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Rams Tip Off Winter Season with a Win

Head Coach Chris Perras and the Old Saybrook boys’ basketball team had their sights set on Dec. 16, 2021 all year long leading up to the start of the winter sports season. After losing to Hale-Ray in last year’s Shoreline Conference Tournament, there was no better way for the Rams to begin their new campaign than by exacting revenge against the Noises with a 71-60 road victory in their opener.

“I think the season has started well. We had four scrimmages in which we’ve scrimmaged schools bigger than us, so that we could prepare at a little higher level,” Coach Perras said. “I think being exposed to those types of teams that all played a different style of basketball helped set the tone and our pace for our first game against Hale-Ray.”

Junior co-captains Ryan Stratton and Aaron Tolve turned in dominating performances for Old Saybrook in the team’s win versus Hale-Ray, combining for 57 of the Rams’ 71 points on the night. Stratton, a point guard, scored 35 points in the victory, hitting three 3-pointers and going 4-of-5 from the free-throw line. Tolve, who plays small forward, also had a big game for Old Saybrook by netting 22 points and draining three shots from beyond the arc.

Coach Perras was happy to see Old Saybrook tip off its season with a win. Perras said that he’s looking forward to watching the Rams compete their hardest on hardwood every single day this winter.

“Our goal each day is to get better than the day before and, with that, comes being mentally locked in and focused on the task at hand,” said Perras, whose team went 6-7 last season. “Being 1-0 is a great feeling, especially against the team that knocked us out of the Shoreline playoffs last year. However, there’s many things to improve on and focus on for our next game.”

With Stratton and Tolve serving as junior captains, senior guard Riley Lawson will also be leading Old Saybrook as a senior captain this season. The Rams’ senior class also features Noah Grace, Jake Butler, Gene Sylpha, and Camilo Bracho.

Old Saybrook’s junior corps includes Ajdin Cecunjanin, Josh Lech, and Bradley Kulmann. The sophomores on Old Saybrook’s varsity squad are Wes Nobile, Auggie Albert, and Brayden Cody.

Lawson scored seven points for Old Saybrook in its win over Hale-Ray. Nobile, a forward, had six points for the Rams. Albert, who plays center, chipped in with a point to help Coach Perras’s squad notch the victory.

“We were very prepared for Hale-Ray and what they were going to throw at us. I credit that to the team for following the script in practices and games,” said Perras. “And the guys on the bench were just as important as the guys on the floor because of their involvement during the game. They were loud and supported the guys on the court extremely well. They created an atmosphere where we felt like we were at home. The bench played an integral part in that win.”

One of Coach Perras’s main goals this year is for his team to be able to close out games after securing an early lead. Old Saybrook’s win against Hale-Ray was an early indication that this experienced Rams’ team won’t get fazed in those big moments.

“One takeaway from last season is being able to close out games. We were in position to win a few more than we did, but late in the game, we ended up making not the smartest decisions, which led to us losing those few,” Perras said. “That’s one of the things you’ll get with a younger team that we had last year. So, being able to return four of our top six from last year, our focus is to play complete games.”

With that first win out of the way, Coach Perras feels confident that Old Saybrook can have a solid season on the court this year. Perras said that the Rams are going to prepare well, work hard, and be present each and every day in their quest to achieve success.

“Our expectations this year are to win the day,” Perras said. “We have a good balance with youth and experience this year. The guys have bought in to the goals of the team, the system, and style we want to play. We trust each other, and that ultimately leads to us playing together and, hopefully, finding success by taking each day and each game at a time.”