Patch Glastonbury, CT --The third time was not the charm for the South Windsor High girls basketball team.
Indeed, the Bobcats season came to an end Thursday with a 60-42 loss to Glastonbury in the state Class LL quarterfinals.
It was the third time this year that South Windsor, the tournament’s No. 5 seed, lost to fourth-seeded Glastonbury.
"Everybody has been saying all week, 'It's tough to beat a team three times,'" Glastonbury head coach Brian Fleming said. "I just told the kids, 'We're not trying to beat a team three times, we're just trying to beat a team on Thursday.'”
Unlike the previous two games, which Glastonbury won by a combined 12 points, the Tomahawks on Thursday had control for virtually the entire game, courtesy of a 14-2 run to end the first quarter.
From that point on, South Windsor (20-4), trailing 18-6, fought to regain its footing and never got closer than 10 points the rest of the way. Glastonbury led 28-15 at the half and 47-30 after three quarters.
“I knew if we grabbed the lead … we’d be in pretty good shape,” Fleming said. “I’m just so proud of how the kids came out.”
Courtney Latham led Glastonbury (24-2) with a game-high 20 points. Ashley Mulryan had 13, Olivia Still scored 7, Gabriella Dombeck and Kerstan Mahland each had 6 and Maria Manfredi and Katherine Nuzzolo had 4 for the Tomahawks.
Christina Rozie led South Windsor with 10, while Kaitlyn LaBonte had 9, Amy McConnell had 8, Olivia Bolden scored 7, and Kristina Russo, and Lauren Biancardi and Jacqueline Kenefick each had two.
“Unfortunately, tonight we faced a team that was focused and running on full cylinders,” South Windsor head coach Don Leclerc said. “Tonight we came in a little bit off.”
Leclerc attributed an earlier start time - the game was moved from 7 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. due to impending inclement weather - as a reason why the Bobcats struggled to knock down shots, particularly in the early going.
“It definitely didn’t help matters,” Leclerc said of the time change. “Everything got pulled together at the last minute. [They’re] kind of creatures of habit where you want to do things at a certain time … but you can’t let that be the determining factor.”
The earlier start time was also a concern for Glastonbury, as South Windsor had a huge turnout from its student body, while Glastonbury student fans trickled in.
“It was a little unsettling to see all the South Windsor people coming in and out stands hadn’t quite filled up yet,” Fleming said.
Cold shooting, particularly from close range, plagued the Bobcats all game.
“When you are shooting 18, 20 percent from 15 feet in, it’s very difficult to beat a team like Glastonbury,” Leclerc said.
Still, Leclerc said that the Bobcats had a successful season, going 20-4 on the year.
“It’s one of the best records in school history,” Leclerc said. “Only three other teams have had a better record than that in the history of the program and it’s something they should be proud of.”
Glastonbury, for its part, advances to the semifinals, where it will face the winner of the No. 1 Mercy/No. 9 E.O. Smith quarterfinal game that is scheduled to be played tonight at 5 p.m.
The semifinal game is scheduled to be played on March 11. Reported by Patch 1 day ago.