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Boys' Varsity Basketball
Pomfret 67 BB&N 53
The boys traveled east to Cambridge to take on the Knights of Buckingham Brown and Nichols. The had beaten a couple of teams that we had lost to, so coach Clinton was nervous if the boys would show up and play; thankfully they did. Though we exchanged buckets for a little bit, Pomfret began to show off there clear edge in athleticism. Andrew Robinson and Joe Ferro both had some excellent drives to the hoop creating for both themselves and their teammates. Andrew and Joe led the scoring attack in the first half with 13 points and 11 points respectively. Ferro also dazzled the crowd with a couple of nice transition dunks, the first coming over a good sized player from BB&N. While the scoring was being taken care of Cameron Bell was a monster on the glass grabbing 11 first half rebounds (22 for the game) and Danny Gagnon channeled his inner Dennis Rodman by grabbing 6 first half boards and finishing with a career high 10 for the game. The true spark of the first half was Miller Staten, who came in after Mike Stickles picked up a couple of questionable fouls, and not only provided energy on both sides of the ball, but chipped in 5 assists and four rebounds in only 7 minutes of play. Pomfret took a 34 – 24 lead into the locker room.
The second half started out solidly Pomfret continued to move the ball and find the open man for shots. We also continued our domination on the boards and managed to extend the lead to 16. Some sloppy play by Pomfret and scrappy play by BB&N them to sneak back into the game. With about 6 minutes left in the game Pomfret's lead had shrunk to 6, but we picked up our defensive intensity and began playing team basketball again. The play that seemed to seal the game was when we moved the ball around to four different players and found Gagnon in the corner for a three in which he was fouled. He hit all three free throws and we never looked back. Only four players scored in the second half, but it was very balanced. Gagnon led the way with 10 points, while Cameron chipped in 9, Andrew had 7 and Joe with 6. Every member if the team who travelled played and we wound up winning by the score of 67 to 53.
Cameron Bell had his second straight 20+ rebound game and his dominance on the glass set the tone. Ferro tied for the team lead in assist and also had two thunderous dunks and several other hustle plays. And Danny Gagnon celebrated the first double-double of his Pomfret career finishing with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Stats: Cameron Bell – 13 Points, 22 Rebounds, and 2 Turnovers; Joe Ferro – 17 Points, 6 Rebounds, 5 Assists, 1 Steal and 0 Turnovers; Dan Gagnon – 10 Points, 10 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 2 Steals, 1 Block and 2 Turnovers; Miller Staten – 5 Assists, 4 Rebounds, and 1 Steal; Andrew Robinson – 20 Points, 4 Rebounds, 3 Steals, 1 Assist, and 1 Turnover; Mike Stickles – 4 Points, 3 Assists, 2 Rebounds, 1 Steal, and 1 Turnover; Leo Driscoll - 3 Points, 4 Rebounds, and 1 Turnover; Matt Bourdeau – 1 Block; JJ Ahmed – 1 Rebound.
Girls' Varsity Basketball
Pomfret 47, Rivers 45
In front of a huge crowd, the girls' basketball team snatched victory out of the jaws of defeat. Though the glory falls on Megan Gaudreau for draining a deep, off-balanced baseline three, the final play epitomized what Pomfret girls basketball is all about. On another day Maura Hall probably would have been taken out of the game after colliding with another player while diving for a rebound. But she didn’t, and we’re grateful for that. Hall's rebound on Rivers missed foul shot went into the hands of Kim Derosier who immediately looked up the court for Jamie Samociuk slashing through the middle, who then penetrated the paint, drew the defenders, and dished to Gaudreau. Leading up to this moment, Hall was 1-13 from behind the line, but without hesitation she put herself in the best scoring position as possible and released the shot while the entire gym held its breath until, “SWISH”, nothing but net. The celebration that erupted can only be described as overwhelming as the players were instantly absorbed by the crowd and some hoisted to the top of it.
Stats: Jamie Samociuk: 12 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks; Megan Gaudreau: 11 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block; Zenab Keita: 15 points, 14 rebounds, 1 block; Whitney Willingham: 1 point, 4 rebounds; Maura Hall: 5 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block; Kim Derosier: 3 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 4.
Pomfret 42 Williston 30
The girls struggled to find their legs after the previous night’s emotionally and physically draining game, and the halftime score was an uncharacteristically low 12-10, Pomfret. Poorly executed offenses and unnecessary turnovers were to blame for the low score, and this sloppiness carried over to the defensive end. Whitney Willingham, Z Hutchins, and Alyson Chase provided nice sparks off the bench as each stepped in and made immediate contributions. Willingham was a presence on the boards, and for this was rewarded with two trips to the foul line, finishing 3-4. Hutchins' voice and energy alone gave the team a boost, and within one minute of being on the floor, Chase grabbed an offensive rebound and had a steal on the defensive end. The halftime talk was about digging deeper, about playing smarter and improving communication to expending less energy.
The second half was (mostly) the improvement the coaches were looking for. Behind the vocal leadership of senior captain Maura Hall, the girls rallied and brought their energy up another notch. Players who went scoreless in the first half found their legs, and considering the circumstances, they finished an impressive 8-10 from the foul line. Offensive execution was much improved under Kim Derosier’s guidance, and she finished with 4 second half assists as Maura and Megan each connected twice from behind the line. Tristyn Drake also came into the game and provided some valuable minutes. While overall it certainly wasn’t perfect, it was the improvement the coaches were asking for, and in the end the team finished with two big wins against Class B schools.
Stats: Alyson Chase: 2 rebounds, 1 steal; Jamie Samociuk: 2 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal Megan Gaudreau: 10 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals Whitney Willingham: 5 points, 6 rebounds Maura Hall: 15 points, 6 rebounds Kim Derosier: 2 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal Z Hutchins: 1 assist, 1 block Zenab Keita: 8 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists.
Girls' Varisty Hockey
Pomfret 1, Tabor 0
The Griffins faced off against the top-ranked Seawolves of Tabor last week and pulled off an important win, defeating Tabor for the first time since 2005-2006. Jaimie Leonoff played her best game of the year turning aside a remarkable 47 shots on the day. She stole the game for Pomfret making numerous highlight real saves. Tabor took three penalties in the first period, but the Griffins lacked the speed and focus necessary to create quality scoring chances.
After a passionate speech by coach Rowe between periods, the girls had a little more jump in the second. Izzy Regine, Andi Nicholson and Cassie Catlow were all skating hard as a line and trying to generate offense. However, the Griffins only managed to muster 4 shots on net to Tabors’ 17. With one minute remaining in the second, Pomfret created some pressure in the offensive zone. Victoria Geary, who had worked tirelessly in practice all week, fought hard for positioning in front of the net while Samantha Slotnick battled to get the puck in front. After centering the pass Geary got a piece of it, but the puck was loose and Ashley Anctil streaked in to score the lone goal of the contest.
Heading into the third, Pomfret had to take care of things defensively. Tabor was forced to shoot more from the perimeter. Geary skated a regular shift and Alison Horst also saw some shifts in addition to the regulars. Melissa Haganey and Olivia Arnold were very responsive to switching roles between center and wing in the third, which showed great team play. The athleticism and poise Jaimie showed between the pipes sparked the rest of the team to play outstanding defense in the final period. All five of Pomfret's defense, Brooke Bytalan, Lilah Fones, Nelle Herrick, Morira MacArthur and Nataly Maloney, battled the bigger, stronger Tabor forwards. Tabor pulled the goalie with 1:42 remaining but were unable to capitalize with the extra attacker.
Boys Varsity Hockey
Pomfret 1, Gunnery 5
16 Griffins — 2 goalies, 4 defensemen, and 10 forwards — took the two-hour ride to Washington to take on #1-ranked Gunnery. Despite arriving at the rink with plenty of time to prepare, the Griffins got off to a mediocre start, and things went downhill fast when Gunnery scored three goals just after the midway point of the first period within two minutes and thirty-six seconds. Gunnery added their fourth goal with 1:04 remaining in the first. Gunnery outshot Pomfret 18 - 8 in the opening frame. Coach Wolanin decided to shake things up for the second period, and Rob Sassone ’10 came out of the bullpen and into the Pomfret goal. The defensive pairs were also changed. Sassone made a couple of keys saves early in the period, and Pomfret, perhaps having shaken out the cobwebs, began to play to its potential. Garrett White ’12 scored with 4:01 remaining in the second to make the score 4 - 1, and much grittier team defense kept Gunnery from scoring in the period. Gunnery scored the lone goal of the third period when a sluggish Pomfret change resulted in an odd-man rush. Regardless, there were some bright spots, namely the play of Sassone.