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Old Lyme's Ed Fiske finished with 20 points to help Old Lyme edge Ellington 52-50 at Old Lyme High School Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (Joe Morelli/Hearst Connecticut Media)
OLD LYME - There are very few ways to better prepare for league and state tournaments than playing late-in-the-season boys basketball games against teams with playoff experience.
Or as Old Lyme coach Brady Sheffield put it when his squad took on No. 6 Ellington on Friday, "Two teams playing with championship pedigree, that's what it is."
As one might have expected, the battle came down to the final possession, and when Ellington's Jack Curtis missed his 3-point attempt, Old Lyme handed the Knights their first defeat 52-50.
"We've had a lot of late-game shots taken against us and we've came out on the lucky side," Old Lyme's Eddie Fiske said. "But our defense all around, the whole game, sealed it."
Ellington (19-1) came into the contest riding a state-best 46-game winning streak. The reigning NCCC champions won the CIAC Division IV championship last season.
"Are they upset they lost? Yeah, but the reality is life is not always perfect. What they've done, they should be proud of," Ellington coach Bob Freitas said.
The Knights' loss leaves just two undefeated CIAC teams remaining: Staples and Woodland.
Friday's game was the back end of a home-and-home series. Last season, Ellington defeated Old Lyme 69-28 on Dec. 27, 2024.
Old Lyme (18-2) is the reigning Shoreline Conference champion and has reached the CIAC Division V final the last two years, winning in 2024. The Wildcats will likely be the No. 3 seed in Division IV this season, and Ellington the top seed in Division III.
"It's not like, ‘Hey, we're trying to break their 46-game streak,'" Sheffield said. "I tried to use it as, ‘These guys have won 46 games in a row for a reason. You know how hard it is to win one game. When you've won 46 in a row, you are doing the right things every night."
Fiske had nine of his 20 points in the third quarter, where Old Lyme built a 13-point lead (35-22). Ellington answered with an 18-4 run to take a 40-39 lead heading into the final quarter. Curtis scored 11 in the quarter.
Fiske scored the first basket of the fourth quarter, then teammate Will McKeever made consecutive 3-pointers to give Old Lyme a 49-44 advantage.
"It helped us a lot. It gave us so much energy," McKeever said about his 3s. "We knew what we had to execute. We were just confident through the whole thing. No fear."
Jack Weigand's basket with just under two minutes left allowed Ellington to cut the lead two, 51-49. Missed shots and turnovers plagued both teams on the next few possessions until Wiegand was fouled with 8.4 seconds left.
He missed the first free throw, but made the second, and the lead was one.
Ellington had a couple of fouls to give and Colman Curtiss-Reardon went to the free throw line with 4.2 seconds left. He too made one of two free throws, making it 52-50.
The Wildcats had to watch Curtis' last attempt miss before the celebration could ensue.
"It was team basketball," Fiske said. "It started on defense. It was movement on offense, using everyone's screens, just get everyone involved and that's how we win big games."
Player of the Game
Ed Fiske Jr., Old Lyme: Scored 20 points, including 13 in the second half, to help Old Lyme prevail.
Quotable
"When he (Curtis) shoots the ball, you hold your breath because he is such a good player. But a little bit of luck helps." - Old Lyme coach Brady Sheffield.
Old Lyme 52, Ellington 50
ELLINGTON 15 7 18 10-50
OLD LYME 18 9 12 13-52
Ellington: Reese Nicol 3 2 4-4 16, Ty Fieldhouse 1 0 0-0 2, Colin McKee 0 1 0-0 3, Jack Curtis 5 1 7-8 20, Dylan Killoran 0 0 0-0 0, Jack Weigand 4 0 1-2 9. Totals:13 4 12-14 50.
Old Lyme: Ethan Trepanier 0 1 0-0 3, Will McKeever 0 4 0-0 12, Colman Curtiss-Reardon 1 1 4-6 9, Oliver Wyman 0 2 0-0 6, Ed Fiske 8 0 4-7 20, Ryan Hill 1 0 0-0 2, Connor Vautrain 0 0 0-0 0. Totals: 10 8 8-13 52.
3-pointers:Ellington-Nicol 2, Curtis; Old Lyme-McKeever 4, Wyman 2, Trepanier, Curtiss-Reardon.
Team records:Ellington 19-1; Old Lyme 18-2.
This article originally published at Old Lyme boys basketball edges No. 6 Ellington, snapping Knights' 46-game winning streak.
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