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Tilton is currently the # 1-ranked team in Class A and the Pomfret School girls’ basketball team knew coming in that they needed to strive to compete on every possession while doing the little things — rebounding, taking care of the ball, playing with composure—well. Tilton has a lot of players who can hurt you and also plays a tough zone press that tries to force you into mistakes. The final score was Pomfret 59 - Tilton 84.
Coach Patrick Burke said while the Griffins started the game well offensively, we struggled to shut down Tilton’s early hot shooting. This got us into a bit of a whole, but after a timeout, we regrouped and were able to get stops on multiple possessions. This allowed us to get out into transition a bit and our shots started to fall. We played well on the offensive end tonight against a good defensive team and it was good to see us attacking and making the extra pass. In the second quarter, we matched Tilton bucket for bucket and we cut the lead to six at one point before a late three gave them a 40-31 point lead at halftime.
At the start of the third, we came out strong and cut the Tilton lead to six again. Unfortunately, Tilton was able to get hot from three on multiple possessions in a row, and these threes (they made 12 on the day) ended up being the reason they got some separation. Pomfret continued to battle throughout the third and the fourth, but foul trouble and tired legs allowed them to continue to get solid looks and goods teams make those looks count.
Sel Gonzalez led Pomfret on both offense and defense, as she scored in multiple ways while also shutting down Tilton’s most efficient three-point shooter for much of the day. Tay Guirantes was a force on both ends and on more than one occasion she was able to get a tough defensive rebound and go coast to coast for a strong finish. Molly Vincent, Brooke Zahasky, and Alab Samu were incredibly solid defensively and their strong play during the second quarter helped Pomfret put a ton of pressure on Tilton. Teagan O’Hara had one of her best games of the season as she knocked down open shots, mixed it up on defense, and was strong on the defensive boards. Though she battled early foul trouble, McKinley White sparked us in the third with multiple rim attacks and good kick-outs from the post. Michaela Nsubuga got on the stat sheet with a strong offensive rebound and two free throws.
Feb. 19 Pomfret beat Class B opponent Cheshire Academy 59-29. Sel Gonzalez scored 17 points in the first half, while Tay Guirantes added 12 in the first half. Pomfret outscored Cheshire 20 - 2 in the second quarter. All 10 Pomfret players contributed to the team win.
Pomfret School 14 34 49 59
Cheshire Academy 7 9 18 29
Pomfret Scorers: Sel Gonzalez: 19 points; Tay Guirantes: 14 points; McKinley White: 10 points; Molly Vincent: 9 points; Teagan O’Hara: 5 points; Michaela Nsubuga: 2 points
By Patrick Burke
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