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03/26/2017 12:00 AMThe Old Saybrook girls’ basketball team saw marked improvement this winter by finishing with a regular season record of 12-8 on its way to qualifying for the Shoreline Conference and Class S State tournaments for the first time since 2014. After losing to eventual conference champion Cromwell in the first round of Shorelines, the Rams entered the Class S bracket as the No. 21 seed and prevailed at 12th-seeded Parish Hill by a 64-44 final in the first round. Old Saybrook then lost to Thomaston and concluded the campaign with an overall mark of 13-10.
Head Coach Steve Woods wasn’t sure what to expect from his club entering the season. In 2016, the Rams strung together a few wins late in the campaign, but still came up two victories shy of making the playoffs. Following the graduation of one of its leading scorers from last year, it was hard to predict what Old Saybrook would achieve this season.
Old Saybrook’s first game seemed like a good start with a road win against a tough Westbrook squad, but the Rams endured a major setback when senior forward Maggie Smith suffered an injury. With its top post presence sidelined for several weeks, Old Saybrook became more dependent on its back court for offense, specifically Marissa Newell and fellow senior captain guard Riley Roarick. Newell finished the year as the Rams’ leading scorer and sealed a spot on the All-Shoreline Conference First Team. Sophomore guard Mandy Beck also came on strong offensively and earned All-Shoreline Honorable Mention.
“All these kids really came into their own,” Coach Woods said. “Mandy Beck was our second leading scorer and she had such huge games. She grew up real quick. A lot of the pressure shifted to her and Marissa, who was absolutely fearless and amazing. She had a 30-point game and a 25-point game. She just plays with passion and energy and she plays selflessly. Riley Roarick was the unsung hero and she filled in so well.”
However, Old Saybrook’s offense only tells half the story of its solid season. Staunch defense also helped the Rams win many of their contests. Old Saybrook held nine of its opponents to 30 points or less this year, including East Hampton, which was the No. 1 seed in the Shoreline Conference Tournament. The Rams’ defensive energy stemmed from senior forward Kirsten King and junior captain Sophie Alden.
“Kirsten King was the surprise of the year. She was a starter for us all season long and definitely our best defensive player,” said Woods. “And I’d be totally remiss if I didn’t mention Sophie Alden. She doesn’t score much, but boy did she do everything else. She’s a good rebounder, a gutty player, and never afraid. She picked up the slack more than anyone because she had to do more than her share of rebounding and playing against post players.”
With players being thrust into new roles, Old Saybrook went through some rough patches this winter. Whenever it looked like the Rams would go on a run, they’d lose a couple of games. However, the losses didn’t matter to Woods as long as his team fought hard and played cohesively. The coach knows that missteps are bound to occur throughout the course of a campaign; it’s the way a team bounces back from defeats that reveals its character.
“If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not trying hard enough,” said Woods. “You’ve got to be able to let it go a little more.”
The Rams had a couple of three-game win streaks this season and also defeated Morgan for the first time in 15 years by posting a 45-42 victory in Clinton on Jan. 20. That matchup pitted Coach Woods against his daughter Caitlin Woods, who was in her first season as Morgan’s head coach. Ultimately, the Rams rallied from a 14-point deficit for a pivotal victory that earned them their place in Shorelines and states. Win or lose, hard-fought games like that one were Old Saybrook’s hallmark throughout the season.
Coach Woods knows that the Rams will have to feature that same gritty mentality next year, when they’ll hit the court without some of their key contributors from this season. Woods said that one of the best aspects of this year’s squad was the way Old Saybrook came together as a unit.
“It was just such a nice mix of personalities,” says Woods. “Everyone was unselfish, especially Marissa. It was never about her. She had games where she would score three points and games where she would score 30, and you wouldn’t know the difference as long as we won.”
That type of attitude from a top player is crucial when it comes to fostering an atmosphere where team results supersede individual stats or the number of minutes that people play. The culture that Old Saybrook girls’ hoops has developed has Coach Woods feeling optimistic that this year’s success can carry over to next year with a new crop of soon-to-be seniors leading the way, such as guard/forward Alyssa Parker, forward Grace Nobile, and junior Nellie LaMay.
“To lose all these kids is going to be tough, but it will all be about attitude and determination. I think their attitude rubbed off, though, so I think we can do the same next year, or maybe even exceed what we did,” said Woods. “We have some kids that are ready to step in: Alyssa Parker, Grace Nobile, and Nellie LaMay, to name a few. They’re very skilled and will have their chance to come into their own. I’ve got a lot of confidence in them.”
In the end, Coach Woods feels grateful that he’s part of Old Saybrook athletics and gets to work alongside a collection of outstanding student-athletes on a yearly basis.
“One of the strengths of the Old Saybrook program is that, for whatever reason, we always get great students and great kids. Great in the classroom great on the court, unselfish, and always ready to work,” Coach Woods said. “We were beating teams that had more talent than us, and the credit goes to these kids. Not to me, not to anything else.”
From the Sidelines
Old Saybrook’s regular season wins this year were versus Westbrook (46-30), Creed (56-36 and 44-30), Old Lyme (39-26), Haddam-Killingworth (37-29), Valley Regional (38-34), Plainfield (42-31), Portland (43-37 and 54-49), Hale-Ray (53-20 and 57-27), and Morgan (45-42).
The Rams’ regular season defeats came against Old Lyme (45-33), Valley Regional (45-28), Westbrook (41-30), Coginchaug (47-36), East Hampton (29-24 and 34-20), Cromwell (65-39), and North Branford (44-41).