Overtime: High school athletics in Connecticut

There were so many storylines to yesterday’s girls basketball game between Stamford and Staples, a 37-35 Black Knights win that was their 10th in a row. Some thoughts:

— As almost everyone acknowledges this is one of the weakest years in girls basketball in recent memory, certainly in the 25 years I have been covering it. Coaches privately admit it. There have been a number of ugly games that are now more the norm rather than aberrations, some that resemble scrums. Yesterday both teams, considered among the FCIAC’s best, struggled to score points. Some of that can be attributed to good defense. Many are wondering if this is a beginning of the downfall for the sport. That is a little bit drastic. Until proven otherwise, consider it more than nothing cyclical.

— Yesterday’s game ended with the two teams combining to miss 9 straight free throws. It was part of an overall pattern in which Stamford was 4 of 16 from the foul line, while Staples was just 10 of 19. With many low-scoring games, that is going to end up costing teams victories.

— Stamford is going to see a number of defenses designed to contain Fiona O’Dwyer, its top scorer, the rest of the way. That is going to make it incumbent on others to step up. Lauren Beluk assumed that role yesterday, hitting four 3-pointers and scoring a game-high 15 points. If the Black Knights can score from the perimeter, it will open things up for O’Dywer.

— Eliza Howe is one of the best players in the league. Despite having a case of the flu that kept her out of practice the previous two games, Howe played all 32 minutes and scored 21 points, singlehandedly keeping the Wreckers in the game. Had Howe not run out of gas — she missed seven of 15 foul shots — the outcome might have been different.

— It is too easy to criticize officiating, though again it has been a popular topic among coaches, who think this year is the worst it has ever been. The feeling here is the expectations are always low, but the level of inconsistency is troubling. Last night, after Beluk missed two free throws with 4.5 seconds left and his team trailing by two points, Staples coach Ed Huydic wanted to call a timeout but was unable to because the officials never looked in his direction. A good one would have anticipated the possibility given the situation and had an eye on the coach and one on the action.

— The last play, among others, called Huydic to go into a profanity-laced tirade after the game, especially while the teams were shaking hands. One could understand Huydic’s frustration, but he was out of line for his use of language in front of all the players. Stamford principal Rodney Bass was at the game and it appeared as if he was going to report the incident.

— Last night reinforced that, after unbeaten Fairfield Warde, there is not much to distinguish between the next 6-8 teams in the league. A berth in the final will likely hinge on which team gets hot at the end of the season.

One item I forgot to bring up in today’s column: the board meeting to discuss Joshua Starr’s budget is scheduled for Feb. 3. That is the same night that the Stamford High School boys basketball team hosts Trinity Catholic, a showdown between two teams that are currently unbeaten and ranked in the top 10 in the state polls.

Was this a calculated move: people who care about sports will pack the Kuczo gymnasium while people like Starr, who does not, will have an easier time avoiding resistance to slashing the budget?

Given Starr’s total lack of knowledge of the Stamford sports scene, someone would have had to inform him about the Stamford-Trinity game.

I would call in part of a continuing pattern.

A plug here for a column I wrote for Sunday’s paper about Stamford Schools Superintendent Joshua Starr’s proposed budget, which would cut 22 percent from the athletics department.

This is a subject that should not be taken lightly by the community, seeing it could have a dramatic impact on sports in the city, putting both Stamford High and Westhill at competitive disadvantages, denying a number of student-athletes the opportunity to compete and preventing the district from attracting top coaches.

I interviewed Starr for the first time Thursday afternoon, and what was frightening is how out of touch he seems to be about athletics. In trying to defend his care for the program, he actually fueled the constant criticism that he has attracted since his arrival 3 1/2 years ago: that he is no friend of sports.

I’m no expert on the current state of academics in city schools, and Starr at least speaks passionately about trying to improve the system. What I can say, from talking to a wide range of people over the past few years, is that Starr is universally disliked by teachers and coaches alike.

Starr’s words give the impression of someone who believes that academics and athletics are mutually exclusive. He told me he didn’t need to pay any attention to athletics because the department is so well run. I can tell you his failure to attend any sporting events has not gone unnoticed and has not helped his popularity.

I hope anyone with an interest in sports in Stamford will read the column and, more importantly, act to make sure that any cut in athletics is more proportionate to the overall budget. The stakes are too great.

The Trinity Catholic and Stamford High School boys basketball teams passed stiff tests tonight, continuing on a path that could lead to both schools being undefeated when they meet in a highly anticipated showdown on Feb. 3.

Tevin Baskin, in his best performance of the season, finished with 29 points, 16 rebounds and 10 blocks to help the Crusaders cool off a surging Warren Harding team, 72-58. Eric Jean-Guillaume added 14 points for Trinity, which improved to 11-0 overall and 9-0 in league play.

Meanwhile, Baskin’s main competition for the mythical title of FCIAC most valuable player also had a big night. Chris Evans erupted for 30 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists as Stamford handed Greenwich its second straight loss, 69-56.

Jethro Anilus came off the bench to score 13 points, while Mark Ellis had 8 points and 13 rebounds and Michael Tiscia 8 points for the Black Knights.

Stamford, which is the No. 7-ranked team in the state, is now 10-0 overall and 8-0 in league play.

Greenwich stayed close for most of the first half and the score was tied at 22-22 before the Black Knights used a 10-2 run to take the lead for good. Stamford got the Cardinals’ inside players in foul trouble, which helped it up the tempo of the game.

The Trinity-Stamford game will be the biggest between the rivals since their meeting six years ago in the FCIAC final, which resulted in a win by the Crusaders.

If the teams can make it through next week unscathed, the hype will be unbelievable, with the subplot of Baskin playing against Evans, one of his closest friends.

The Trinity Catholic and Stamford High School boys basketball teams are currently undefeated and on track to meet in 12 days at the Black Knights’ court in what would be one of the biggest games between the city rivals in recent memory.

Both teams will face big obstacles tomorrow night to keep their records unblemished. Stamford hosts Greenwich while the Crusaders go on the road to face Warren Harding.

Ironically, Harding and Greenwich met Tuesday night, with the Presidents winning, 70-57.

Harding, which got off to a slow start due to the absence of three starters, is on a roll, helped by the return of Michael Davis, who scored 17 points against the Cardinals.

Greenwich is also 7-2 and has relied on a balanced scoring attack.

By late tomorrow night we should have a little better read on the FCIAC playoff race, and whether the Trinity-Stamford battle could be between unbeaten teams.

Fairfield Warde girls basketball coach Dave Danko took advantage of his bye tonight to scout Stamford High School’s game at Fairfield Ludlowe. He was pretty impressed by what he witnessed.

Informed that Stamford star Fiona O’Dwyer had put up a career-high 33 points as she was removed from the game in the closing minutes, Danko looked at Daphne Elliott and Sabrina Siciliano, his two star players, and said, “That’s the best player we’ve seen all year.”

What made the performance by O’Dwyer, a 5-foot-10 senior, all the more impressive was the manner in which it was accomplished. O’Dwyer was not trying to carry the team or looking to put up big numbers. Quite the contrary. Her scoring came within the normal flow of the Black Knights’ offense. She looked for open teammates and often passed up open shots.

O’Dwyer’s points came in all aspects: 3-point shots, post-up moves, putbacks and drives. Stamford coach Curtis Tinnin was genuinely shocked after the game when told of his star player’s point total because this came in a game in which the Black Knights did not run up the score.

And O’Dwyer dominated in other aspects: she rebounded, chased down loose balls and played relentless defense.

Tonight also proved the Black Knights, in a down year in which after Warde there are a number of teams that appear bunched up, are as good as their 8-1 record and a legitimate threat to get to the FCIAC championship game.

Besides having a go-to player in O’Dwyer, Stamford is one of the league’s best defensive teams. It held Ludlowe, which is far from a cellar-dweller, to just one field goal during a 19-minute span, and to just three points for the first 14:30 of the second half.

With few dominant players in the league this year, the ability to play good defense is an even greater weapon, and the Black Knights really get at it on the court.

And most nights Stamford does not need O’Dwyer to carry the team, though she is capable of doing it. Tonight Katie Pape was Stamford’s next highest scorer with just 5 points. But Pape and Lauren Beluk, who had 3 points, are also four-year starters and part of an ensemble in which several players are capable of putting up double figures on a given night.

Blend it all together and this is the Black Knights’ best team in years and one that rightfully has its sights set on getting to the FCIAC final and, if the season plays out as expected, taking its best shot at Warde.

If the Black Knights were to go on and shock the conference by winning their first title since 1979, Danko will not be the only one impressed.

History tells us not to speak in absolutes in high school sports, but after watching the Fairfield Warde girls basketball team’s 81-44 rout of Westhill last night, it is hard to see the Mustangs not winning the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference title. They have the best 1-2 combo in the league and have a relentless press that forces turnovers and leads to easy baskets.

Last night they limited the Vikings to just one shot during a nearly three-minute span in the first quarter, forced seven turnovers and went on a 17-2 run. Westhill turned the ball over 25 times in the first half.

Daphne Elliott, who is averaging 23 points a game and put up 17 last night, is clearly the conference’s best player. Her outside shot is much more accurate and she is stronger than a year ago. Most people don’t know her cousins include current UConn guard A.J. Price and Jamelle Elliott, a former star and now assistant coach with the UConn women.

Complementing Elliott is 6-foot center Sabrina Siciliano, who equalled her season average with 17 points last night and is the point person to the Mustangs’ press. Most of her baskets came off of turnovers.

What will make Warde even more formidable is if other players step up, as Alex Aufiero did last night when she scored a career-high 19 points.

In a year in which the FCIAC is weaker than at any time in recent memory, it is hard to see the Mustangs not cutting down the nets next month. They are prone to struggle a little with their half-court defense, but opponents have had difficulty beating the press and having the chance to set up.

Take Warde out of the equation and you could have one heck of a playoff race, with teams like Danbury and Stamford, among others, battling in what would make a compelling tournament of fairly equal teams.

But as last night proved, unless someone catches them on an off night, the Mustangs most dangerous opponent might be themselves.

Though he has been a key part to the Trinity Catholic High School boys basketball team’s 8-0 start, junior guard Remy Pinson, a transfer from Rye High School in New York, has often operated beneath the radar. That is due to the fact that Pinson has been content to blend in to the state’s No. 1-ranked team, willing to cede the stage to the team’s two heralded stars, center Tevin Baskin and guard Eric Jean-Guillaume.

That selfless philosophy has obscured the fact that Pinson is quite capable of playing a headlining role, as he demonstrated during tonight’s 74-61 win over Danbury.

Pinson scored 17 first-half points, including nine in the first quarter, when the Crusaders were uncharacteristically lazy on defense and got into a shooting contest with the Hatters, coming out on top, 22-19.

Pinson finished with five 3-point shots.

On a different team, with different needs, Pinson could easily put up 20 points an outing, as he proved tonight. But with Baskin and Jean-Guillaume, and even Takari Smalls, capable of carrying the offense, Pinson has had the luxury of concentrating his efforts in other areas.

His ballhandling and poise were key factors that helped Trinity avoid an upset to St. Joseph at its Northeast Classic holiday tournament. At other times it has been his defensive play.

While Pinson’s performance may not always be as demonstrative as some of his teammates’, he has earned raves from opposing coaches who have scouted the Crusaders for his polished play.

Pinson is the latest contribution to the Trinity program from Rashamel Jones, Stamford’s all-time top male scoring leader. Jones coached Pinson in AAU ball. When Pinson decided he wanted to find a team that would serve as a better stepping stone to a college career, Jones steered him to his alma mater.

And if the Crusaders are going to realize their goals of winning a state title, you can be assured Pinson will play a large role. It just might not always be evidenced in the box score.