Griffins
score big win
POMFRET — The Pomfret School girls’ basketball team got a big Class B NEPSAC win over rival Suffield Academy Jan. 22 with fantastic defense in the second and fourth quarters. That allowed Pomfret to get back into the game in the first half and then finish the game in the fourth. Sel Gonzalez led Pomfret with 22 points. Pomfret’s Tay Guirantes scored the 1,000th point of her career on a nice midrange jump shot. Brooke Zahansky had 6 assists on the day for Pomfret.
Suffield 16 - 21- 32- 43
Pomfret 10- 21-36-53
Pomfret scorers: Molly Vincent, 5 points; Sel Gonzalez, 22 points; Brooke Zahansky, 1 point; Tay Guirantes, 7 points; Grace Bullied, 4 points; McKinley White, 9 points; Teagan O’Hara, 5 points;
Later in the week the Griffins fought hard but could not get the win against Cushing. The final score was: Cushing 57, Pomfret 35.
Coach Patrick Burke said, “We started strong against Cushing as our first four possessions resulted in baskets or trips to the foul line. We also played strong defense early. But, today’s game had two turning points. The first happened 4 minutes into the first quarter when Cushing’s most dangerous player went out with an injury. We should have increased our intensity to take advantage, but it was Cushing who rallied together, took the momentum and did not look back. The rest of the first half was a back-and-forth affair, and Cushing went into the half with a 26-21 lead. The second turning point of the game happened two minutes into the third quarter as three straight foul calls against Pomfret resulted in a foul out of Tay Guirantes. We could have rallied and responded as Cushing did earlier in the game, but we struggled to collectively step up to the challenge presented to us and Cushing took advantage. It did not help that we couldn’t buy a basket in the second half; we got good looks, but no shots were falling. We pressed and fouled late to try and get back into the game, but Cushing’s quick guards and good foul shooting helped them pull away.
The Griffins played a solid first half, but their collective energy and effort dipped significantly in the second half.
Pomfret Scorers: Molly Vincent: 1 point; Sel Gonzalez: 15 points; Tay Guirantes: 6 points; Alba Samu: 2 points; McKinley White: 5 points; Teagan O’Hara: 1 point; Michaela Nsubuga: 3 points.
By Patrick Burke

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