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01/19/2020 11:00 PMGirls’ Basketball
The North Branford girls’ basketball team played two games on its home floor last week and came away with a split of the set. The Thunderbirds earned a 47-34 win versus Portland and then took a 77-48 defeat to Cromwell during last week’s action. North Branford now stands with a record of 6-3 as it enters the second half of the regular season.
The T-Birds started off last week by notching a 47-34 victory over Portland at North Branford High School on Jan. 14. Senior Lily Blomster and sophomore Marissa Ricardo each hit three 3-pointers to help North Branford defeat the Highlanders in a Shoreline Conference matchup. The win marked the fourth-consecutive victory for the Thunderbirds.
Ricardo scored all 11 of her points during the first half as North Branford took a 25-14 lead into halftime. The T-Birds broke open the game by outscoring Portland 16-7 in the third quarter for a 41-21 advantage entering the fourth.
Sophomore center Braeden LeBeau turned in another big performance for North Branford by recording a double-double in the win. LeBeau scored 11 points to go with 11 rebounds, four blocks, and three steals on the night. Blomster finished with nine points, and junior point guard Erica Piercey had seven points, five steals, and a season-high seven assists.
On Jan. 17, North Branford had a home game against Cromwell and lost to the Panthers by a 77-48 final in another Shoreline Conference contest. Cromwell went on a 10-0 run to end the first quarter to take a 24-13 lead after one. The Panthers built their lead to 44-25 at halftime and went on to get the victory.
LeBeau turned in her double-double of the week with 16 points and 14 boards for the T-Birds. Blomster scored nine points, while Piercey and sophomore Hanna Senerchia added seven points apiece.
Boys’ Basketball
The Thunderbirds earned a split of two recent road games and now have a record of 4-4 on the year.
North Branford opened up its week by taking a 60-57 road loss versus Portland on Jan. 14. Two days later, the T-Birds were back on the road to face Cromwell and defeated the Panthers by the final score of 62-56.
Boys’ Ice Hockey
The T-Birds hosted Cheshire for a contest at Northford Ice Pavilion on Jan. 15. North Branford dropped a 2-1 decision against the Rams to move to 0-5-1 on the season.
Boys’ Swimming and Diving
The Greater New Haven Warriors (GNH) boys’ swimming and diving team earned a huge win by posting a 96-89 road victory against Amity at the High Plains Community Center on Jan. 14. GNH took first place in all but two events in its win versus Amity. The Warriors secured the victory by winning the 400 freestyle relay in the final event of the meet.
Sophomore Kyle Borrelli recorded a lifetime-best time of 1:16.16 in the 100 breaststroke and also swam a season-best time of 25.83 in the 50 freestyle for GNH versus Amity. Junior Ahmed Anwar swam a lifetime best of 34.22 in the 50 freestyle and did a season best 1:17.18 in the 100 freestyle.
Cameron Cargan turned in a season best of 23.59 in the 50 freestyle with fellow junior Tanner Powell swimming a season-best time of 24.48. Also recording season-best times for the Warriors were senior Stephen Borrelli in the 500 freestyle (5:54.08), junior Alan Penna in the 200 freestyle (2:10.30), freshman Patrick Cucchiarelli in the 200 freestyle (2:17.05) and the 100 butterfly (1:12.14), freshman Lucas Espinosa in the 200 individual medley (2:23.64), freshman Aiden Cohen in the 50 freestyle (24.68), freshman Joey Gould in the 500 freestyle (5:44.71), and freshman RT Trotter in the 100 backstroke (1:17.46).