open getting the ball to my bigs.”
CIAC Girls Basketball Tournament Outlook
Junior Mya Manzione scored 17 for Amity, many of which came off dishes from Martin.
Amity will face No. 7 Norwalk — the defending Class LL champion — in the Second Round Thursday in Norwalk.
After the teams spent the first quarter feeling each other out, Amity was able to build a 10-point lead going into halftime.
Stamford would not get any closer than eight points at any point in the second half.
Stamford senior Megan Landsiedel did all she could for the Black Knights as one of just two seniors on the floor for the Black Knights along with Dina Merone.
Seniors Jessica Nelson and Widline Thomas missed their final game with injuries, leaving mainly sophomores around the two seniors.
Give and Go Podcast: State Tournament Predictions
Landsiedel scored 17 points, 15 in the second half, before fouling out with 1:36 to play.
A four-year starter, Landsiedel saw her career end in unceremonious fashion.
“(Landsiedel left everything she had out there on the floor. I was proud of her,” Stamford coach Diane Burns said. “She was making hustle plays, putting the team on her back and being a leader. The game didn’t go as she had planned but she will look back on this as a moment she is proud of.”
Landsiedel played the game wearing a protective mask after breaking her nose in the first quarter of the FCIAC quarterfinals.
Jill Martin of Amity for 3. Amity 10 Stamford 6 in first #ctgb pic.twitter.com/GS3VhMOVlx
— Scott Ericson (@EricsonSports) March 2, 2020
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Jill Martin, Amity. Martin’s play as point guard made all the difference for Amity. Martin was able to drive into the paint all night, drawing defenders and dishing to the low-post players before keeping the ball in her own hands much of the fourth quarter.
QUOTABLE
“Being able to get in and hit our layups was big. It doesn’t matter how good you can dribble penetrate if you can’t hit the layups,” Amity coach Michelle Shoop said. “We had an all-round team win. We needed everyone here to win and they did a great job. The seniors turned it up to another level when it is do-or-die time. We are not done, yet.”
AMITY 52, STAMFORD 42
AMITY (11-10)
Jill Martin 4 9-11 19; Meghan Smith 0 0-0 0; Catherine Thomas 1 0-0 2; Jayne Whitman 2 2-4 8; Abigail Eschweiler 2 0-0 5; Mya Manzione 6 5-6 17; Sarah Granados 0 0-0 0; Meadow Blakeslee 1 0-0 2. Totals: 16 16-21 52
STAMFORD (15-6)
Madison Lockery 0 0-0 0; Breanna Jacobs 7 0-0 16; Charlie Karukas 1 0-0 2; Dina Merone 1 1-2 3; Megan Landsiedel 7 2-2 17; Emily Graham 1 0-2 2; Sam Albert 0 0-2 0; Leonora Lipson 0 2-2 2. Totals: 17 5-10 42
AMITY 12 10 8 22 — 52
STAMFORD 8 4 10 20 — 42
3-point field goals: A—Martin 2, Whitman 2. S—Landsiedel, Jacobs 2
Fouled out: S—Landsiedel
