The West Haven boys basketball team is going to the state championship. After falling to cross-town rival Notre Dame three times during the regular season and SCC tournament, the Westies got their revenge.
Playing a stifling box-and-one defense, West Haven held Arkansas-bound Abdou Toure to 12 points and withstood a frantic final minute to defeat the Green Knights 43-42 in the Division I semifinals at the University of Hartford.
Looking for its first state title since 1987, West Haven will need to beat undefeated Staples in the championship contest this weekend at Mohegan Sun Arena.
The Westies led 38-29 late in the third quarter, but an 8-0 run by Notre Dame made it a one-point contest. A basket by Jordan Sirabionian extended the lead to 40-37, and Sirabionian came up big again with 2:40 left for a 42-39 lead.
When K’naan Morris hit one-of-two free throws, West Haven had a 43-39 advantage with 24 seconds remaining. The Green Knights hit three foul shots to get within a point in the final five seconds, and the Westies thought they had advanced to the finals after pulling down a rebound of a Notre Dame shot in the final second.
The Westies were called for traveling, setting up one last chance for Toure, who could not connect, sending West Haven to the title game.
West Haven (22-4) jumped out to a 4-0 lead to start the game on baskets by Sirabionian and Morris, and another Sirabionian basket got West Haven within 9-8 after one quarter.
For as good as West Haven played defensively, the Green Knights followed an Aaron Johnson dunk with a basket of their own in the final seconds of the first half to lead West Haven 21-20 at halftime.
Loshon Roman then sparked the Westies as he scored six of West Haven’s eight points on an 8-0 run to start the second half for a 27-21 lead. West Haven never trailed again, leading by as many as 11 points, 35-24, when Johnson was fouled on a 3-point attempt and hit all three free throws.
Quincy Dormevil led the Green Knights with 23 points. Johnson led West Haven with 10 points, while Sirabionian scored 10, and Morris finished with eight.
The team opened the CIAC Division I state tournament with a 70-41 victory over 15th-seeded Danbury.
The second-seeded Westies never trailed in the victory as Aaron Johnson opened the game with a pair of 3-pointers, and Makell Hailey scored six points for a 12-6 first quarter lead.
Matt Morgan opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer for a 17-9 advantage, before 3-pointers by Loshon Roman and Johnson increased the lead to 25-12. Johnson drained another 3-pointer before the half for a 30-14 lead.
Jordan Sirabionian gave the Westies a 35-16 advantage, and Ricardo Harris drained a 3-pointer for a 38-18 lead after three quarters.
Johnson led the Westies with 15 points on five 3-pointers, Harris had 13 points, and Roman scored 11 points. Hailey and Sirabionian each scored eight points, and Morgan scored six points on two 3-pointers.
The Westies advanced to the semifinals with a 66-56 come-from-behind victory over Ridgefield. Johnson led the way for the Westies with 24 points, Sirabionian had 15 points, and Roman scored 13.
West Haven had to fight its way past seventh-seeded Ridgefield as the Westies trailed by six points, 45-39, in the third quarter. Johnson drained a 3-pointer in the final 30 seconds of the third quarter to get West Haven within 47-45.
K’naan Morris got West Haven within 49-48 to start the fourth quarter and Johnson followed with a 3-pointer for a 51-49 lead with 6:40 remaining.
Trailing 54-53, Johnson gave West Haven the lead for good with a 3-pointer with 2:35 to go. Sirabionian and Roman followed with baskets for a 60-54 advantage, and another basket by Roman increased the margin to 62-56 in the final two minutes.
West Haven closed the game out with Roman and Morris draining all four of their free throws in the final minute.
The season has ended for the West Haven boys hockey team. Falling behind early, the tenth-seeded Westies fought back, but could not pull out the win in a 5-2 loss to seventh-seeded Farmington Valley in the opening round of the CIAC Division II state tournament in Simsbury.
Trailing 1-0 in the first period, the Westies evened the score when Connor Moriarty slid a pass from the boards to the high slot where Luca DiLegge scored the equalizer with 8:07 remaining in the opening period.
Farmington Valley scored twice in the first 4:02 of the second period for a 3-1 lead, and the Generals added another goal before the middle period ended to extend the margin to three goals.
Leo Mazuroski tried to give the Westies life in the opening minutes of the third period as he picked up the puck in the West Haven zone and went the length of the ice for a short-handed goal on the backhand 1:56 into the third to cut the deficit to 4-2.
Despite a valiant effort, including goaltender Kai Lupa with numerous big saves, the Westies never got closer.
West Haven finished the season 9-10-2.
The girls basketball team opened the CIAC Division II state tournament with a 46-26 victory over 18th-seeded Newtown.
Noelle Lawrence led the 15th-seeded Westies with 20 points, six rebounds, four steals, and three assists. Tiranke Keita had 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Fatoumata Keita added 10 points and eight rebounds.
Trailing 5-0 in the opening quarter, the Westies evened the game at nine as Fatoumata Keita led the way with four points. West Haven outscored Newtown 8-3 in the third quarter, as Lawrence had five points, including baskets to give West Haven leads of 14-12 and 17-12.
Lawrence had eight points in the third quarter, and her 3-pointer gave West Haven a 20-14 advantage, Two straight buckets by Tiranke Keita extended the lead to 24-14, before a bucket by Lawrence had West Haven on top by 12.
When Tiranke Keita and Lawrence connected in the fourth quarter, West Haven had its biggest lead of the game at 37-17. Tiranke Keita finished with six points in the fourth quarter.
The season endedfor the Westies. Despite leading late, the Westies could not hold on in a 48-44 second round loss at second-seeded Trumbull.
Lawrence led the way with 23 points, seven steals, and six rebounds. Tiranke Keita had 16 points and 13 rebounds as the Westies finished the year with a 17-8 record.
