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03/19/2018 12:00 AMThe East Haven girls’ basketball team played in its first state final in program history when it faced Career with the Class M title on the line at Mohegan Sun Arena on March 17. The long wait was certainly worth it for the Yellowjackets, who claimed the championship when sophomore guard Isabella Ragaini hit a shot at the buzzer to give East Haven a 49-47 victory versus the Panthers in the Class M State Tournament final.
The Easties trailed Career by eight points with 3:23 remaining in the game, before scoring 10 straight points to take a 47-45 lead with 52 seconds to play. Career tied the game at 47, but East Haven had the ball last, and Ragaini’s put-back in the paint tickled twine as time expired, causing chaos at midcourt as the Yellowjackets celebrated a historic victory that was decided in the most dramatic of fashions.
Ragaini’s game-winning basket was her lone field goal of the game, and she also hit four free throws on her way to scoring six points for the 2nd-seeded Easties, who finished their season with a record of 24-3.
“I was in the right place at the right time and put the ball in the basket. It actually felt like it was in slow motion watching it go through the hoop,” said Ragaini. “This is an unbelievable feeling, like nothing I could’ve dreamed of.”
Senior captain Kylie Schlottman made six field goals and went 8-for-10 from the free-throw line, finishing the game with 20 points to go with seven rebounds in the win. Schlottman said that she’s been dreaming of this moment since she first stepped on the floor for East Haven as a freshman.
“It’s probably the best feeling I’ve ever felt in my whole life. To be able to run out there with my teammates, it’s something we’ve been talking about, hoping for, and looking forward to all season,” Schlottman said. “It’s great that we got to do it tonight.”
With the score tied at 47, East Haven Head Coach Anthony Russell called a timeout and drew up a play with 14 seconds left in the game. The design was for Schlottman to set a screen for junior guard Makenzie Helms and allow her to drive to the hole. The play was executed flawlessly, although Helms’s shot hit the front rim. However, Ragaini grabbed the offensive rebound and then floated home the championship-clinching bucket.
“When I saw [Career was] in man coverage, I cleared out the right side, so Makenzie could get to the basket. She front-rimmed it, but Kylie made a good play on it to get it to Bella’s hand, and Bella put it in,” Coach Russell said. “We have the personnel where, if we can keep it tight even when we’re not playing well, we have a shot. We stayed in striking distance and were able to capitalize.”
East Haven struggled to find its rhythm during the first three quarters of its state championship clash against No. 20 seed Career (17-10). The Yellowjackets missed several open shots and turned the ball over 11 times in the first half, although they still held a 9-6 lead after the first quarter and were up 18-17 at halftime. The Panthers then outscored East Haven 18-8 in the third quarter to take a 35-26 lead into the fourth.
“I thought we were tight the whole game. We just weren’t ourselves. We were too focused on the end product and not worried about playing every possession,” said Russell. “We blew a couple of layups early, missed some free throws, and it looked like it was going to be a long night. That’s exactly what happened, and it was a battle.”
The Yellowjackets shook off their struggles and responded by winning the fourth quarter 23-12 to emerge with both the win and the Class M crown. Helms came up clutch by scoring 12 of her 17 points in the final frame to help East Haven prevail.
“We had a drought. We really had to pull it together, and I think that’s what we did,” said Helms. “I, especially, went through a drought, and then I just knew in the fourth quarter I had to take over.”
Schlottman knew that Career would give the Easties a tough game in the third matchup between the teams this season. East Haven blew out Career when the teams played during the regular season, but the last two contests were close, and this one proved the ultimate nail-biter.
“They were hungry for a win. We play against them all the time and have been for the past four years. They’re a great team, but we proved to be the better team today,” said Schlottman, who is the all-time leading scorer in the history of East Haven High School basketball. “To beat this team three times is crazy. They’re a great team. They’re well put together, they’re great at attacking the basket, and they know how to ball. It’s just so crazy we beat them by one basket.”
Things were looking dicey for the Yellowjackets as they trailed Career 45-37 with 3:23 to play in the game, but Helms converted a pair of free throws and then hit a 3-pointer after a Career turnover to cut the deficit to 45-42 with 3:04 remaining. Following a steal by senior captain Olivia Coyle (5 points), she hit a layup that made it a one-point game with 2:48 to go. Career turned it over again, and Schlottman followed by hitting two free throws at the other end to put the Yellowjackets up 46-45 with 1:31 left in the game. Following another turnover by the Panthers, Ragaini’s free throw made it 47-45 with 52 seconds left. Career’s Carmen Rosemond then hit a layup to tie the game with 24 seconds to play, before Ragaini’s buzzer-beater won it for the Easties.
Coach Russell employed a pressure defense in the final minutes, and it forced Career into committing multiple turnovers that turned the tides in the Easties’ favor.
“I think we never lost our fight and, when we’re staying in striking distance of one possession to either tie or go ahead, I knew we had a shot,” Russell said. “I can’t even explain the flood of emotions.”
Helms said that she feels ecstatic to be a part of this championship journey in just her first season as a member of the Yellowjackets.
“This is just amazing. I mean, this is the first state title in East Haven girls’ basketball history,” she said. “I’m just completely overwhelmed to be a part of this.”
Schlottman said that she couldn’t think of a better way to finish her career as a member of the East Haven girls’ basketball team, which can now proudly call itself a state champion for the first time.
“To me, it means everything. I know it means everything to my teammates and coaches,” said Schlottman. “We’ve worked so hard to get here, and this is so amazing for us right now.”
• East Haven’s Class M State Tournament roster consists of senior captains Kylie Schlottman, Haley Montesanto, Olivia Coyle, Marley Herard, and Jessica Stettinger. The Yellowjackets’ other athletes are juniors Makenzie Helms and Jaime Gallo; sophomores Isabella Ragaini and Alexis Pendziwater; and freshmen Erin Curran, Angelina Munoz, and Taylor Salato. Head Coach Anthony Russell’s coaching staff consists of varsity assistants Jeff Crisafi, Alyssa Guarino, and Cathy Celotto.
• East Haven went 18-2 during the regular season. The Easties recorded victories against Sheehan (51-40 and 52-35), East Lyme (59-42), Amity (61-60 in OT and 66-47), Hillhouse (55-34 and 64-56), Foran (73-40), Branford (67-39 and 54-39), Hamden (73-54), Bassick (78-57), Wilbur Cross (59-43 and 64-63), Lauralton Hall (57-25 and 73-29), and Career (59-25). The Yellowjackets also took losses against New London (69-55) and Hamden (66-63).
• In the SCC Tournament, No. 2 seed East Haven lost a 64-40 contest against top-seeded Mercy in the final. In the quarterfinals, East Haven edged Career 56-54 in overtime, after which the Yellowjackets topped Hand 56-55 in the semis.
• Prior to defeating Career in the final, the Yellowjackets upended Woodland (83-30), Plainfield (81-29), Wolcott (85-33), and Rocky Hill (56-52) in the first four rounds of the Class M State Tournament.