The Litchfield boys basketball team grabbed the lead for good early in the third period and held on to defeat Northwestern Tuesday, Jan. 15, in Litchfield.
The Highlanders came into the game on the heels of a Saturday night loss to Gilbert and needed a win to keep pace with the Jackets on top of the Berkshire League standings. Litchfield, having already lost two games, could not afford another loss, especially at home.
Josh Seibold led the Highlander attack with 15 hard-earned points, but got little help from his teammates. Litchfield's Adam Claire led all scorers with 17 points, while TJ Doyle added 15.
The loss dropped the Highlanders' record to 8-2 and into a tie for second place with Litchfield at the halfway point of the season, one game behind No. 1 Gilbert and one game ahead of Terryville and Lewis Mills, both with records of 7-3.
Jackets Team Takes
Over First Place
The Gilbert boys basketball team (9-1) moved into sole possession of first place in the Berkshire League by defeating Thomaston, 70-52, Monday, Jan. 14, in Thomaston.
Senior guard T.J. Monka scored a game-high 21 points to lead the Jackets but got plenty of support from teammates Jim Bunel, Adam Vaccari and Zac Tuozzo.
Bunel was one short of a triple double as he scored 14 points, dished out 10 assists and grabbed nine rebounds, while Vaccari and Tuozzo chipped in with 13 and 10 points, respectively.
The game brought the first half of the season to a close. The second half promises to be exciting. Stay tuned.
Lady Highlanders
Defeat Litchfield
The Northwestern girls basketball team continued its fine play as the squad defeated Litchfield, 52-35, Monday, Jan. 14, in Litchfield.
Mary Nelligan, coming off a game-high 20 points against Gilbert on Saturday, once again took game honors by scoring 17 points to lead the Highlanders.
Sarah Lippincott added 12 for Northwestern, while Kat Woods chipped in with seven and Taylor Height added six points on a pair of three-pointers.
With the win, the Lady Highlanders improved to 5-6 on the year, needing just three more wins to qualify for the state tournament.
Gilbert Swimmers
Defeat Housatonic
The Gilbert Swimming and Diving team picked up their third win of the season as they defeated Housatonic, 85-64, Friday, Jan. 11, at the Winsted YMCA pool.
The 200 medley relay team of Jared Groth, Nick Berger, Keith Sykes and Zack Weir got the Jackets off to a good start, picking up a win in the opening race, followed by a 1-2-3 sweep of the 200 freestyle by Guy Guyton, Marin Nichols and Aaron Meyers.
Next up, the Jackets' Groth and Matt Palmer picked up a second and a third in the 200 individual medley, followed by a victory in the 50-meter freestyle by Sykes. Carey Garneau picked up another first place in the diving event was followed by another victory by Groth in the 100-meter fly, with Jim Brady taking second.
Sykes would then pick up another win in the 100 free, with Guyton finishing third, followed by second- and third-place finishes in the 400-meter free by Palmer and Nichols.
The relay team of Berger, Shelby Winn, Meyers and Guyton captured the 200-meter freestyle relay, with the second Jacket team finishing third.
Abby Halloran followed with a second-place finish in the 100-meter backstroke before Garneau followed up with another win in the 100-meter breaststroke, with Davis Cappabianca taking second to round out the scoring for the Jackets.
The visiting section erupted in applause after Housatonic's Kylie Leonard hit the game-tying three with six second remaining in regulation.Photo by Riley Klein
Tessa Dekker led HVRHS in scoring with 13 points against Lakeview.Photo by Riley Klein
The Mountaineers rejoiced after the win.Photo by Riley Klein
