Looking forward, the Woodstock girls basketball team is on a tough uphill climb to postseason play. They need three more wins and the schedule looking forward is tough, tough tough.
To set the pace, looking forward, the Lady Centaurs won two tight games last week.
Woodstock  39
Fitch  38
Jan. 26 the Woodstock Academy girl’s basketball team had a nice week winning games at Fitch and Tourtellotte.  Against Fitch the girls avenged a 50-39 loss earlier in the season, winning 39-38.  The game was very physical with Fitch playing a tough “man-to-man” defense throughout.
 At the half the Centaurs trailed 19-14, but came out in the third very focused.  They outscored the Falcons 13-2 for the quarter and got important three-point shots from Veronica Norman, Shannon Papuga and Cori Bailey. 
“We dedicate a great deal of time to shooting at practice and it paid off in this game.  We got hot in the third and it carried us to the win,” said Centaur head coach David Walley.  The fourth quarter became a slugfest, with the Fitch Falcons making a strong comeback.  Fitch’s Alisha Dillion cut the Centaur lead to one with a three-pointer and only 17 seconds to play.  The Centaurs inbounded to Cori Bailey who was fouled and converted both free throws.  Lexis Foster added a layup for Fitch as time expired. 
Walley said the Centaurs did an outstanding job from the line in the fourth quarter with Shannon Papuga converting 6 of 7 and Cori Bailey hitting  3 of 4.  “That was the best we shot from the line all season.  Our guards really came through for us down the stretch,”  Walley said.  Norman and Papuga each finished with 11 points, while Bailey added 9.  Freshman Lindsay Weigand continued to do the job on the boards with 9 rebounds.
Woodstock 33
Tourtellotte  28
Jan. 29 the Centaurs traveled to Thompson to take on the Tigers. The foul shooting that carried Woodstock to a victory Jan. 26 did not travel with them to Thompson, as they converted only 10 of 27 from the stripe. 
Veronica Norman gave Woodstock a lead in the first half with three three-point shots, including a 27-footer as time expired in the half. 
“We got off to a slow start. Considering how we played I was happy to get to the half up 5,” said Centaur head coach David Walley.  “Tourtellotte is a well-rounded team. They have some good guard play and they are big on the interior.  I knew going in they would give us everything we could handle, and they did.”  Woodstock came out of halftime strong and led by 12 at the end of the third.  Tourtellotte kept battling and got the lead down to two late in the game, before Woodstock held on for the five-point win.
“Our lack of foul shooting in the fourth (6 of 17) gave them an opportunity to come back. We were lucky to get out of there with a W,” Walley said.
Norman again led the Centaurs with 15 points, including 4 treys.  Lindsay Weigand added 6, and Cori Bailey had 5. 
Walley added, “We have five games left and need to win three to make the postseason.  It will be an uphill climb, especially with NFA, East Lyme, and Bacon Academy on the road.  We will take it one game at a time.”
Marianapolis
Marianapolis 53
Wheeler 20
Jan. 29 the Marianapolis girls varsity and girls’ junior varsity basketball teams each won against Wheeler. The varsity won  53 to 20 and improved their record for the season to 12 and 3.  Melanie Mills was the leading scorer with 13 points. 
The varsity is in second place in the SENE Conference with a record of 7 and 1.
The junior varsity won 33 to 9 with Sydney Latour the leading scorer  with  8 points.  The  JVs are now 12 and 3 for the season.
Putnam
Putnam 50
New London 21
The Clipper girls' basketball team played at New London High School Jan. 26 came away with 50-21 victory, The Clippers were led by Katelyn Tarr with 27 points and Kate Montgomery with 12 points and 10 rebounds. That put the Clippers at 10-4 for the season.
Putnam 50
Ledyard 38
Jan. 29 the Clippers hosted Ledyard High School and won 50-38. The team was led by Katelyn Tarr with 23 points and Molly MacKenzie with 12 points and 10 rebounds. The team improved to 11-4 on the season. Both games were versus ECC Medium (New London) and Ecc Large (Ledyard) opponents.   
Pomfret School
Pomfret 44
Cushing 35
When it came to the man-to-man matchup, the girls probably met their toughest opponent of the season Jan. 23 against Cushing Academy. On paper, the Pomfret girls were defending a team that looked very similar to themselves. Each one of Cushing’s players was an offensive threat, and on any given day, one of them could be the leading scorer. Zenab Keita had her hands full defending Cushing’s 6-foot, 3-inch post player, and Kim, Maura, Jamie, and Megan each had their specific defensive assignments. Fortunately, it was Pomfret defense at its best, and the girls limited Cushing to only 11 first half points as they went on to score 25. As Zenab and Whitney worked tirelessly (and physically!) to contain the inside girl (she scored only 2 first half points), Pomfret literally dominated the boards. Maura, Jamie, and Kim played like girls twice their size as they would go on to be the three leading rebounders of the game.
In the second half Cushing stepped up its intensity, and the Pomfret players found themselves pushed and challenged in a way they hadn’t experienced yet this season. While the girls responded by playing even more physical basketball, there were some short lapses which resulted in 13 second half turnovers. Cushing capitalized on these turnovers and closed the gap to 8 points with just under six minutes to play. The girls looked as tired as they have, and Tristyn Drake and Z Hutchins provided some valuable minutes, as Whitney showed her strength in the paint with Zenab sitting on the bench with 4 fouls. Whitney had big shoes to fill in this game as Zenab was pacing the team offensively, but Whitney stepped up and played one of her best games, finishing with 7 points, her season high.
Kim Derosier’s leadership and composure at the point was more than evident as she came back in the game with four fouls just as Cushing had cut the lead to 8. Once Kim was back at the helm, the turnovers were cut down (Kim herself only finished with 1) and Cushing was never able to get any closer. It was a day of great leadership by both our captains as Maura played one of her toughest games, finishing with 13 rebounds, and holding her player scoreless for the game.
Jamie Samociuk also came up huge in these final minutes, putting the game out of reach when she grabbed an offensive rebound in the paint and put it right back up for the last basket. Clearly the smallest person on the court, Jamie did not let size take away from her effectiveness, and she responded by playing one of her most physically aggressive games this season.
Hyde-Woodstock
Hyde  34
Falmouth Academy 46
By Pamela Bertschy
The team is struggling to get its footing. The last three games have been winnable but the girls’ confidence has taken a hit. The offense is struggling to find its rhythm and the defense is struggling to find its toughness. Jan. 27 Hyde went into the locker room at halftime down by 9 points. Falmouth’s shooting got better in the second half and the wolf pack did not match their intensity. Late in the period Hyde’s defensive intensity picked up but it was too late to make up the difference. Sabrina Padro ‘10 had 20 points. Margaret Ann Regnery ‘10 added 5 points. Becca Katz ‘11, Sarah DeNunzio ‘11, Mari Barnett ‘11, and Lexi Burke ‘10 each chipped in two points apiece. Katherine Hagood ‘13 had a point.

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