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01/22/2022 11:00 PMThe East Haven girls’ basketball team was on a three-game losing streak heading into last week’s action. Following a team meeting, the Yellowjackets turned their season around by winning four-straight games to improve their record to 7-4.
East Haven earned wins versus North Branford, Shelton, Branford, and Wilbur Cross in recent play. First-year Head Coach Mike Archambault was pleased to see the Easties put everything together and enjoy an undefeated week on the court.
“We talked about how it was really time to come together. You have these kinds of losing streaks sometimes during the season,” Archambault said. “Our goal this past week was a 4-0 week. We knew we had the potential to come out strong. It showed in our first game.”
After the team meeting, the Yellowjackets kicked off their week by posting a 63-47 home victory over North Branford on Jan. 17. East Haven started strong by scoring 26 points during the first quarter, including four 3-pointers from junior Gabby Gaetano, who finished the game with 14 points. Senior captain Kate Pycela scored 25 points for the Easties, while sophomore Juliana Iovino had 14 points in team’s best shooting performance of the season thus far.
East Haven went on to defeat Shelton by a 42-35 score in a home game the following day. It took some time for the Yellowjackets to get their offense going as they held a slim 3-2 lead following the first quarter. Coach Archambault said that his team refused to quit and showed a lot of heart in the contest, ultimately coming away with the seven-point win.
Sophomore Gianna Castellano scored all 12 of her points in the fourth quarter to help East Haven emerge victorious. Pycela and Iovino each added 10 points apiece.
On Jan. 21, the Easties faced Branford on the road and claimed a 55-37 victory over the Hornets. Coach Archambault felt that East Haven played well on offense and did a great job of transitioning between several different defenses against Branford.
Iovino scored 17 points, and Gaetano dropped 15 points for the Yellowjackets. Junior Alice Stettinger had 9 points in the contest.
East Haven wrapped up its week by notching a 68-38 home win against Wilbur Cross on Jan. 22. The Yellowjackets were down 29-21 at halftime, but came out firing in the third quarter by outscoring the Governors 23-8 in the frame, and then dominated the fourth quarter on their way to the 30-point victory.
Gaetano had a big game by netting 28 points for East Haven. Sophomore Kelsey Murray scored 12 points, while sophomore Olivia Martin added 10 points to help Coach Archambault’s squad sweep the week.
“I thought this was our best week of basketball so far,” said Archambault. “It’s very easy when you’re on a three-game losing streak to let that continue and get into your head. I was really proud with how our team came together. This was a turning point for us. We really wanted to set the tone this week.”
East Haven featured a different leading scorer in all four of last week’s victories. Coach Archambault credited the team’s win streak due to the Yellowjackets’ leadership and the willingness of his athletes to play for one another.
“We have good leadership on our team. The girls are really getting along, and it’s them coming together. They realized we have a tough stretch. We have a lot of experienced varsity players,” Archambault said. “They realize things like this happen during a season, so they really came together as a team, too. You could see that the practices started getting more intense. They buckled down with their work ethic to turn it around.”
Coach Archambault was impressed with how Murray and Martin stepped up when the Yellowjackets were down a few players versus Wilbur Cross. Along with her 10 points, Martin grabbed 8 rebounds to help East Haven win the game. Archambault also noted the play of sophomore Seralyn Lendroth, who’s been contributing for the Easties in the paint. Overall, Archambault is happy with the way the team’s younger players are progressing, especially since it gives the team more depth and some additional scoring options.
Even though East Haven is on a four-game win streak, Coach Archambault and his players understand that there is still long way to go this season. In order for the Yellowjackets to continue their momentum, Archambault wants them to keep playing as a team on offense, while maintaining their intensity on the defensive end.
“We have to realize that it’s a team effort. It doesn’t matter who is scoring as long as we’re putting points on the board and we’re getting good shots and getting the win,” said Archambault. “We haven’t had an ego issue. They’re working to whoever has the best shot or hot hand. That’s who we want to get the ball to. Our offense is triggered from our defense. We’re quick, we’re fast. We need to run the floor and work hard on defense.”