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01/18/2019 11:00 PMThe North Haven girls’ basketball team has been putting constant pressure on its opponents by playing an aggressive style of defense this winter. On Jan. 16, the Indians combined their stifling defense with a balanced offensive attack to earn a 57-38 victory at Sacred Heart Academy (SHA) in a Southern Connecticut Conference Quinnipiac Division showdown. North Haven, which took a 50-47 defeat at Lyman Hall later in the week, has a record of 5-7 and needs to win three of its last eight regular-season games to guarantee itself a spot in the Class L State Tournament for the first time since 2015.
North Haven trailed SHA 10-9 after the first quarter, but then won the second quarter 21-7 to take a 30-17 lead into halftime. Leading by 12 entering the fourth quarter, North Haven outscored the Sharks 14-7 during the final frame to put the win in the bag and improve to 1-1 in Quinnipiac Division action. Head Coach Ray Degnan’s squad forced SHA into committing 34 turnovers, while the Indians only turned it over seven times on the night.
“Defensively, we play baseline to baseline for 32 minutes, and there aren’t many teams out there that do that. It’s the way we practice, it’s the way we play, and that goes to our depth, which is something we haven’t had in recent years,” said Degnan. “Every girl is buying into it, no matter how many minutes they’re getting on the floor. It wears teams down, and the turnovers were primarily due to our defensive intensity.”
Junior captain guard Laura Petrafesa scored 17 points, grabbed five steals, and handed out three assists to help North Haven defeat SHA. Sophomore guard Sarah Puzone recorded a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds to go with six steals. Senior captain guard/forward Leah Zeisner had 10 points, seven rebounds, and four steals for the Indians.
All 11 of North Haven’s varsity players saw time on the court against SHA, and nine of those players contributed to the Indians’ final tally by scoring a point in the win. The turnovers that North Haven forced on defense yielded a ton of run-out layups for its offense. And when the Indians set up in the half-court, they made smart passes to get open looks against SHA’s zone. Petrafesa was the biggest beneficiary of North Haven’s selflessness as she made four 3-pointers in the game.
“My 11 varsity players have really bought into team play and working together as a unit for the greater good of the team. It’s been an absolute joy to coach them this year,” Coach Degnan said. “We play 11 girls in every game, and no less than seven have scored in a game. We’ve gone with a starting lineup in nine of our 11 games, and nobody has let that bother them. We’re playing good team basketball.”
North Haven’s captains have been huge proponents of the team concept this season. Zeisner is the Indians’ lone senior captain and also the lone senior on their roster. Petrafesa and forward/center Colleen Lucey are serving as junior captains for Coach Degnan’s club.
“Leah fits the team perfectly. She leads by example and always has since her freshman year. There is never a practice, a game, or a fundraiser where Leah doesn’t give everything she has. All the younger kids look up to her and have bought into her mentality,” Degnan said. “Our two junior captains have done a nice job of playing to their strengths. Laura leads more by example, and Colleen has been a fantastic vocal leader. Together, they collectively make up a solid set of captains, which is exactly what our team needs.”
In addition to their three captains and Bogen, the Indians also saw junior guard Mia Antonino, junior forward Giuliana Ciarleglio, sophomore guards Carly Fresher, Olivia Stefanik, and Sarah Puzone; sophomore forward Emily Konopka, and freshman guard/forward Eveani Okwuosa contribute to their win against SHA. Okwuosa scored the first points of her varsity career in the victory.
Two nights after defeating the Sharks, North Haven traveled to Lyman Hall and took a 50-47 defeat versus the Trojans in a back-and-forth contest. The game was tied 12-12 after the first quarter. Lyman Hall had a slight edge over the Indians in the second (13-12), third (13-12), and fourth (12-11) quarters to come away with the three-point win. Okwuosa led North Haven in points by scoring 12 on the night. Petrafesa had nine points, Lucey scored six points, while Zeisner and Fresher added five points apiece for the Indians.
North Haven has to get three more victories in order to punch its ticket into the postseason. Coach Degnan believes that his team has what it takes to make it.
“If we keep playing the way we can play, focus on the things we can control, and continue playing hard with our heads and our heart, I feel confident that we will see some postseason games this year,” Degnan said.
From the Sidelines
The North Haven girls’ basketball team’s varsity roster features senior captain Leah Zeisner; junior captains Colleen Lucey and Laura Petrafesa; fellow juniors Mia Antonino and Giuliana Ciarleglio; sophomores Julia Bogen, Carly Fresher, Emily Konopka, Sarah Puzone, and Olivia Stefanik; and freshman Eveani Okwuosa.
Ray Degnan is in his fifth year as the Indians’ head coach. Degnan is assisted by Lindsay Suhr, who is head coach of the JV team and also a varsity assistant; along with fellow varsity assistants Jodi Rooney, Jen Merck, and Marissa Thomas; and volunteer assistant Elizabeth Jackson.
North Haven has posted two victories against Lauralton Hall (51-37 and 46-32) this season, in addition to one win apiece versus Stratford (63-38), Bristol Central (36-29), and Sacred Heart Academy (57-38). The Indians have also taken two defeats versus Branford (57-36 and 41-39) and Lyman Hall (50-35 and 50-47), and one loss against Coginchaug (51-49), Foran (61-44), and Hamden (62-28).
For the rest of the year, North Haven has road games against Guilford, Hamden, Northwest Catholic, and Shelton. The Indians also have home games with Shelton, Sacred Heart Academy, Guilford, and Foran on the way.