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02/18/2017 11:00 PMThe Old Saybrook boys’ basketball team posted a 70-61 Valentine’s Day victory at Old Lyme in a Shoreline Conference matchup last week. The win extended the Rams’ win streak to five games and their record on the campaign now stands at 12-5.
Old Saybrook’s victory also marked the first time that it prevailed on the Wildcats’ home court since the 2008-’09 season. Head Coach Patrick Quinn said he wasn’t aware of the losing streak in Old Lyme’s gym until his players told him about it the day before the game.
“The seniors were talking about how they’ve never won there,” said Quinn. “After the game, they were congratulating me and I was just saying, ‘No, no, no, stop it. It wasn’t me. It was you guys. It was your play.’”
The Rams entered hostile territory in Old Lyme and came out strong in the first quarter to stake themselves to a 19-12 lead. Old Saybrook outscored the Wildcats 15-13 in the second quarter to build a 34-25 halftime advantage that appeared to put Quinn’s club on the path to a wire-to-wire victory. However, Old Lyme battled back and won the third quarter 21-13 to cut the Rams’ lead down to 47-46 entering the final period.
“As I told my team before the game, Old Lyme would come out tough, crash the boards, and shoot well in their gym,” Coach Quinn said. “They did just that and put up a battle.”
In the fourth quarter, though, Old Saybrook increased its lead on its way to the nine-point triumph. On a pivotal play, senior captain guard Connel Henderson dribbled outside of Old Lyme’s zone defense until he saw an opening, then threaded a pass through multiple defenders to fellow senior Jake Tully for a layup that extended the lead. After Old Saybrook created some distance, the Wildcats were forced to foul and stop the clock. Old Saybrook sank 10 of its 12 free throws in the final frame and was 18-for-20 overall at the stripe in its 70-61 victory.
“To their credit, Old Lyme played hard defense until the end,” said Coach Quinn. “When we pulled ahead, I thought under two minutes they’d start to foul, and our guys made their shots.”
For Old Saybrook, Henderson led all scorers with 23 points. He also notched seven assists, often finding Tully in the paint. The Rams’ center netted 17 points while pulling down eight rebounds in the victory. Junior guard Victor Pascoe went hard to the glass by grabbing 10 rebounds to go with five points. Sophomore guard Shane Henderson poured in 13 points to round out the scoring.
Junior guard Anthony Karg was a key defensive cog for Old Saybrook in the victory. Coach Quinn praised his play, as well as the Rams’ overall defensive effort in stopping Old Lyme’s attack, particularly senior guard Dean Palenski.
“We were able to hold Dean Palenski to 18 points,” said Coach Quinn. “He scored 31 points against us in our gym the first game of the season.”
Even though the Rams had already qualified for the Shoreline Conference and Class S State tournaments, Old Saybrook climbed higher in seedings for both brackets by defeating Old Lyme. With three games left in the regular season entering this week, Coach Quinn knows that every victory, even every possession, is an opportunity for a more favorable matchup in either tournament.
“A battle like that is a great example that we have to be tough with the basketball,” said Coach Quinn. “We need to treat it like it’s the most important thing in the world going forward.”
From the Sidelines
Old Saybrook’s wins this year have come against Old Lyme (69-60 and 67-61), Portland (78-65 and 64-48), Creed (69-66), Coginchaug (50-35), Hale-Ray (75-46 and 58-34), Morgan (62-40), East Hampton (61-58 and 71-68), North Branford (50-37).
The Rams have also taken losses to Haddam-Killingworth (64-57), Valley Regional (66-59), Fitch (67-55), Westbrook (82-70), and Cromwell (71-64).
Old Saybrook is competing in the Shoreline Conference Tournament starting on Saturday, Feb. 25. The semis are on Tuesday, Feb. 28 and the final takes place on Friday, March 3. After that, the Rams are playing in the Class S State Tournament, which begins on Tuesday, March 7.