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.
Hello Dave – why does no one comment on ANY of your blog posts (but me it appears
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I know I’m a day late and a dollar short on this particular post, but I have been ruminating on it for a while now. (I wonder if there’s a limit to how much I can write here….)
I guess first, tho these are in no particular order, I would disagree w/you about how weak the league is this year-the weakest in 25 years?? Really?? Why, b/c there’s no more D’Shena Stevens and Trinity DOMINATING everyone else without quarter? But now there’s Warde, dominating yes, a terrific (dare I say ‘great’) team under Danko, tho several of the other teams in the top 8 have been IN the game w/Warde-St Joe’s lost by only 5, tho THS was beat, at the half was down by just 1 point. At Warde. SHS is a scrappy, talented team, ‘blue-collar’ tho they may be in their work ethic, they are a talented bunch -O’Dwyer is as good as any, so versitile; Pape is scrappy, Beluk is as good a ball handler as she is a shooter, and the freshman Cognetta is impressive for a 14 year old. Frankly all the teams in the top 8 are close – the last 6 moreso than the first two – but even THS, underclassmen abounding, toward the bottom of the top 8 beat Staples (Howe notwithstanding), Stamford, St. Joe’s – and should have taken Trinity & Ludlowe handily had they not tripped over their own inexperience. Seems pretty competitive right now in the FCIAC, maybe a dog-fight rather than a study in Big East basketball finesse, but competitive nonetheless no? I don’t know about you, but I’d prefer a really competitive, closely matched bunch than the run-away that has been the Trinity dynasty with Stevens, and before her, Pape. I personally still prefer that it’s anyone’s title.
Next, to your point about the officiating – AMEN to that. This year seems excrutiatingly poor, almost across the board (although now that I think of it I can think of 2 games that were very WELL officiated, but that’s it).
Last – what ever happened w/Huydic and his inappropriate, unsportsman-like conduct in front of the teams, the parents, etc? Any word? I would hope he’d have gotten a censure of some sort.
Anyway, sorry to ramble – and now that I re-read this, we may be sort of agreeing in a looking-at-the-glass-half-empty vs. looking-at-it-half-full kind of way, but I wanted to comment just the same, if for no other reason than so you know that SOMEONE out here is reading this!!!
Thanks for writing the blog, and for taking the time to read this ramble!