This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
04/20/2020 12:00 AMThe Westbrook boys’ basketball put together another solid campaign in 2019-’20. The Knights earned eight wins overall, which included berths in the Shoreline Conference and Division V State Tournaments. Westbrook was a predominately young group looking put together the building blocks of a competitive team, and showed that process was a bit further along than anticipated.
Head Coach Jeff Beeman was satisfied with how his team grew throughout the year. Considering the mix of players that were available to compete, he was impressed. Westbrook features on lone senior on the squad, with major contributions coming from underclassmen.
“We showed some marked improvement from the beginning to the end of the season. We had our ups and downs based on maturity and skill level. By the end of the year our team made Shorelines and states,” said Beeman. “We played a freshman three sophomores and a junior. It bodes well for down the road if the boys get to work and get bigger faster and stronger and do all the things that they need to do.”
The Knights started the year with a 39-36 road victory over Coginchaug, then dropped their next road game against North Branford on the road by a score of 70-64. Westbrook picked up another win in its 72-45 home opener versus Whitney Tech.
After that, the Knights hit a rough stretch losing their next three games. Two were at home against the eventual Shoreline Conference champions Old Lyme (68-37) and North Branford (57-48). The other was a 70-30 road loss against Cromwell, another top-tier Shoreline competitor.
When Westbrook returned home on Jan. 6, the team picked up it’s third win against local rival Old Saybrook in a 66-45 contest.
Junior captain small forward and All-Shoreline Conference First Team honoree Jack Naccarato had a bust out performance with 33 points and 15 rebounds to his credit. Naccarato continued to be a major contributor throughout the year.
After dropping a 54-36 home game against Portland on Jan. 9, the Knights got their fourth win of the season over Hale-Ray three days later. Naccarato supplied a hefty 32 points in the win against the Noises, while Brenden Engels (12), Sam Freeman (7), Jesse Whitney (5), Joey Caslin (5), Luca Troop (2), and Brandon Naccarato (2).
Westbrook lost its next game, 65-47, on the road versus East Hampton, marking the midpoint of the regular season. To that point Westbrook held a 4-6 record, maintaining a pace that would qualify them for states.
Another player who helped the Knights night in and night out was Caslin, who was a capable scorer and ball handler. In terms of defensive prowess on the floor, Whitney played a particularly effective role.
Westbrook began the second half with a couple of home losses versus Morgan (54-48) on Jan. 24 and Valley Regional (62-48) on Jan. 28.
The Knights picked up their fifth win on the road against Old Saybrook (50-47) on Jan. 31. Four Days later, Westbrook against faced off with Old Lyme and dropped a 98-50 affair against the Wildcats.
The Knights hit their stride with a three game win streak. On Feb. 11, Westbrook defeated Portland by a score of 73-64. Three days later, the Knights earned a 65-59 home victory versus Hale-Ray.
On Feb. 18, Westbrook qualified for the Division V State Tournament with a 50-46 road win over Whitney Tech.
In the last stretch of the regular season, Westbrook dropped home contests versus Wilcox Tech (64-55) on Feb. 19 and East Hampton (64-39) on Feb. 21. Finally, the Knights lost to Haddam-Killingworth (77-53) on the road on Feb. 25.
Westbrook earned the No. 8 seed in the Shoreline Conference Tournament and would be pitted against top-seeded Old Lyme in the quarterfinal. Westbrook lost to the Wildcats, 77-53.
Naccarato provided 16 points, while Joey Caslin added nine. Brenden Engles (7), Brandon Naccarato (6), Sammy Freeman (4), and Luca Troop (4) also put some points on the board for the Knights.
Westbrook’s season came to an end in the first round of states in a 72-59 road loss to No. 11 seed Hale-Ray. The Knights came into the bracket as the No. 22 seed.
The Westbrook boys’ basketball team’s roster featured senior Joshua Maura; juniors Brenden Engels, Jack Naccarato, Cameron Neely, Nicholas Palumbo, Daniel Ruppernicker, Luca Troop, and Zachary Zanzalari; sophomores Joey Caslin, Kyle Czenthe, Samuel Freeman, Evan McIntyre, Jesse Whitney, Justin Whitney, and David Willis; and freshmen Enzo Adorno, Lucas Bennett, Jonathan Brajczewski, Ryan Engels, James Grace, Grant Libeson, Brandon Naccarato, Vincent Naccarato, Jacob Perreault, Tyler Prisley, Michael Sharpe, and Michael Von Ehr.
Head Coach Jeff Beeman’s coaching staff included assistant coaches Brett Cavalieri, Torin Wood, and Dan Shapiro.