For the better part of the beginning of the season, it has been well noted to stop the West Haven girls basketball team, the trio of Amani Abuhatab, Kassidy Carrano and Dealyce Howard would need to be contained.
While North Haven did so in the final eight minutes, it was the last 10.2 seconds of the game that hurt the home team. Draining a pair of free throws in the final 11 seconds, Abuhatab capped her night to lead West Haven to a 51-50 victory at North Haven.
Abuhatab finished the game with 14 points, 10 rebounds, 10 steals, and seven assists as the Westies remained undefeated at 7-0.
Carrano also played well with 10 points and 10 rebounds, Howard had 10 points, and Tenique Gates finished with nine points.
Outscoring Harding by 21 points in the opening quarter, the Westies cruised to a 66-20 victory in Bridgeport. With the victory, West Haven improved to 8-0 on the year.
Eleven players were in the scoring column with Abuhatab leading the way with 18 points. Carrano scored 14, Ella Morgan had eight, and Mya Flemming and Ava Murphy each scored five in the win.
Carrano led a 22-1 first quarter run with a pair of 3-pointers and 10 points, before a 16-2 second quarter run was fueled by Flemming, Morgan and Maye with four points apiece. Abuhatab led a 19-5 run in the third quarter with 8 points.
It was set up as the game of the year, thus far. Unfortunately for the Westies, they did not get going until the second half.
Watching as Sacred Heart Academy scored the first 11 points of the game, West Haven never recovered in a 61-51 loss in front of a packed crowd at West Haven High.
The Westies (8-1) finally got going in the second half, cutting the deficit to seven on a bucket and free throw by Abuhatab, and seven again on a free throw by Carrano, but the Westies never got closer.
Sacred Heart led 19-5 after one quarter, with four points coming from West Haven’s Abuhatab. The Westies got within 32-16 on a pair of free throws by Carrano just before the half.
Trailing by 17 to start the fourth quarter, a bucket and free throw by Ava Murphy got West Haven within 16, before a 6-0 run on baskets by Abuhatab, Carrano, and Dealyce Howard had the Westies within 55-44.
Sacred Heart hit six of eight free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.
Abuhatab led West Haven with 17 points, 14 rebounds, and six steals. Howard had 15 points, five rebounds, and four assists, and Carrano scored 10 points and added five rebounds.
Just three days after suffering its first loss, West Haven fell to Hillhouse, 69-38, in New Haven.
The Westies chased from the start and trailed by nine after one quarter and by 18 at the half. West Haven was held to single digits in points in each of the first two quarters and never recovered.
The trio of Abuhatab, Carrano and Howard was held to 20 points, with Abuhatab leading the way with 11. Tenique Gates and Murphy each finished with six points, Carrano added five, and Howard had four.
West Haven hit on just three field goals in the opening quarter, and only one more in the second quarter. Only eight of West Haven’s 13 first half points came from the field.
West Haven ended its two-game skid in impressive fashion. Scoring 32 points in the third quarter, West Haven topped East Haven, 68-44, at East Haven High.
Abuhatab led the way for West Haven with 23 points, 18 rebounds, five assists and three steals. Carrano was also a force with 18 points, six rebounds, six assists, and three steals. Howard and Murphy each scored seven.
Behind nine points from Carrano and seven from Murphy, West Haven led 18-10 after one quarter. Carrano scored five of her team’s eight second quarter points as the Westies went to the half ahead 26-22.
West Haven put the game away in the third quarter on a 32-10 run. Abuhatab scored 16 points in the quarter and Howard scored seven as West Haven increased the lead to 58-32.
West Haven improved to 9-2 with the win.
The West Haven hockey team was just over three minutes from going to overtime against Ridgefield. Just 13 seconds after scoring the equalizer, West Haven watched as the Tigers scored the go-ahead goal to defeat the Westies, 3-2, at Winter Garden Ice Arena in Ridgefield.
Ryan Bernardi led the West Haven offense with two goals, while D.J. Carfora had a pair of assists. Javed Ullah made 29 saves in the loss.
Trailing 2-1, Carfora set up Bernardi in the slot and the senior roofed a shot under the crossbar for the equalizer with 3:30 remaining.
The tie lasted less than 30 seconds as Ridgefield’s Luke Pereira scored his second of the game for a 3-2 Ridgefield advantage.
West Haven had one final chance to even the game on the power play in the final two minutes. Pulling Ullah for a two-man advantage, West Haven pressured, but could not find the back of the net.
For 31 minutes, West Haven hung with one of the best teams in the state. It was the next 2:30 that did the then in.
Scoring three times in a span of 2:30, Fairfield Prep topped West Haven, 7-2, at the Wonderland of Ice in Bridgeport. With the loss, West Haven fell to 1-8 on the year.
After a scoreless first period, Alfano gave West Haven a 1-0 lead with a breakaway goal 1:29 into the second period off assists from Javed Ullah and Yousaf Ullah.
That lead lasted just 1:34 as Prep scored to even the contest, then took the lead with 6:57 to go in the middle period. West Haven evened the game when Bernardi scored from the slot with 4:47 left in the second.
That lead again was short-lived as the Jesuits scored with 1:19 remaining in the middle period to take a lead they never relinquished.
Jayden Spreyer’s goal 1:48 into overtime lifted the Westies to a 5-4 victory over Immaculate at the Danbury Ice Arena.
Spreyer took a pass and moved up the left wing, before beating Immaculate goalie Francis McGreal high to the glove side for the winner. West Haven improved to 2-8 with the victory.
Spreyer’s tally eliminated a blown lead late in the contest as the Mustangs scored twice in the final 4:39, including the equalizer with 20.8 seconds remaining when Seamus Heslin beat West Haven goaltender Javed Ullah (29 saves) to the short side.
West Haven’s top line of Bernardi, Bruneau and Carfora combined for 10 points, with Bernardi scoring three goals and adding an assist, Bruneau picking up four assists, and Carfora adding a goal and an assist.
West Haven was unable to build off the win, taking a 3-1 loss against North Haven.
With the game even at one in the third period, the Nighthawks scored the go-ahead goal with 1:55 gone by and never relinquished the lead. North Haven added an insurance goal with 3:26 remaining as the Westies were held to just seven third period shots.
West Haven evened a 1-0 game when Bruneau fed Alfano in front and the West Haven senior found the back of the net on the power play with 3:28 remaining in the middle period. That was all for the night.
West Haven was outshot 16-6 in the opening period with its best chances to score coming off the stick of Peschell in front with 8 minutes remaining and Alfano off the left wing with 5:42 to go in the opening period.
Heading into its contest against West Haven/Sacred Heart Academy, Darien was outscoring its opponents by a five to one margin, winning five of its first six state games.
When all was said and done Tuesday, the ratio, and result, continued.
Behind four goals from junior Chelsea Donovan, Darien cruised to a 6-0 victory over the Westie Sharks at the Edward L. Bennett Rink.
After a scoreless first period in which each team had eight shots and the Westie Sharks had a pair of golden opportunities they did not convert, Darien got on the scoreboard early in the second and never looked back.
With West Haven/ Sacred Heart Academy goaltender Grace Nowak keeping her team in the game with 10 second period saves, several in impressive fashion, the Blue Wave finally solved Nowak when Carolyn Clark’s shot from the point found the back of the net just 2 minutes, 50 seconds into the middle period.
Darien continued the pressure in the middle period, holding a 12-2 shot advantage. Donovan then gave her team a 2-0 lead when she scored on a rocket in front with 4:16 remaining for a 2-0 lead.
The two goals would be more than enough for Darien goaltender Claire Haupt, who finished with 18 saves in the shutout.
Clark finished with one goal and two assists, Kate Brown had two assists, and Beach finished with a goal and an assist for Darien.
WH/SHA lost its fourth straight contest with a 6-1 defeat at the hands of Conard/Hall at Bennett. The lone goal snapped a streak of three consecutive games without a goal as the Westie Sharks have been outscored 17-1 in the four-game skid.
Nowak made 20 saves in the loss which dropped the Westie Sharks to 6-7 on the year.
The lone goal came in the second period. Trailing 3-0, Melissa Tsakonas scored off an assist from Mae Iversen to get the Westie Sharks within two goals with 2:42 left in the period.
Conard/Hall made sure West Haven/Sacred Heart Academy never got closer by scoring with 29 seconds remaining in the middle period and adding two more in the third.
The West Haven boys basketball team got back on the winning track and improved to 3-4 with a 66-38 victory over Sheehan at West Haven High Monday evening.
Eight different players were in the scoring column, and Tavares Tuck led a balanced attack with 21 points. Adam El Kharraz scored 15 points and Javaun Calhoun scored 12 in the victory.
The Westies set the tone of the game early, taking an 18-7 lead after one quarter. El Kharraz hit a pair of 3-pointers in the opening quarter and finished with eight points in the opening eight minutes, while Tuck added four in the quarter.
West Haven extended the margin to 35-20 in the second quarter. Calhoun had six points and Tuck four as the Westies had a 15-point margin at the half.
The lead extended to 21 points in the third quarter as Tuck hit a big 3-pointer and finished with seven points in the third. Tuck scored six and El Kharraz added five in the final eight minutes.
West Haven’s defense was stellar throughout, holding the Titans to 20 points and under in each half.