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03/22/2021 12:00 AMGirls’ Basketball
The Westbrook girls’ basketball took two losses in the final two games of the regular season before posting a big win in the first round of the Shoreline Conference Tournament last week. With these results, the Knights moved their overall record to 1-12 and face Morgan in the Shoreline quarterfinals this week.
On March 15, Westbrook hosted North Branford and dropped a 72-49 decision against the Thunderbirds. The Knights fell behind 25-14 after the first quarter and trailed 40-21 by the end of the half. North Branford only had a slight edges at 18-16 and 14-12 in the third and fourth quarters, respectively. Ultimately, Westbrook came away with the 23-point loss.
Junior Jami Sacco scored 30 points in the loss, while sophomore Allison Brajczewski added eight points. Emma Parkhurst and Alex Zanzalari added four points apiece, and Gianni Salisbury provided three points.
Three days later, Westbrook headed to Old Saybrook and lost a 55-41 road game. The Knights trailed 12-3 after the first quarter, and the Rams’ lead ballooned to 26-8 by halftime. Both teams played even 12-12 in the third quarter, and Westbrook ate into Old Saybrook’s lead slightly with a 21-7 fourth and final frame. After the buzzer, the Rams had secured the 14-point victory.
Sacco had another strong offensive performance with 22 points, and Brajczewski provided nine points as well. Adriana Stranieri, Kayla Prisley, and Salisbury had three points each. Emma Parkhurst added a point.
On March 20, No. 10 seed Westbrook claimed a 48-35 victory over No. 7 seed Hale-Ray in the first round of the Shoreline Conference Tournament. The Knights played No. 2 seed Morgan on March 22 (after press time). A win in that game would pit Westbrook against the winner between No. 3 seed Cromwell and No. 6 seed Haddam- Killingworth in the semifinals on March 24 (after press time). The Shoreline final will be Friday, March 26.
Boys’ Basketball
The Knights played two games to close out the regular-season slate and took a split in those contests before losing in the first round of the Shoreline Conference Tournament last week. Westbrook ended up with a 2-12 final overall record for the shortened 2021 season.
On March 15, the Knights headed to North Branford where they recorded an exciting 56-55 road win. Westbrook jumped out to a 23-7 lead in the first quarter, and increased that advantage to a commanding 39-11 by the end of the first half. North Branford came back strong in the third quarter, outscoring the Knights 26-6 and, even after the Thunderbirds posted an 18-13 edge in the fourth quarter, Westbrook held onto the one-point victory.
The Knights were bolstered by the play of senior captain Jack Naccarato, who scored 19 points in the victory. Sophomore Brandon Naccarato supplied a 17-point effort in the win. Juniors Sam Freeman and Joe Caslin provided eight points apiece, while sophomore Ryan Engles scored four points.
Three days later, Westbrook hosted Old Saybrook and took a 54-46 defeat against the Rams. Jack Naccarato scored 18 points on behalf of the Knights in the loss.
On March 20, the No. 11 seed Westbrook went up against No. 6 seed Old Lyme, and took a 57-50 loss against the Wildcats.