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04/18/2020 12:00 AMHead Coach Justin Falcon wanted the seniors on the North Haven boys’ basketball team to get the opportunity to compete in the postseason this year. Most of the team’s seniors only played limited minutes when the Indians last made the playoffs two years ago. However, North Haven clawed its way back into the playoff picture by qualifying for both the SCC Tournament and the Division III State Tournament this winter, giving its seniors their one shining moment to experience the excitement of March Madness.
“Our main focus from the get-go was to get back into the tournament. I think it was really important for the seniors who didn’t have that experience when they were on varsity as sophomores,” Coach Falcon said. “We had a great start, then went on a little bit of a slide, but the biggest thing is that we got where we wanted to go. We fell down, got back up, and made it where we wanted to be. That says something.”
North Haven stormed out to a 5-0 start that included a 50-47 win at Hand in its opener, followed by a 76-66 home victory against Stratford. The Indians went on to take the title at the Fred Kelly Holiday Tournament for the third year in a row by earning a 70-57 win versus Lyman Hall in the semifinals and an 82-74 victory over Platt in the championship game. The Indians then edged out Branford by a 61-60 score on the road for their fifth win in as many contests.
After that, North Haven hit a bit of a rough patch that saw the squad lose nine of its next 11, although the Indians were still able to get victories against Cheshire (59-53) and Branford (55-50), putting them one win away from making the playoffs. On Feb. 13, North Haven secured that pivotal eighth victory by notching a 59-49 road win over a Foran team that it had lost to previously in the year. For good measure, the Indians claimed a 70-61 home victory versus Wilcox Tech on Senior Night to finish with a mark of 9-11 on the regular season.
“Foran was the biggest win of the year. The kids were really happy to get that one back after they had beaten us at home earlier,” said Falcon. “We knew we were a better team than that and knew we were capable of playing good basketball. So, to go to Foran and be up the entire time was when we met our goal. The biggest goal is to play your best at the end of the season, and we had to do that in order to get into the tournament.”
North Haven was the No. 13 seed in the SCC Tournament and dropped a 50-34 decision at No. 4 seed West Haven in a first-round matchup. Then in states, the Indians were the No. 23 seed in the Division III bracket and took a 69-51 defeat at No. 10 seed Law in the first round to finish at 9-13 overall.
The Law game marked the final time that the Indians’ seniors took the court together. North Haven’s senior captains were center Dave Christoforo, power forward Justin White, and guard Bryce Charney. Power forward Joe Vitale III, guard Jaden Watson, forward Carson Leyerzapf, and guard Orest Seniw were the other seniors on the team.
A two-year starter, Charney was one of North Haven’s leading scorers on his way to winning the team’s Most Valuable Player Award. Christoforo was also one of the Indians’ top scorers in his third season as a member of the starting lineup. After mostly playing JV last season, White earned a starting spot and wound up being named North Haven’s Most Improved Player this year.
“Bryce’s work ethic will always stand out to me. He was a huge threat from outside the perimeter this year, and all the other teams definitely knew about him,” Coach Falcon said. “Dave is workhorse in the middle. He isn’t afraid of anything that’s thrown at him and will fight through anything on the court. Justin is one of the most athletic kids I’ve ever coached. He set one of the best examples of any senior I’ve ever had, and is a kid that I will be talking about for a long time.”
White and Vitale both saw time in the starting lineup at the power forward position. Vitale, who joined the team for his senior year, was presented with North Haven’s Sportsmanship Award at the end of the season. Watson dealt with injuries during the second half of the season, but was able to play in states. Leyerzapf and Seniw both got into the scoring column on Senior Night, making the Indians’ faithful fans quite happy.
“Joe was always there to pick kids up when they were down. If a kid went down, Joe was always the first one to run out on the court, help a him get up, and make sure that he was alright,” said Falcon. “Jaden’s athleticism is something that coaches always notice with the way he gets to the hoop and just his presence out there. He’s a great passer, always has a smile on his face, and is definitely a kid we will miss going forward.”
“Carson hit some key baskets for us in big spots, and we were happy that Orest got in for Senior Night, too,” Falcon continued. “He’s a fan favorite, and the place went nuts for him when he scored a bucket.”
Sophomore guard Chris Hager became a key player for North Haven as the season unfolded. Junior guard Torray Armfield started the year on JV, but worked his way into the varsity rotation during the campaign.
Falcon completed his fifth year as North Haven’s head coach. The Indians’ assistant coaches are Scott Sheeley and Kevin Fuggi.
As he reflects upon the season, Falcon said he will always remember how this group of athletes stuck together through both the good and bad times to earn that much-coveted playoff berth.
“When we didn’t win, nobody pointed fingers. It was all about what we could do to get better and attaining our goals. That kept the kids motivated,” Falcon said. “These kids definitely reached their goal. I wished we could have gone further, but at the end of the day, I just hope they learned a lot about themselves, life, and basketball.”