This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
12/17/2016 11:00 PMThe realignment of the divisions in the Southern Connecticut Conference hasn’t dampened the rivalry between the North Haven and Branford girls’ basketball teams. Although the Indians and Hornets are now in different divisions, they’re still meeting up twice this year and tipped off the 2016-’17 campaign by facing each other last week.
North Haven enters the season as the slightly more experienced squad with four returning seniors, despite graduating last year’s top player, Julia Puzone. Branford only returns two seniors, but one of them, Adrienne DiGioia, was an All-Oronoque player last season. On Dec. 16, Branford came away with a 59-52 victory at North Haven and here’s three important things to know in the game’s aftermath: North Haven shouldn’t be underestimated, DiGioia is the real deal, and the Indians appear to have a promising player in freshman Zoi Burns.
Branford, which defeated North Haven twice last year, stormed out to an early double-digit lead in the season opener and looked poised to take control of the game. North Haven responded by closing the gap in the second quarter and then took the lead in the third as Head Coach Ray Degnan was encouraged to see his squad was “playing with some confidence and with a sense of calm.” However, Branford, led by DiGioia, outscored the Indians 24-14 in the final period and went on to the seven-point win. DiGioia scored a game-high 19 points in the victory.
“We told them it’s a game of runs. We made ours, they made theirs. Now it was our turn in the fourth quarter. Just finish,” Branford Head Coach Justin Henry said.
Henry said the Hornets “got out in transition pretty good early,” and that played a big part in his club’s red-hot start for a 21-8 advantage at the end of the first quarter. DiGioia seemed to be everywhere on the court and scored four points in the frame. Freshman Karly King and sophomore Sophia Araneo also had strong quarters with seven and six points, respectively, plus junior Emma Pierson was a standout on defense by constantly pressuring the Indians’ players and threatening to steal the ball. King finished the game with 12 points, Pierson had nine, and Araneo scored seven to aid the Hornets.
For North Haven, Laura Petrafesa scored four points in the first quarter with fellow freshman Burns showing an explosive burst, but turnovers hampered the Indians. The good news was that they still had three quarters left to play and the start of the second period was almost like the start of a different game.
Senior Ariana DelVecchio came on strong for North Haven, while Burns’s speed and athleticism made her a constant threat at both ends of the court. Both athletes had four points in the quarter as the Indians slowly, but surely climbed their way back into the game, outscoring Branford 13-7 to draw within 28-21 at halftime.
DelVecchio and Burns scored 14 points apiece to lead North Haven. Petrafesa had 11 points and senior Jess McInnis added seven. Coach Degnan discussed the keys to his team’s turnaround following the difficult first quarter.
“Ari DelVecchio taking control of the defense, Laurissa Amaker and Jess McInnis controlling the paint, and the entirety of the team focusing on not turning the ball over,” Degnan said. “We just cut down on those turnovers. We had 10 turnovers in the first quarter and just two in the second.”
In addition to better ball control, North Haven’s defense clamped down on Branford in the second period.
“They slowed us down with their zone defense. I think we missed a few shots, they took a little better care of the ball, as well, and that killed some of our momentum,” said Coach Henry. “We missed a few good looks that kept their momentum going.”
The Indians had their best offensive output in the third quarter by outscoring Branford 17-7. DelVecchio continued to lead the charge on defense as North Haven capitalized on Branford’s turnovers and a few traveling violations. In addition to continued production from DelVecchio and Burns, McInnis tallied four points in the frame for the Indians. Sophomore Leah Zeisner added a clutch three that aided North Haven’s surge. Branford’s offense seemed to be stuck in neutral as the Indians brought a 38-35 lead into the fourth quarter, although DiGioia knew the game was still right there for the taking for Branford.
“We needed to come back,” said DiGioia. “It was a close game. We knew we had to come out during the fourth quarter and pump it up and get energized in order to win.”
After the teams traded threes to start the final period, Branford made a big defensive change, played with renewed energy, and things started going the Hornets’ way.
“They changed their press,” said Coach Degnan. “They sped us up a little bit, they forced a couple turnovers, and, once the game got tight, my players got tight.”
North Haven kept the game close, but Branford took the lead with 3:30 to play, after which DiGioia took her play to another level and took over the game. DiGioia used a spectacular Euro step layup to put her team up by three and then hit five of her six free throws down the stretch to seal the 59-52 victory for the Hornets. The pressure of the late-game free throws didn’t faze the four-year starter.
“At times it was pressurizing, but I know that I can do it, and I know that my teammates have faith in me,” DiGioia said.
While Coach Henry was happy with the win, he knows the North Haven game was just the first of many tough contests on the schedule for his squad.
“It’s one, which was our goal this week—go 1-0,” Henry said. “So we’ll try and get the next ones.”
From the Sidelines
North Haven and Branford won’t have to wait too long for a rematch this season. The two teams will face each other again in Branford at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 3.
Just like the fall season, the SCC has realigned its divisions for the winter campaign this year. North Haven remains in the Oronoque Division, which features four new teams in Hand, Hillhouse, Law, and Lyman Hall. Branford has moved from the Oronoque to the Hammonasset Division, which also includes Mercy, Amity, Sacred Heart Academy, and Guilford.
Branford's senior captains this year are Adrienne DiGioia and Gabriella Piscitelli.
North Haven's senior captains this year are Ariana DelVecchio, Jessica McInnis, and Julissa Maldonado.