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03/11/2019 12:00 AMThe Old Saybrook boys’ basketball team earned a first-round win versus Aerospace in the Division IV State Tournament, before taking an overtime defeat to Stonington in a second-round matchup last week. With the loss, the Rams finished the 2018-’19 season with an overall record of 16-7.
On March 5, 9th-seeded Old Saybrook hosted No. 24 seed Aerospace in the first round of states and grabbed a 62-48 win over the Jets. The Rams staked themselves to a 31-22 lead at halftime and then added to that advantage in the second half en route to the 14-point victory.
Old Saybrook was bolstered by an outstanding offensive performance from Shoreline Conference Player of the Year, senior captain guard Shane Henderson, who scored 30 points in the win. Davis Brown also had a big night by scoring 23 points for Old Saybrook.
Head Coach Patrick Quinn said that his team really showed up to compete against Aerospace. The Rams had their sights set on making a run in the tournament and started off by giving a great effort in the victory.
“The Aerospace win got us going. We had a great attitude moving forward,” said Quinn. “It was evident that we were tired and playing through injuries, but the kids kept chanting, ‘Mohegan,’ determined to get there this year.”
The very next day, the Rams traveled to Stonington to take on the 8th-seeded Bears in the second round. It was an evenly contested battle between both teams, but Stonington ultimately prevailed by a 54-49 score in overtime. Brown had 21 points and six assists, while Henderson scored 18 points to go with seven rebounds for Old Saybrook. Junior Gino Gallitto added seven points.
Old Saybrook got out to an early lead by outscoring Stonington 14-7 in the first quarter. The Rams stretched it to a nine-point lead at 29-20 heading into halftime. Stonington closed that gap and eventually took a two-point edge by winning the third quarter 17-6. After Old Saybrook outscored the Bears by an 11-9 margin in the fourth quarter, the game went to overtime with the score tied at 46. Stonington outscored the Rams 8-3 in the extra period to win the game by five.
Coach Quinn tipped his cap to Stonington for getting the victory in a back-and-forth contest. Quinn felt the game could have gone differently if Old Saybrook had junior Mike Almada on the floor. Almada had sustained an injury in the game versus Aerospace the previous evening.
“Hats off to Stonington. They hit shots exactly when they needed to,” Quinn said. “We missed the spark that Mikey Almada brings, but guys stepped up in his absence, too. It was a tough, well-fought game.”
In the end, Coach Quinn feels proud of what Old Saybrook accomplished this season. The loss in the tournament hurts, but Quinn was happy to see Rams stay dedicated to working hard throughout the campaign, while putting a slew of victories in the books.
“I’m still not getting over the loss. Not for me at all, but for my guys. They took it hard,” said Quinn. “I feel proud of this group of young men that bought into my ‘Integrity, Enthusiasm, and Initiative’ concept whole-heartedly this year.”