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UNCASVILLE – Every year for the last three years, the Northwest Catholic girls basketball team has come to the Mohegan Sun Arena on the last day of the season and gone home with a championship.
The three seniors – Abby Casper, Maeve Staunton and Zoe Canning – had a record of 93-15 over four years. They had state titles in Class S (as freshmen), Class MM (as sophomores) and Class L last year.
But Saturday, the top-seeded Lions ran into a talented, determined Greenwich team in Division I and would not go home with a title this year. No. 3 Greenwich held on for a 51-46 victory and its first girls basketball championship.
Sophomore Zuri Faison had 18 points and 14 rebounds for the Cardinals (25-2) and made life difficult for Northwest Catholic’s 2,000-point scorer, senior Abby Casper. Casper led the Lions (26-2) with 18 points and seven rebounds but she shot 7 for 19 and 2 for 8 from the 3-point line. Her sister Samantha added nine points.
“Unfortunately, in the first half, we kind of got stuck on our heels a little bit and went away from some of the things we had talked about,” Northwest Catholic coach Alison Connors said.
“When we regrouped at half, we talked about what our game plan was, we kind of got back to that and they made a run.”
Northwest trailed 28-18 at halftime but made a 9-0 third-quarter run, fueled by two Abby Casper baskets and a Samantha Casper 3-pointer and the Lions took a 31-30 lead with 3:15 left. But Greenwich came back and though Northwest cut the lead to three, 46-43, with 1:58 left on a Lilyan Johnson layup and tied the score at 46 with 57 seconds left on a Maeve Staunton layup, the Lions couldn’t sustain the momentum.
“We knew this wasn’t going to be easy – especially in Division I and especially with that lineup,” Connors said. “They’re very good.”
Her message to her team in the locker room was upbeat.
“What I just told them in there: They came in and they’re leaving this program way better than they found it,” she said. “They’re ultimate competitors, the best people to coach.
“One game is not going to take away the excellence the (seniors) have put on the floor for the last four years. I’m so proud of the three of them. Sometimes things just don’t go your way.”
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The three seniors – Abby Casper, Maeve Staunton and Zoe Canning – had a record of 93-15 over four years. They had state titles in Class S (as freshmen), Class MM (as sophomores) and Class L last year.
But Saturday, the top-seeded Lions ran into a talented, determined Greenwich team in Division I and would not go home with a title this year. No. 3 Greenwich held on for a 51-46 victory and its first girls basketball championship.
Sophomore Zuri Faison had 18 points and 14 rebounds for the Cardinals (25-2) and made life difficult for Northwest Catholic’s 2,000-point scorer, senior Abby Casper. Casper led the Lions (26-2) with 18 points and seven rebounds but she shot 7 for 19 and 2 for 8 from the 3-point line. Her sister Samantha added nine points.
“Unfortunately, in the first half, we kind of got stuck on our heels a little bit and went away from some of the things we had talked about,” Northwest Catholic coach Alison Connors said.
“When we regrouped at half, we talked about what our game plan was, we kind of got back to that and they made a run.”
Northwest trailed 28-18 at halftime but made a 9-0 third-quarter run, fueled by two Abby Casper baskets and a Samantha Casper 3-pointer and the Lions took a 31-30 lead with 3:15 left. But Greenwich came back and though Northwest cut the lead to three, 46-43, with 1:58 left on a Lilyan Johnson layup and tied the score at 46 with 57 seconds left on a Maeve Staunton layup, the Lions couldn’t sustain the momentum.
“We knew this wasn’t going to be easy – especially in Division I and especially with that lineup,” Connors said. “They’re very good.”
Her message to her team in the locker room was upbeat.
“What I just told them in there: They came in and they’re leaving this program way better than they found it,” she said. “They’re ultimate competitors, the best people to coach.
“One game is not going to take away the excellence the (seniors) have put on the floor for the last four years. I’m so proud of the three of them. Sometimes things just don’t go your way.”
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