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Hornets Storm Out to 2-0 Start

As Chris Burnham enters his fifth season as head coach of the Branford boys’ basketball program, he’s pleased to see that the team culture he’s developing is starting to take shape. With their sights set on a big year, the Hornets tipped off the 2021-’22 campaign by winning both of their games during the opening week of play.

“This was my 27th first week, and it was probably my favorite first week. The guys were really energetic. They all bought in,” Coach Burnham said. “It’s my fifth year here, and you can feel the culture setting it. They had great energy. They ran in and out of stuff quickly, and they were really efficient.”

Branford began its year by claiming a 61-43 road win against North Haven on Dec. 16. Two days later, the Hornets hosted Pomperaug for their home opener and prevailed 61-57 to improve to 2-0.

Branford trailed North Haven 18-10 after the first quarter, but battled back to outscore the Nighthawks 18-8 in the second to take a 28-26 lead into halftime. Leading 41-37 through three, the Hornets outscored North Haven 20-6 in the fourth quarter to come away with an 18-point victory.

Sophomore Jake Palluzzi led all scorers by netting 27 points for Branford. Senior captain David McDonald scored 14 points in the win.

“We didn’t particularly shoot very well. We got down early, but the kids really grinded it out. They showed what I thought they were going to be. They’re tough kids. They play very hard,” said Burnham, whose team went 8-6 last season. “They were able to control the glass in the second half. In the end, they were able to put them away. There were some first-game jitters. Both teams were just trying to figure it out.”

Branford’s next matchup against Pomperaug proved to be a true test for the Hornets. The two teams traded leads throughout the matchup. Palluzzi hit a contested 3-pointer just before the halftime buzzer to give the Hornets a 33-32 lead at the break.

With about three minutes to go in the game, Branford and Pomperaug were tied at 51-51. Palluzzi then hit his last four shots from the field to lift the Hornets to a 61-57 victory. Palluzzi scored 28 points for Branford, going 12-of-13 from the free-throw line. Junior Avery Atkinson added 11 points for Coach Burnham’s team.

“Pomperaug is very good. As one of our non-league games, we knew it would be a dogfight, and it certainly was,” Burnham said. “It went back and forth. We had a lead, they had a lead. They had a better field-goal percentage. They shot better at the free-throw line. But we defended in crucial spots. We outrebounded, and we had three turnovers; they had 17.”

Branford had to overcome deficits in order to grind out wins in its first two games. Coach Burnham said that this year’s club is a gritty bunch, and he expects the Hornets to play that way throughout the campaign.

“They’re a gritty, gritty group,” said Burnham. “We’re not going to physically stifle your eyesight, per se, when we walk on the court with our size, but they put on their hard hats every day and they go to work. I think that’s pretty much how the season is going to go.”

As his team looks to grind out more victories, Coach Burnham said that the Hornets will focus on rebounding and defense this season. Branford’s emphasis on the boards paid off against Pomperaug as the Hornets outrebounded the Panthers 38-11.

“We’re putting a huge focus on being a better rebounding team and being a better defensive team,” Burnham said. “That’s where our focus has been. That’s where our emphasis was in the preseason leading up to the games. We set expectations and standards on both sides. We’re trying to put our identity on that.”

Branford is being led by two senior captains in McDonald, who plays center; and Dylan Sachs, a guard. Coach Burnham said both captains are great leaders who bring a strong work ethic to the program.

McDonald just finished his senior season as a member of the Branford football team, for which he served as a captain on his way to earning All-SCC and All-State honors. Burnham said that McDonald’s leadership qualities are undeniable and that the senior had dedicated himself to becoming a well-rounded athlete since his freshman year.

Coach Burnham added that not many kids compete harder than Sachs, a guard. Burnham said that opposing coaches have told him how difficult it can be for their players to go up against Sachs, who always wears his heart on his sleeve.

“These two kids are the glue that keeps it all together. They’re strong captains, and they’re really putting in great leadership for the youth of this program,” said Burnham. “All the way down to the 4th-grade travel team, they’re looked up to in a really positive way.”

Sophomore guard Palluzzi is returning to the court as a focal point of Branford’s offense after garnering All-SCC accolades in his freshman campaign. Coach Burnham expects Palluzzi to continue being a difference maker and referred to him as “the guy” for this year’s edition of the Hornets.

Burnham has also been impressed with the play of Atkinson on the wing thus far this season. Branford’s coach said that Atkinson is carving out his niche on the team and came up big in last week’s win over Pomperaug.

As Branford looks to build off of its opening-week sweep, Coach Burnham said that the Hornets are focused on reaching the eight-win threshold that’s needed to qualify for the postseason. However, even more than making the playoffs, Burnham wants the Hornets to be competitive in every game and prove they can be one of the best teams in the SCC.

“I like where their heads are at. We all agree we need to take that first step. We want to get to the playoffs. We have to get to that eight-win mark as quickly as we can and take it from there. We want to get to the postseason and take it from there,” Burnham said. “We want to be in every game this year. We want to give ourselves a chance going into a fourth quarter. That was a unanimous sentiment from all the players.”

The Branford boys’ basketball team’s roster features senior captains David McDonald and Dylan Sachs; senior Lukas Rhoden; juniors Avery Atkinson, Zachary Turbert, Andrew Verzella and Jermaine Smalls; sophomores Jake Palluzzi, Brennan Holmes, Nathan Florio, Gavin Groves, Isaiah Forney, Eric Zielinski, Quinn Burton, and Sowatei-Jelani Lomotey; and freshmen Noah Cast, Cole Hawley, Maxwell Rosenberg, Jace Ardito, Dominic Esposito, Jalen Glover, Brady Kelly, Akiel Lomotey, Liam Markelon, Scott Penner, Viktor Sekerovic, and Noah Volpe.