Pomfret pg 11 1-28-10
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- Category: Past Issues
The Pomfret School boys’ varsity basketball team went 1-1 on the week with a come-from-behind victory against neighbor Hyde School and a closely contested loss to Gunnery School from Washington.
On the road versus Hyde, the Griffins got off to an abysmal start, turning the ball over seven times in the first eleven possessions, getting out-rebounded at both ends of the court and giving up six first-half three-pointers. Pomfret did respond with three-point baskets by Leo Driscoll, Joe Ferro and Cameron Bell, but they still found themselves down 27-37 at the half.
In the second half, Pomfret’s defense started to pick up and they began to penetrate the lane, taking 18 second-half free throws versus only two in the first. Slowly, the Griffins chipped away at Hyde’s lead and ultimately came out on top at the final buzzer by the score of 61-57, despite 23 turnovers on the day. Leading Pomfret was Cameron Bell with 23 points and 11 rebounds and Joe Ferro with 18 points and 9 rebounds.
Jan. 23's matchup vs. Gunnery, Pomfret hung tough through most of the game, but Gunnery’s outside shooting down the stretch was just too much for the Griffins. The half time score was 36 to 32 in Gunnery’s favor. Pomfret’s Mike Stickles and Andrew Robinson were distributing the ball well; both players ended up with 5 assists on the afternoon. Cameron Bell’s shooting kept the Griffins in the game; he ended up with 18 points and 8 rebounds. Pomfret resident Dan Gagnon contributed 14 points and Joe Ferro added 12 with 11 rebounds in the 75-64 loss. Pomfret’s record now stands at 2-10.
In girls’ varsity basketball action, Pomfret had another three-win week, pushing their record to 14-0. The most challenging game of the week was a Jan. 18 home matchup with the Naval Academy Prep School from Newport. Navy Prep was a quick, aggressive team that forced the Griffins to play near-perfect defense. In the early going, it was Pomfret’s Whitney Willingham who set the tone by diving for loose balls, holding her ground in the paint and creating numerous turnovers. Despite the solid defense, Pomfret found themselves down by a point with five minutes remaining in the game. From that point on, sophomore Meghan Gaudreau took the ball and buried three consecutive three-point shots to put the game on ice. The final score was Pomfret 36, Navy Prep 27. High scorers for Pomfret were Zenab Keita with 12 points and 15 rebounds, Gaudreau with 9 points, and Jamie Samociuk with 8.
In the Jan. 20 game, Pomfret hosted Suffield Academy from Suffield. Suffield had beaten the Griffins last winter, so this was predicted to be another close game. As play developed, though, the Griffins took control early and never looked back, coasting to a 57-38 victory. Brooklyn resident Meghan Gaudreau lead all scorers with 19 points, followed by Zenab Keita with 11, Jamie Samociuk with 10 and Alyson Chase with 8. Another Brooklyn resident, Kim Derosier, led the team in rebounds with 8, followed by Maua Hall with 7 and Tristyn Drake with 5.
Jan. 23, the team traveled to Ashburnham, Mass., to take on Cushing Academy. Defense was the name of the game here as the Griffins held Cushing to only 11 first-half points while they chalked up 25. The second half was not as well played as the first, for Pomfret committed 13 turnovers and allowed Cushing to creep back into the game. Pomfet’s Jamie Samociuk was there, though, to put a stop to any of Cushing’s momentum runs as she contributed 7 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. High scorer was Zenab Keita with 13 points and 5 blocked shots; Maura Hall had 8 points and 13 rebounds and Kim Derosier had 6 points and 10 rebounds. The final score was Pomfret 44, Cushing 35.
The Pomfret School boys’ varsity hockey team went 2-1 on the week to get their record over the .500 mark for the first time this season.
Jan. 18 the team traveled to Avon to take on Avon Old Farms School. The lead changed hands a half dozen times throughout the game as Pomfret just fell short by the score of 4-5. Avon scored first early in the game, but the Griffins came back with goals by Ray Zeek and Garret White to take the lead at the end of the first period. In the second, Pomfret squandered a five-minute powerplay opportunity and then gave up a goal at the six-minute mark , allowing Avon to tie it up. Pomfret took the lead back on White’s second goal of the game, but then Avon scored the next two to take the lead at the end of the second. In the third, Pomfret’s Connor Quinn would tie it up at 4-4, but a minute later, Avon notched their fifth goal of the game. Despite relentless pressure and pulling the goalie in the last minute of play, Pomfret was unable to get the equalizer. Griffin goalie Sam Gifford recorded 35 saves on the afternoon.
In the Jan. 20 game, Pomfret hosted Winchendon Academy from Winchendon, Mass. Winchendon jumped out to an early 2-0 lead with one goal in the first period and one early in the second. Pomfret then got on track when Danny Palumbo scored on a nice set-up from Garrett White. Pomfret then took the lead on consecutive goals by Ray Zeek to make the score 3-2 at the end of the second period. In the third, the Griffins continued to find the back of the net as Zeek got the hat trick, followed by a goal by Garrett White and then two by Palumbo, to also give him a hat trick on the day. Winchendon did come back with two goals of their own, but it was a little too late as the Griffins recorded the 7-4 victory. Sam Gifford had another strong outing making 23 saves on 27 shots.
On Jan. 23, the team traveled to Albany, N.Y., defeating Albany Academy by the score of 2-1. Two first-period goals by Connor Quinn were all the Griffins needed as they held off Albany for the rest of the game. Goalie Sam Gifford continued his strong play, making 26 saves, including a couple key stops in the final minutes when Albany had pulled their goalie in favor of an extra attacker. The weekend win now puts the team’s record at 9-8-3 overall and 4-0-1 in league play.
The Pomfret School girls’ varsity hockey team had a three-game week, recording two wins and one tie, running their unbeaten streak to nine as they have gone 6-0-3 during that stretch.
The Jan. 18 home contest was against St. Mary Academy–Bay View from Riverside, R.I. The teams played to a zero/zero tie going into the third period with Pomfret goalie Kelsey O’Sullivan making a number of high quality saves. In the first minute of the third period, Pomfret finally broke the ice when Samantha Slotnick scored the first of two goals on assists from Cassie Catlow and Ashley Anctil. It was Slotnick, again, nine minutes later, finding the back of the net on assists from Izzy Regine and Melissa Haganey. Haganey then got a goal of her own three minutes later to make the final score 3-0.
On Jan. 20, the girls’ traveled to Kent School in Kent and came away with a 3-2 victory. Pomfret jumped out to a 1-0 lead early in the first period on a goal by Olivia Arnold and then followed up with another goal at the end of the period by Melissa Haganey, assisted by Lilah Fones. Up 2-0, the Griffins continued to keep the pressure on, resulting in a second period goal by Olivia Arnold, her second of the day, off an Andi Nicholson rebound shot. The 3-0 lead held up until just over two minutes were showing on the third period clock. Kent was finally able to tuck one behind Griffin goalie Kelsey O’Sullivan and then record a powerplay goal with thirty seconds on the clock to make the final score 3-2 in favor of Pomfret.
To close out the week, the Griffins traveled to Windsor to take on Loomis Chaffee School. This game lived up to its billing as the teams battled for 50 minutes to a 0-0 tie. Pomfret goalie Jaimie Leonoff was the difference in the game as she turned aside 48 Loomis shots. Pomfret and Loomis each had opportunities to put the game away, but each time shots just went wide or goalies made the big save. Pomfret’s record now stands at 6-4-3.
Pomfret School’s varsity wrestling team matched up with some strong opponents this week and came away with two wins and one loss. Jan. 20 the team traveled to Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor to take on Loomis and Wilbraham & Monson in a tri-meet. Pomfret bested Wilbraham by the score of 60-18. Tony Campione, Dan Scully, Kirsten Beutel, Tomo Okamoto, Bekim Cela, Brandon Thuotte and Andrew Orobator all had pins in the victory. In the second match of the afternoon against Loomis, the Griffins started well with pins by Dan Scully and Tomo Okamoto but were unable to muster any other pins on the day. Brandon Thuotte did record a victory with a technical fall and Allastair Hewitt earned an exciting 6-5 decision against a very good wrestler. The final score was Loomis 52 and Pomfret 26.
On Jan. 23 the team traveled to Pawling, N.Y., to take on traditionally strong Trinity-Pawling School. This would be a match that saw the Griffins fall behind 6-24 in the early going but them put on a rally that produced a 43-42 victory. Despite an injury depleted lineup, Pomfret wrestlers Yugin Lam, Bekim Cela, Brandon Thuotte, Alastair Hewitt and Elliot Granoff were able to pin their opponents. Andrew Orobator had the longest and toughest match of the afternoon. Andrew went the distance, finally being awarded the win when his opponent made too many technical fouls. In the end, Pomfret and Trinity-Pawling were tied, but Pomfret was awarded the victory because of tie-breaking criteria. Pomfret’s season record is now 18-2.