HVRHS girls advance to second round of state tournament

Pictured: Senior guard Tori Dodge sailed in for a basket against Vinal Tech on Tuesday, March 1. Photo by Patrick L. Sullivan

FALLS VILLAGE — The Housatonic Valley Regional High School (HVRHS) girls basketball team cruised past visiting Vinal Tech 41-15 in the first round of the Class S state tournament Tuesday, March 1.

The Mountaineers led the Hawks wire-to-wire. The score at the end of the first quarter was 14-1, the Hawks getting their lone point on a free throw with 7 seconds left in the period.

The Hawks’ defense stiffened somewhat in the second period, but the team could not generate any offense until senior guard Damariya Fountain hit a three-point shot with about 20 seconds left. The teams went into halftime with HVRHS leading 24-4.

The Mountaineers’ Sydney Segalla sat for the third quarter, and the Hawks began to show some consistency, scoring six points. Three of those points came on a buzzer-beating, almost half-court three-pointer from Fountain.

It didn’t help them much, however, as HVRHS racked up seven points in the third quarter, which ended at 31-10 for the home team.

With Segalla back in the lineup for the fourth, the Mountaineers continued to use a patient offense and stultifying defense. The Hawks had no answer, although they hustled throughout.

The sixth-ranked Mountaineers advanced to the second round and will host 11th-ranked Windsor Locks Friday, March 4, at 6:30 p.m.