Mountaineers fall to Litchfield 72-44

LITCHFIELD — Housatonic Valley Regional High School (HVRHS) Mountaineers basketball lost to the Litchfield High School Cowboys in a 72-44 decision Tuesday, Feb. 6.

The Mountaineers fell into a deep hole early on and were unable to climb out. Despite the deficit, HVRHS battled to the final buzzer.

The Cowboys came out of the gate on a blazing saddle. A.J. Quesnel and Travis Lipinsky combined for 19 first-quarter points and helped Litchfield pull ahead to a 24-8 lead.

HVRHS struggled to find a rhythm offensively as it was constantly corralled by a full-court press. Litchfield kept cruising with dominant rebounding and superior ball movement. By halftime, the Mountaineers trailed 41-14.

The game turned scrappy in the second half and hard fouls were committed by both sides. At times, the whistle seemed to only blow in one direction, which visibly added to the frustration of HVRHS players.

With HVRHS down about 30 points in the fourth, Owen Riemer ate a hard flagrant one foul from Lipinsky. The two players squared off after the hit before their teammates split them apart. Litchfield’s coach immediately benched Lipinsky for the unsportsmanlike foul and he did not return to the court. Riemer knocked down both technical free throws and followed it up with a long 3-pointer.

In the end, Litchfield won 72-44 and advanced to a record of 9-9 this season. HVRHS’ record moved to 3-14.

Litchfield was led in scoring by A.J. Quesnel with 20 points and Travis Lipinsky with 15 points.

Anthony Labbadia and Flynn Ryan each finished with 11 points for HVRHS.

The Mountaineers will host Northwestern High School on Friday, Feb. 9. Junior varsity tips off at 5:30 p.m. with varsity to follow at 7 p.m.