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Kelsey LaMay led the Rocky Hill girls basketball team to a win over Southington on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026 in Rocky Hill. (Ron Buck/For Hearst Connecticut Media)
ROCKY HILL - Senior Night is always special, and Rocky Hill's girls basketball seniors made it a goal to make this season extra special.
Tuesday night was the latest example.
Behind its core of seniors, the No. 4 Terriers rallied from a nine-point second-half deficit to turn back Southington 62-59 on Tuesday in a CCC contest.
It was Rocky Hill's 10th straight win since losing its only game of the season a month ago to Northwest Catholic.
Rocky Hill (17-1) fell to the state's top-ranked team in the GametimeCT poll 68-56 on Jan 12. NWC is also the No. 1-ranked Division I team, while Rocky Hill sits atop the Division II rankings.
On Tuesday, Rocky Hill's All-State point guard Kelsey LaMay led the way with 20 points, while fellow seniors Kathy Harding (16 points) and Arianna Daley (eight points) came up big down the stretch.
"This year, things are just really starting to come together," LaMay said. "We are really connected and work well together. Everything is really flowing."
Both LaMay and Daley had key 3-point plays in the second half of the comeback win. Both came as they drove to the basket for layups.
LaMay's 3-point play came during Rocky Hill's 10-0 run in the third quarter that put the Terriers up for the first time since midway through the second quarter. Rocky Hill trailed 36-30 at halftime.
LaMay's hoop-and-harm came after Southington had extended its lead to 39-30 lead on Ariana Quick's fourth 3-pointer of the game 90 seconds into the second half. Quick led all scorers with 22 points.
Down 41-36 midway through the third, the Terriers took a 46-41 lead with 3:16 left in the quarter with its 10-0 run that included LaMay's 3-point play.
Southington (14-5), however, wouldn't go away. Quick's final basket (she was held scoreless in the fourth quarter) tied the game 48-48 with 1:30 left in the third.
Harding's third 3-pointer of the game gave Rocky Hill a 51-48 lead entering the fourth.
Rocky Hill then scored the first points of the final frame to lead 53-48, but Southington scored the next eight points to take a 56-53 advantage with 3:40 to play.
Neither team would lead by more than a possession the rest of the way.
After a Harding basket, Daley delivered her traditional 3-point play with 2:59 to play to put the Terriers up for good 58-56.
"Tonight was very important for us as seniors who've been playing together since fifth grade," Daley said. "But as soon as the ceremony ended, we made sure to lock in and flip the switch and be focused."
Down 62-59, Southington had one last chance to send the game into overtime, but Quick's desperation 3 at the buzzer was off target.
Rocky Hill's senior class, which also includes Madisyn Aurigemma, has been building toward this season. Aurigemma hit a corner 3-pointer for her only points of the game during Rocky Hill's big run.
For the past two years, the Terriers have lost to eventual state champions in the CIAC playoffs, falling to Sheehan in the Class MM semifinals last year, and to Northwest Catholic in the 2024 Class MM quarterfinals.
"Yeah, (tonight) was definitely a big test, but at the end of the day we have four senior leaders who are going to take us (as far as we can go)," Rocky Hill head coach Pete Asadourian said. "We trust each other and we are all connected right now. We got a really good flow going."
The only Rocky Hill underclassman to start Tuesday night was junior Jill Rhouddou. The biggest player on the court Tuesday played big, scoring 16 points inside on several second-chance layups that helped fueled the comeback.
Southington, meanwhile, started two sophomores - Quick and Maule (16 points) - after graduating several seniors off last year's team that lost to Sacred Heart Academy in the Class LL title game.
But the way Southington hung with Rocky Hill left head Blue Knights coach Howie Hewitt encouraged by his young team's effort in a hostile environment.
"We just had a couple of crazy trips (down the floor)," Hewitt said. "Sometimes players of all ages get away from what got you to that spot (of leading). But the kids played very well. We just got away from what we were doing. We'll learn from tonight."
Player of the Game
Kelsey LaMay, Rocky Hill: The All-State point guard not only led the Terriers with 20 points, but with the ball in her hands, she directed the Rocky Hill offense and spearheaded a comeback win.
Quotable
"We just talked about being resilient and not giving up, just keep fighting. You guys are seniors. You guys are leaders. Just steer the ship." - Rocky Hill coach Peter Asadourian on the comeback win.
Rocky Hill 62, Southington 59
Southington 13 23 12 11-59
Rocky Hill 16 14 21 11-62
Southington: Katia Betros 0 1 2-2 5, Nerea Maule 4 2 2-2 16, Addison Lasek 1 0 0-0 2, Alexa Poutouves 0 2 0-0 6, Abby Lockwood 3 0 2-2 8, Ariana Quick 5 4 0-0 22. Totals: 13 9 6-6 59.
Rocky Hill:Kelsey LaMay 2 3 7-7 20, Kathy Harding 2 3 0-2 13, Madisyn Aurigemma 0 1 0-0 3, Arianna Daley 3 0 2-2 8, Jill Rhouddou 7 0 2-2 16, Isabella Tucker 1 0 0-1 2. Totals: 15 7 11-14 62.
3-point field goals:Southington-Betros 1, Maule 2, Poutouves 2, Quick 4. Rocky Hill-LaMay 3, Harding 3, Aurigemma 1.
Team records:Southington 14-5; Rocky Hill 17-1.
This article originally published at No. 4 Rocky Hill girls basketball rallies past Southington behind its senior foursome.
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