Printer Friendly Version - North Branford’s Basketball Teams Continue Winning

Sophomore Braeden LeBeau and the T-Birds’ girls’ basketball team are now 5-2 after winning all three of their games last week. LeBeau had a huge game with 11 points, 17 boards, and nine blocks when North Branford finished the week with a narrow victory versus Valley Regional. File photo by Kelley Fryer/The Sound

The North Branford girls’ basketball team swept its competition last week to improve to 5-2 on the season. North Branford earned wins over Amistad, Branford, and Valley Regional on its way to a perfect week.

On Jan. 6, North Branford went to New Haven to play Amistad and earned a 47-39 victory. The two sides went into the halftime locked in a 21-21 tie, but North Branford pulled away in the second half to get the win.

Junior Erica Piercey and sophomore Braeden LeBeau each scored 14 points for the T-Birds. Piercey, who played the entire 32 minutes, scored all of her points during the second half, including five foul shots down the stretch to seal the game. LeBeau added eight rebounds and five blocks, while senior captain Lily Blomster contributed nine points and six boards to the win.

The Thunderbirds were on the road to play Branford on Jan. 8 and rallied from a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit to edge the Hornets 54-53. Sophomore Marissa Ricardo hit two key free throws in the final minute to give North Branford a 53-52 lead, after which LeBeau hit another from the line to push the T-Birds’ lead to two points. Blomster finished the game with 12 points, and Braeden LeBeau and fellow senior Avonlea LeBeau scored 10 points apiece. Piercey had six points, four steals, and four assists on the night.

On Jan. 10, North Branford notched a 46-43 home win over Valley Regional in a big Shoreline Conference matchup. Braeden LeBeau led the charge by posting 11 points with 17 rebounds and nine blocks in the victory. Piercey had nine points, while Avonlea LeBeau and Blomster both scored eight points.

North Branford built a 12-point advantage in the fourth quarter before Valley stormed back late to pull within three. Piercey blocked a 3-point attempt from the Warriors at the buzzer to secure the win. Sophomore Hanna Senerchia hit a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws down the stretch to help the T-Birds hang on.

North Branford split a pair of games last week and is now 3-3 on the year. The Thunderbirds defeated Platt Tech and lost to Valley Regional in last week’s action.

On Jan. 6, North Branford topped Platt Tech by the final score of 59-46. The Thunderbirds outscored the Panthers 15-3 in the fourth quarter to close out the victory. Senior captain Mike Sitro scored 21 points, senior Ronnie Longo had 13 points, and freshman John Onofrio chipped in with 11 points scored for North Branford.

The T-Birds finished last week with a 61-40 loss at Valley Regional. Sitro dropped 18 points in defeat.

The T-Birds moved to 0-4-1 after earning a tie and taking a loss in a pair of matchups at Northford Ice Pavilion last week.

North Branford faced off with Guilford on Jan. 6 and played the Indians to a 4-4 draw. Senior captain Joe Carbone scored two goals, while junior Tyler Waligroski and sophomore Dakota Cooper had one goal apiece for the T-Birds. Waligroski also had two assists, and junior Nick Poulin and sophomore Ryan Michonski each recorded an assist. Junior captain Tyler DiNapoli made 61 saves between the pipes to help North Branford get the tie.

Senior Joe Carbone found the back of the net twice in North Branford’s 4-4 tie against Guilford last week. File photo by Kelley Fryer/The Sound