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12/26/2018 11:00 PMBoys’ Basketball
The East Haven boys’ basketball team earned its third straight win to start the season when the Yellowjackets posted a 61-51 road victory over Branford on Dec. 21. The Easties are sporting a record of 3-0 in the early stages of the winter campaign.
It was a game that featured several big runs when East Haven and Branford squared off in a recent matchup. The Yellowjackets scored the first 12 points of the night to jump out to an early lead, but the Hornets stormed back with a 12-0 run of their own for a 12-12 tie after the first quarter. Branford won the second quarter by a 17-14 margin to take a 29-26 lead into halftime. East Haven dominated the third quarter by outscoring the Hornets 16-4 to bring a 42-33 advantage into the fourth. Despite some struggles at the free throw line during the final frame, the Yellowjackets were able to hang on for a 10-point win versus Branford.
Senior forward Nate Furino finished with 12 points, eight rebounds, and four steals for East Haven. Junior guard Asaiah Ford also scored 12 points. Ian Reynolds had 10 points, while fellow sophomore guards Alias Ford and Nick Furino added nine and seven points, respectively, for Head Coach Ricky Narracci’s squad.
Girls’ Basketball
The Yellowjackets took their second narrow defeat of the year when they dropped a 56-55 home decision against non-conference opponent East Lyme on Dec. 22. East Haven is now 3-2 this season.
East Haven and East Lyme played a back-and-forth contest that saw the two teams trade free throws throughout the last minutes of the game. Ultimately, the Vikings, who are in Class L with East Haven, came away with the one-point victory. Senior Makenzie Helms netted a career-high 36 points for the Easties in the defeat.
Boys’ Ice Hockey
The East Haven-Old Lyme-Old Saybrook-East Hampton-Morgan-Valley Regional boys’ ice hockey team ran its win streak to three straight by posting victories against Staples and Sheehan last week. The Yellowjackets, who have scored three goals in all five of their games this season, improved their record to 4-1 on the year.
On Dec. 22, the Easties earned a 3-0 road win at Staples. Junior goalie Logan Hamilton made 33 saves to post his second straight shutout in net. Junior Alec Speirs scored a pair of goals, while senior Jonathan Moscato added a goal for the Yellowjackets. Sophomore Cory Benni had two assists, and sophomore Rocco Plano also had an assist in the win.
Five days later, the Yellowjackets hosted Sheehan and edged out the Titans by a 3-2 final at DiLungo Rink. Sophomore Dave Amatruda, freshman Michael Robert, and Benni scored East Haven’s goals in the victory. Benni, Speirs, Amatruda, and sophomore Ryan Egan had one assist apiece for Head Coach Lou Pane’s team.
Wrestling
East Haven competed at the Bristol Eastern Duals on Dec. 22 and came away from the round-robin meet by earning a trio of victories. The Yellowjackets defeated Northwestern (72-12), Fitch (66-12), and Wethersfield (52-30) to move to 5-3 on the season.
Against Northwestern, East Haven earned eight of its wins by way of the pin. Winning via pin for the Easties were Alec DiVito in the 132-pound weight class at the 3:21 mark; along junior Tanner DiVito (138, 2:12), junior Fabricio Bugatti (152, 0:45), senior Danny Jarrin (170, 0:52), sophomore Ricky Pethick (182, 1:20), senior Josh Rao (195, 3:15), sophomore Gunner Horton (220, 1:29), and senior Armando Castaneda (285, 2:36). Sophomore Dominic Milano (106), senior Victor Garcia (113), sophomore Matt DiVito (120), and senior Albert Doheny (145) earned forfeit victories for East Haven. Junior Hugo Ortiz (126) and senior Nick Harrold (160) lost their respective matches.
Facing Fitch, the Yellowjackets’ pinfall winners Matt DiVito (120, 1:59), Hugo Ortiz (126, 1:10), Alec DiVito (132, 4:04), Pethick (182, 0:53), Rao (195, 0:22), and Castaneda (285, 1:01). Milano (106), Garcia (113), Tanner DiVito (138), Doheny (145), and Horton (220) were victorious via forfeit. Other Easties who competed at the meet included freshman Jake Ortiz (152), Bugatti (160), and Jarrin (170).
In a tighter matchup against Wethersfield, the Yellowjackets prevailed nine of the 14 bouts. Tanner DiVito won a 14-1 major decision in the 145-pound division for the Yellowjackets, whose other wins came on pins. East Haven’s pinfall victories were recorded by Milano (106, 0:57), Garcia (113, 1:41), Hugo Ortiz (126, 1:29), Alec DiVito (132, 1:25), Bugatti (152, 1:21), Jarrin (160, 1:51), Rao (195, 1:38), and Will Pera (285, 0:44). East Haven forfeited at the 170-pound weight class, while Matt DiVito (120), junior Brian Jarrin (138), Pethick (182), and Horton (220) all took losses on pins at the meet.