SACRED HEART 81, WOLCOTT 50
Sacred Heart (10-0): Lorenzo Washington 12 2 29, Connor Tierney 5 2 13, Trevahn Duncan 2 2 6, Caleb Sampson 7 0 14, Steve Alseph 0 0 0, Osa Igbinewuare 1 1 3, Styles Marshall 1 0 2, Davon Ellison 2 2 6, Alex Gonzalez 1 0 2, Arik Daggan 2 0 6, Miles Yates 0 0 0. Totals: 33 9 81.
Wolcott (1-11): Mike Greene 2 0 5, Eric Perzhilla 2 0 6, Ryan Ligi 1 2 4, Brian Perzhilla 3 0 7, Matt Jefferson 2 0 4, Nick Nobrega 1 0 2, Jack Moore 1 0 2, Ryan Lofgren 1 0 2, Tyler Chance 4 0 11, Ty Goldberg 1 1 3, Rron Zhuta 0 0 0, Colin Brandt 2 0 4, Luke Gagnon 0 0 0. Totals: 20 3 50.
Sacred Heart 20 22 23 16—81
Wolcott 17 9 10 14—50
3-pointers: SH—Washington 3, Tierney 1, Daggan 2. W—Greene 1, E. Perzhilla 2, B. Perzhilla 1, Chance 3.

TORRINGTON 63, WOODLAND 48
Woodland (5-6): Jason Palmieri 3 3 9, Nate Bodnar 4 0 9, Trey Mastropietro 3 0 7, Nick DeLucia 0 0 0, Robert Moriarty 0 0 0, Joey Giuliani 3 0 6, Brady Anderson 1 0 3, Nathaniel Smith 6 1 14, Sam Trumbley 0 0 0, Conrad Philipone 0 0 0. Totals: 20 4 48.
Torrington (4-7): Nick Balducci 3 2 8, Justin Mattiello 3 6 14, Joe White 3 0 7, Mohamed Traore 5 1 11, Brian Ballesteros 5 3 14, Ben Smith 3 2 9. Totals: 22 14 63.
Woodland 10 14 11 13—48
Torrington 20 12 13 18—63
3-pointers: W—Bodnar 1, Smith 1, Mastropietro 1, Anderson 1. T—Mattiello 2, White 1, Smith 1, Ballesteros 1.

ST. PAUL 60, WCA 48
WCA (4-6): Jonathan Edwards 2 1 5, Jaden Stallworth 6 0 18, Zion Lott 3 0 7, Darrell Coombs 1 0 2, Gerald Council 0 0 0, Rafael Prado 0 0 0, Lawrence Lazaro 6 1 16. Totals: 18 2 48.
St. Paul (5-5): Rudy Otero 0 4 4, Will Barton 4 0 9, AJ Brooks 3 1 8, Noah Waters 9 4 29, Tommy Lorenzetti 0 0 0, Jack Noli 4 0 8, Jackson Sullivan 0 0 0, Alex Partyka 1 0 2. Totals: 21 9 60.
WCA 6 15 17 10—48
St. Paul 22 14 7 17—60
3-pointers: WCA —Lott 1, Stallworth 6, Lazaro 3; SP —Barton 1, Brooks 1, Waters 7.

WILBY 80, OXFORD 75
Oxford (2-8): Cayden Mitchell 5 0 11, Tanner Soracco 6 4 19, Matthew Michaud 1 1 3, Patrick Mucherino 10 4 24, Hunter Keller 1 4 6, Dylan Salgado 5 1 12, John Gurecki 0 0 0, John Broas 0 0 0. Totals: 28 14 75.
Wilby (5-5): Calvin Hicks 11 5 30, Andres Urena 1 0 3, Jeremiah Tripp 4 5 15, Dashaun Wilson 0 0 0, Gio Cruz 5 0 14, Raekwon James 0 1 1, Jonathan Matias 2 0 4, Justin Parker 5 2 13. Totals: 28 13 80.
Oxford 15 18 20 22—75
Wilby 23 16 21 20—80
3-pointers: O—Soracco 3, Mitchell 1, Salgado 1. W—Cruz 4, Hicks 3, Tripp 2, Urena 1, Parker 1.

KENNEDY 72, WATERTOWN 71
Watertown (6-4): C.J. Maynard 1 3 6, Moni Jusufi 3 1 8, Brian McWhirt 4 3 11, Cam Garcia 11 3 26, Danny Toroveci 5 0 12, Cam Guerrera 3 0 6, Matthew Hardisty 1 0 2, Peyton DeFeo 0 0 0, Isaiah Powell 0 0 0, Owen Munson 0 0 0. Totals: 28 10 71.
Kennedy (5-7): Manny Escobales 0 0 0, Kyle Brown 1 2 4, Aaron Brioso 2 0 6, Synciere Dozier 4 3 11, Jaquane Jones 12 7 31, Dayven Zielinski 5 0 11, Johnarieus Davis 1 0 2, Gavin Todd 2 2 7. Totals: 27 14 72.
Watertown 25 16 17 13 — 71
Kennedy 12 16 23 21 — 72
3-pointers: W — Toroveci 2, Maynard 1, Jusufi 1, Garcia 1; K — Brioso 2, Zielinski 1, Todd 1.

SHEPAUG 59, LITCHFIELD 52
Shepaug (7-3): Owen Hibbard 7 7 22, Cole Davenport 0 0 0, Jayden Cornwall 5 6 20, Michael Perachi 2 2 7, Luke Schneider 0 0 0, Cole Donaghey 3 0 6, Logan Pacific 1 0 2, Noah Levine 1 0 2. Totals: 19 15 59.
Litchfield (3-7): Ajani Campbell 0 0 0, Jason Thompson 1 0 2, Matt Rousseau 6 0 16, Daniel Dieck 3 4 10, Harrison Barnes 2 0 5, Zajans Crapo 1 1 3, Evan Fischthal 6 3 16. Totals: 19 8 52.
Shepaug 13 5 19 20
Litchfield 18 15 13 6
3-pointers: S— Hibbard 1, Cornwall 4, Perachi 1; L—Rousseau 4, Fischthal 1, Barnes 1.

NORTHWESTERN 50, TERRYVILLE 47
Northwestern (5-7): Levi Delaney 5 6 18, Jake Brodnitzki 1 2 4, Clay Maloney 0 0 0, Cam Mulligan 0 0 0, Matt Maltby 0 0 0, Colin Wilson 4 0 11, Curtis Blische 0 2 2, Trent Valliere 3 0 6, Brandon North 4 0 9. Totals: 17 10 50.
Terryville (6-3): Dom Dao 5 0 12, Zach Rinkavage 6 2 17, Harold Garcia 0 1 1, Dylan Matulis 3 0 7, Devonne Dao 3 1 8, Sean O’Donnell 1 0 2, Jake Rinkavage 0 0 0. Totals: 18 4 47.
Northwestern 10 20 4 16 — 50
Terryville 11 6 15 15 — 47
3-pointers: NW — Wilson 3, Delaney 2, North 1. T —Rinkavage 3, Dom Dao 2, Matulis 1, Dev. Dao 1.

THOMASTON 57, HOUSATONIC 27
Housatonic (1-9): Ivan Pascasio 0 0 0, Russell Sears 4 0 10, Jordan Shaw 2 0 4, Briceson Barry 1 1 4, Derrick Webb 3 2 9. Totals: 10 3 27.
Thomaston (4-7): Keegan Daigle 5 2 12, Ryan Bethin 0 0 0, Brendan Fainer 4 3 11, Isaiah Johnson 1 0 2, Ian Bethin 1 0 2, Chad Suckley 5 3 15, Nate Scarola 2 1 5, Ty Harkness 4 2 10, Tyler Bond 0 0 0, Dan Suckley 0 0 0. Totals: 22 11 57.
Housatonic 9 8 5 5 — 27
Thomaston 16 19 14 8 — 57
3-pointers: H — Webb 1, Sears 2, Barry 1. T — C. Suckley 2.

WAMOGO 77, GILBERT 59
Gilbert (4-5): Kyle Valickis 0 0 0, Anthony Carfiro 1 0 2, Carlos Sarmiento 4 0 8, Hunter Smith 15 1 34, Dylan Crowley 3 0 9, David Lukowski 0 0 0, Sean Plourde 2 0 4, Matt Ma 1 0 2. Totals: 26 1 59.
Wamogo (8-3): Ethan Collins 9 4 22, Cole Higgins 3 0 7, Charlie Coffey 5 3 13, Matt Mazzarelli 6 5 17, Eric Odenwaelder 4 2 10, Ben Roy 4 0 8, Jack King 0 0 0, Jeff Mosimann 0 0 0, Colin Ferrer 0 0 0, Logan Marti 0 0 0. Totals: 31 14 77.
Gilbert 12 9 20 18 — 59
Wamogo 23 15 19 20 — 77
3-pointers: G — Smith 3, Crowley 3; W — Higgins 1.

BRISTOL CENTRAL 75, BRISTOL EASTERN 36
Bristol Eastern (5-5): Elijah Borgelin 1 4 6, Bryce Curtin 0 0 0, Elijah Parent 6 0 14, Jordyn Tate 2 0 5, Drew Fries 3 1 9, Ty Donohue 0 0 0, Nasir Walker 1 0 2. Totals: 13 5 36.
Bristol Central (9-2): Victor Rosa 1 0 3, Damian Glasper 0 2 2, Eli Rodriguez 1 2 5, Mike Lorenze 0 2 2, Shane Ouellette 3 0 8, Michael Murray 0 1 1, Roberto Negron-Cruz 1 0 3, Dom Amara 1 02, Sean Wininger 5 0 13, Jorge DeJesus 1 0 2, Donovan Clingan 12 3 28, Carson Rivoira 1 0 2, Malike Mathews 1 2 4. Totals 27 12 75.
Bristol Eastern 11 3 8 14 — 36
Bristol Central 14 19 23 19 — 75
3-pointers: BE — Parent 2, Fries 2, Tate 1. BC — Wininger 3, Ouellette 2, Rosa 1, Rodriguez 1, Negron-Cruz 1, Clingan 1.

CHASE 85, MASTER’S 52
Chase (8-3): Rafael Mahario 14 2 30, Anthony Molina 6 0 12, Jamal Clarke 10 4 24, Jaiden Paniagua 4 0 8, Rohan Singh 2 0 5, Casey Denihan 1 0 3, Evan Harte 1 0 3, Colby Calabrese 0 0 0, Sam Bianchi 0 0 0, Alan Liu 0 0 0, Adam Retallick 0 0 0. Totals: 38 6 85.
Masters (4-5): Ethan Oats 5 4 17, Keandre Johnson 3 2 10, AJ Jagger 2 0 4, Trey Sabia 4 0 11, Robby Shalonski 5 0 10, Nathan Logan 0 0 0, Jacob Lizz 0 0 0. Totals: 19 6 52.
Halftime: Chase, 51-29.
3-pointers: C —Singh 1, Denihan 1, Harte 1; M —Oats 3, Johnson 2, Sabia 3.

POMPERAUG 65, NEW MILFORD 50
Pomperaug (6-5): Ethan Gomulinski 1 0 3, Dean Koulouris 2 0 5, Adam Opalka 3 1 10, Cam Collette 3 2 9, Andrew Doan 7 2 16, Dion Zhuta 8 1 20, Max Fradkin 0 0 0, Spencer Dragone 1 0 2. Totals: 25 6 65.
New Milford (3-7): Andrew Grinnell 1 0 3, Johnny Fitzmaurice 7 0-1 17Nate Lawson 0 3 3, Sam Tarrant 4 3 11, Justin Leclair 1 0 3, Jojo Wallace 3 5 11, James Farley 1 0 2, Nick Ruffler 0 0 0.
Totals: 17 11 50.
Pomperaug 9 16 24 16—65
New Milford 26 8 6 10—50
3-pointers: P—Opalka 3, Zhuta 3, Gomulinski 1, Koulouris 1, Collette 1. NM—Fitzmaurice 3, Grinnell 1, Leclair 1.

Noah Waters scored 29 points, including seven 3-pointers, as St. Paul defeated WCA, 60-48, in NVL boys basketball action in Bristol on Friday night.
Jaden Stallworth had 18 points, including six threes, for WCA. Lawrence Lazaro had a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Sacred Heart 81, Wolcott 50: Lorenzo Washington poured in a game-high 29 points to lead the Hearts. Caleb Sampson added 14 points and Connor Tierney had 13.
Tyler Chance scored 11 points for the Eagles.
Torrington 63, Woodland 48: Brian Ballesteros and Justin Mattiello led the Raiders with 14 points each.
Wilby 80, Oxford 75: Calvin Hicks led the Wildcats with a game-high 30 points and had eight steals. Jeremiah Tripp had a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Gio Cruz added 14 points.
Patrick Mucherino scored a team-high 24 points for the Wolverines. Tanner Soracco added 19 points.
Kennedy 72, Watertown 71: Jaquane Jones led all scorers with 31 points, and the Eagles rallied from a 13-point halftime deficit.
Synciere Dozier and Dayven Zielinski scored 11 points apiece.
Cam Garcia led the Indians with 26 points. Danny Toroveci and Brian McWhirt scored 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Northwestern 50, Terryville 47: Levi Delaney poured in 18 points as the Highlanders held off the Kangaroos’ last-minute rally.
Terryville trailed, 49-40, with a minute to go and saw two 3-pointers for the lead miss in the final nine seconds. Zach Rinkavage had 17 points for Terryville and Dom Dao added 12.
Shepaug 59, Litchfield 52: Owen Hibbard scored 22 points and Jayden Cornwall added seven of his 20 points in the decisive fourth quarter for the Spartans.
Evan Fischthal and Matt Rousseau each had 16 points for the Cowboys.
Wamogo 77, Gilbert 59: Ethan Collins scored 22 points and Matt Mazzarelli netted 17 to lead the Warriors.
Charlie Coffey and Eric Odenwaelder scored 13 and 10 points, repectively. Hunter Smith scored 34 points for the Yellowjackets.
Thomaston 57, Housatonic 27: Chad Suckley fired in a game-high 15 points, Keegan Daigle added 12 and Brendan Fainer 11 for the Bears (4-7). Russell Sears led Housy with 10.
Amity 72, Cheshire 63: Cole Feinauer led the Rams with 21 points.
Bristol Central 75, Bristol Eastern 36: Donovan Clingan had 28 points to lead the Rams (9-2), while Elijah Parent led the Lancers (5-5) with 14.
Chase 85, Master’s 52: Rafael Mahario had a season-high 30 points, and Jamal Clarke added 24 points with six rebounds. Jaiden Paniagua finished with eight steals.
Pomperaug 65, New Milford 50: Dion Zhuta led the Panthers with 20 points. Andrew Doan added 16 points and Spencer Dragone had 10 rebounds.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Holy Cross 76, Watetown 48: Cayla Howard scored a game-high 18 points, narrowly outdueling Watertown’s Paige Daigneault, who had 17 points and five 3-pointers.
Sacred Heart 60, Wolcott 36: Paige Carroll had 10 points and Mikayla Mobley added 11 for the Hearts. Mimi Reilly had a game-high 12 points for the Eagles.
Oxford 44, Wilby 25: Mikayla Walton led the Wolverines with 14 points. Paige Davis added 10 points.
Ansonia 47, Kenendy 37: Natasha Rivera led the Chargers with 14 points.
Javilet Soto scored 11 for the Eagles.
St. Paul 59, WCA 29: Jade Udoh scored a game-high 19 points for the Falcons and had 11 rebounds. Janessa Gonzalez added 15 points.
Woodland 65, Torrington 47: Gabby Mastropietro scored a game-high 27 points to lead the Hawks.
Kylie Bulinski totaled 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Jillian Barbarito added 14 points.
Leah Pergola led the Raiders with 14 points and Kate Mooney chipped in 13.
Crosby 51, Derby 42: Tiahna Pulliam had a double-double for the Bulldogs with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Aniyyah Watson also had a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Destiny Parris added 10 points.
Madison Koval led the Raiders with 18 points.
Gilbert 53, Wamogo 37: Kimmy McCarthy scored a team-high 14 points for the Yellowjackets, while Abbey Beecher and Ajla Gutic added 13 points each.
Justine Lago led all scorers with 18 points for the Warriors.
Northwestern 67, Terryville 21: Natalie Lederman totaled 16 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Highlanders.
Freshmen Natalie Brodnitzki and Morgan Plitt scored 10 points apiece. Amy Roqi led the Kangaroos with 14 points.
Shepaug 55, Litchfield 18: Abbey Harty scored 15 points and grabbed six rebounds to pace the Spartans.
Brooke Donaghey totaled 11 points, five rebounds and four assists, and Haylie Laskey added 10 points and six boards.
Thomaston 32, Housatonic 29: Emma Kahn scored 15 points, including two foul shots that broke a 29-29 tie in the final minute. Emma Sanson added 10 for the Bears.
West Haven 64, Cheshire 45: Kaylee Clark scored a team-high 11 points for the Rams. Grace Lurz chipped in 10 points.
Wolcott Tech 36, Wilcox Tech 14: Rachel Heaney had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Wildcats.
Plainville 46, Lewis Mills 38: Brianna Pelchar led the Spartans with 14 points.
Pomperaug 60, New Milford 25: Maddie Villa led the Panthers with a game-high 20 points.
SWIMMING
Holy Cross 100, Woodland 77: P.J. Gauthier won the 100 butterfly (1:00.67) and 200 freestyle (1:53.36) and Derek Fantano won both sprint freestyle events to lead the five-time defending NVL champion Crusaders (5-0) in Beacon Falls.
Ryan Curtin was the sole individual winner, taking the 100 breaststroke (1:12.07), for Woodland (4-1).
Oxford 101, Wilby-Kaynor Tech 77: Kevin Domack won the 200 IM (2:12.37) and 100 fly (59.20) for the Wolverines.

By KEVIN ROBERTS
REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN
NAUGATUCK — In a choppy, chippy girls basketball game Friday night at Naugatuck High, Seymour junior Alyssa Johnson seized a late opportunity to give her team a tough road victory.
Johnson stole the ball on the Naugatuck side of halfcourt, drove to the basket for a layup and was fouled. Her 3-point play with six seconds left put the Wildcats ahead, 74-71. A 3-point attempt by the Greyhounds’ Kendall Allen missed, and the Wildcats escaped with the win.
Seymour won its 10th straight game and improved to 9-2 in the NVL, 10-3 overall. Naugatuck fell to 8-3 in the NVL, 10-3 overall.
“I knew that there were probably only 11 seconds left on the clock, so I kind of took my chances,” Johnson said. “I saw (the defender’s) feet planted, so I just kind of sidestepped and got the and-one.”
The Greyhounds blitzed the Wildcats and led, 23-7, after one quarter.
The lead grew to as much as 28-7 in the second quarter, but Seymour got red-hot from 3-point range. The Wildcats canned six 3-pointers, scored 24 points and cut the deficit to 38-31 by halftime.
By the end of a physical third quarter, during which 15 fouls were called, the Wildcats held a 55-51 lead.
Morgan Teodosio led Seymour with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Johnson (nine assists) and Arlinda Peraj each scored 14 points, Kolby Sirowich added 13 and Kiley Drezek chipped in 11 in a balanced attack.
For Naugatuck, Sara Macary had a game-high 23 points. Kaylee Jackson and Brielle Behuniak each scored 12 points.
“We did the little things OK sometimes, but we weren’t consistent, and that’s where they capitalized,” Greyhounds coach Gail Cheney said.
“They’re a very good team.”

[This post contains video, click to play]

CHESHIRE 1, NORTH HAVEN 1
Cheshire 0 1 0 0 – 1
North Haven 0 0 1 0 – 0
Goals: C – Niklas Vasiljevs 1; NH – Tommy Guidone 1. Assists: C – Michael Donatoi 1; NH – Jake Hines 1, Donny Funaro 1. Shots: C 32, NH 29. Saves: C – Nick Maringola 28; NH – Andrew Sacco 31. Records: C 7-5-1, NH 6-4-3.

GUILFORD 6, WATERTOWN-POMPERAUG 3
Goals: G – Jack Dacey 4, E.J. Vickerman 1, Shane Considine 1; WP – Joey Meglio 1, Brandon Mercede 1, Ryan Magee 1. Assists: G – Dacey 2, Considine 2, Steven Tortora 1, William Petrick 1, James Murray 1; WP – Sean Dunfee 1, Everett Greenwood 1, Spencer Ances 1, Matt Christina 1, Ryan Furr 1. Saves: G – Gavyn Litvyn 9; WP – Owen Gallagher 5. Records: WP 2-10; G 4-5-1.

BOYS BASKETBALL
Naugatuck Valley League
Naugatuck 86, Derby 43
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Gunnery 67, Chase Collegiate 39
Taft 55, Westminster 41
Bristol Eastern 50, Career Magnet 32
BOYS ICE HOCKEY
North Haven 1, Cheshire 1
Mt. Everett (Mass.) 4, Shepaug 2
Guilford 6, Watertown-Pomperaug 3
BOYS WRESTLING
East Haven 75, Nonnewaug 6

BRISTOL EASTERN 50, CAREER MAGNET 32
Bristol Eastern (9-4): Ciara Collins 2 4 9, Sage Scarritt 4 0 8, Jordan Ouellette 4 1 9, Avery Arbuckle 4 0 8, Alyssa Kehler 6 1 14, Alex Charette 1 0 2. Totals: 21 6 50.
Career (0-12): Jenuia Whitney 4 2 10, Tayjana Greene 3 0 7, Sian Smellie 2 1 5, Yarelis Torres 0 0 0, Taylor Scott 4 2 10. Totals: 13 5 32.
Eastern 19 12 13 6—50
Career 5 11 6 10—32
3-point goals: BE —Collins 1, Kehler 1; C—Greene 1.

GUNNERY 67, CHASE 39
Gunnery: Gianna Russillo 0 0 0, Vivian Boucher 1 0 2, Natalia Zappone 10 1 23, Remay Pemba 3 0 6, Cailin Kessman 1 1 3, Marley Berano 6 4 16, Grace Robinson 0 0 0, Lenajiah Ferguson 7 1 15, Grace McEneaney 1 0 2. Totals: 29 7 67.
Chase: Eliza Slevinsky 3 0 6, Lariya Hicks 6 1 15, Maya Tucker 2 1 5, Mina Zeng 0 0 0, Sherly Xiao 0 0 0, Maddie Patrick 5 1 11, Ali Dassati 1 0 2. Totals: 17 3 39.
Gunnery 11 12 14 30—67
Chase 5 2 17 15—39
3-point goals: G—Zappone 2; C —Hicks 2.

TAFT 55, WESTMINSTER 41
Westminster (4-9): Margaret Kennedy 2 1 5, Bethany Winter 4 0 9, Samantha de Kanter 2 0 4, Mather Thompson 1 0 3, Mari Camara 1 0 3, Isabella Tawney 6 1 13, Allison Kijanka 1 2 4. Totals: 17 4 41.
Taft (4-7): Lauren Villanueva 1 0 2, Natalie Hodak 6 6 20, Tessa Graebner 5 1 11, Anna Koziol 5 0 10, Annie Woodward 3 0 7, Maria Hogenkamp 0 0 0, Keren Egu 0 0 0, Celine Anyaegbunam 0 0 0, Eliza Ford 2 1 5. Totals: 22 8 55.
Halftime: Taft, 24-18.
3-pointers: W — Winter 1, Thompson 1, Camara 1; T — Hodak 2, Woodward 1.

NAUGATUCK 86, DERBY 43
Derby (3-8): Davant Addison 3 0 8, Shymar Robinson 5 4 15, Kilian Okech 1 0 2, Ken Little III 2 0 4, Rayon Barnes 0 1 1, Zerion Montgomery 0 1 1, Taeshaun Sanchez 2 0 5, Henry Smith 0 0 0, Trayvon Pharr 0 0 0, Antonio Dagraca 1 0 2, Amari Pharr 0 0 0, Keyvon Ward 0 5 5. Totals: 14 11 43.
Naugatuck (11-0): Avery Hinnant 10 2 23, Ese Onakpoma 7 1 15, Robert Sanders 3 1 7, Derrick Jagello 7 2 16, Keywan Garris 2 0 6, Aiden Robertson 2 0 4, Tim Bristol 0 0 0, Jay Mezzo 2 0 4, Justin Barth 2 0 4, Julaquis Minnifield 3 0 7, Evan Swanson 0 0 0, Elijah Garcia 0 0 0. Totals: 38 6 86.
Derby 13 9 10 11—43
Naugatuck 19 23 23 21—86
3-pointers: D—Addison 2, Robinson 1, Sanchez 1; N—Garris 2, Hinnant 1, Minnifield 1.

Avery Hinnant scored 23 points and Derrick Jagello added 16 as Naugatuck cruised to an 86-43 victory over Derby in an NVL clash Saturday at the Edward Mariano Gymnasium.
Ese Onakpoma chipped in with 15 points for the Greyhounds (11-0). Shymar Robinson scored a team-high 15 for the Red Raiders.

GIRLS BASKETBALL
Gunnery 67, Chase Collegiate 39: Natalia Zappone scored a game-high 23 points and was a perfect 10-of-10 from the field for Gunnery in Waterbury.
Lariya Hicks scored a team-high 15 pionts for the Highlanders. Maddie Patrick had 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Bristol Eastern 50, Career Magnet 32: Alyssa Kehler had 14 points for the Lancers in New Haven.
Taft 55, Westminster 41: Natalie Hodak scored a game-high 20 points to lead the Rhinos. Tessa Grabner scored 11 points and Anna Koziol added 10.

ICE HOCKEY
Cheshire 1, North Haven 1: Niklas Vasiljevs scored off an assist from Michael Donatoi and Nick Maringola made 28 saves for the Rams.
Guilford 6, Watertown-Pomperaug 3: Joey Meglio, Brandon Mercede and Ryan Magee scored for Watertown-Pomperaug.

SWIMMING
Northwestern 92, Litchfield 86: Nortrhwestern’s John Courtmanche set a school record in 1-meter diving (286.60 points) in Friday’s meet.
Cassidhe Hughes also of Northwestern, set a school record (262.75 points).

Nick Augelli

Overall record (as of Jan. 25): 698-270

State championships (3): 1998 Class L, 2005 Division I, 2008 Class LL

State runners-up: 1982 Class L, 2004 Division I, 2009 Class LL

NVL championships (14): 1982, 1985, 1987, 1998, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014

All-State players

• Bernie Ireland (1981)
• Brian Jones (1982)
• Willie Davis (1986)
• Wayne Boyette (1989)
• Harun Ramey (1990, ’91)
• Dhaamin Hill (1998)
• Marvin Rountree (1999)
• Julian Allen (2004, ’05)
• James Moore (2004, ’05)
• Damien Saunders (2006)
• B.J. Monteiro (2007, ’08)
• Anthony Ireland (2009)
• Marvin Hampton (2011)
• Tyshon Rogers (2014)
• Jeremiah Kendall (2017)

Coaches at other city schools since Augelli was hired in 1979:

• Holy Cross: Tim McDonald, Ed Generali, Ryan Olsen
• Kennedy: Jack Taglia, Armand LeVasseur, Ryan Sullivan
• Kaynor Tech: Marty Sparano, Hank Spellman
• Sacred Heart: Ed Generali, Chris Murphy, Joe Frascatore, Bill Martin, Jon Carroll
• WCA: Ronan O’Leary
• Wilby: Bob Freeman, Reggie O’Brien, Alex Sinclair, Pete Tehan, Steve Baldwin, Alan Piccolo

WATERBURY – On the night of Dec. 11, 1979, around 1,500 fans shoehorned their way into the Crosby High gymnasium to watch Sacred Heart and Crosby, two of the best boys basketball teams in the Naugatuck Valley League, tip off the season.

By STEVE BARLOW

Both the Hearts and the Old Ivy, as Crosby was known in those days, had rookie head coaches who had slid over one seat on the bench, a pair of newly elevated assistants named Ed Generali and Nick Augelli.

They would go on to win more than 1,300 games between them, but on that night it was Augelli who drew first blood. His Bulldogs turned aside a Sacred Heart rally for a 74-62 win.

THE AUGELLI FILE: Facts and figures

“I don’t remember much about it,” said Generali. “Nick won. He probably remembers it.”

“I remember I was nervous as hell,” Augelli said with a laugh. “That’s about it.”

[This post contains video, click to play]

That game four decades ago was victory No. 1 for Augelli in a career that is now approaching 700. He can become only the second boys basketball coach in state history to reach that milestone with two more victories. The Bulldogs play Ansonia on Tuesday and Sacred Heart on Friday.

Augelli, 73, has been at the helm of Crosby for 41 years – the same number he’s been married to his wife, Roxanne – but he’s been at the school even longer.

In 1969, fresh out of Villanova, the newly hired teacher asked then head coach Bobby Brown if he could take on the freshman team. He did that for one year, then ran the JV for nine more while assisting with the varsity.

“We did the good guy-bad guy thing. I was the bad guy. He was the good guy,” explained Brown, who still kibitzes with Augelli every morning over bagels and coffee.

“He basically ran the defensive schemes and I ran the offensive schemes. We became like one. He still runs the same basic system, although he’s put his own touch on it.”

The transition from Brown, the mentor, to Augelli, the pupil, that year was seamless.

“He was a fair person. He drove us and worked us hard,” said Ron Maness, who scored 29 points in that first win for Augelli, whose team finished third in the NVL that season behind the Hearts and Holy Cross.

“He loved his craft,” added Maness, now 58 and living in Texas.

It was a remarkable time in the NVL. Besides Augelli and Generali, the sidelines were also patrolled by Tim McDonald at Holy Cross, Jack Taglia at Kennedy and Tom McQueeney at Ansonia. A handful of years later, Reggie O’Brien would come along at Wilby.

All six of them would end up with courts or gymnasiums named after them.

“High school basketball was king in the city,” remembered Generali, who himself won 648 boys and girls games at Sacred Heart and Holy Cross. “There were other sports, but basketball was king.”

Against this competition, Augelli has won 14 NVL titles and three state championships, and has put his imprint on city basketball like perhaps no one else. Consider:

N All 15 of Crosby’s 1,000-point scorers have been coached by Augelli, who was JV coach when Steve Johnson became the first in 1976.

N Of the other head coaches in the city, Wilby’s Alan Piccolo and Kennedy’s Ryan Sullivan played under him and Holy Cross’ Ryan Olsen is his nephew.

N The floor at the Crosby Palace was dedicated as Coach Nick Augelli Court in 2015.

N He has coached 15 All-State players.

“Every year, I get a superstar,” Augelli said. “I’ve been very lucky to coach great players.”

He has won with a system that emphasizes defense and depth. From his opening game, Augelli has been liberal in the use of his bench. His first NVL champion, in 1982, had a “starting eight,” and it’s no different today.

“He keeps kids in the rotation and they respond,” Generali said. “They never dog it because he’s always got another kid who he’s going to put in.”

He has won with largely the same cast by his side. JV coach Larry DeVito has been on the staff for 31 years, volunteer assistant Bill Mahony for 34 and Cathy Awwad for 10, now as freshman coach.

Parents Irma Sackett and Debi Vassar have been heading the booster group for more than 15 years, even though their sons have long since graduated. And team manager Joe White was with Augelli for close to two decades before retiring a year ago.

Augelli claims he still runs the program like “a dictatorship,” but he has made a couple of concessions. No longer do practices last over two hours. Usually, they’re no more than 90 minutes.

“Shorter attention spans,” he explained.

Also, in the old days his teams ran and ran at practice, including those grueling end line-to-end line “suicides.” No more.

“The difference is they play all year round. You don’t have to do a lot of conditioning,” Augelli remarked.

The league has changed. For Augelli, who still occasionally gets together with his old coaching rivals, the camaraderie among the current coaches isn’t like what it used to be.

But he’s in no hurry to exit. For someone who has no children of his own, the players are his family.

“I get tired of people asking, ‘When are you going to give it up?’” Augelli said. “If it becomes a job, then it’s time to get out. But it’s still enjoyable.”

He insists he’s not hanging around in an attempt to become the state’s all-time winningest coach. Vito Montelli won 878 at St. Joseph before retiring in 2012, and Augelli knows that’s out of reach.

“I’d have to coach another 10 years,” he said. “I’m No. 2 and I’m happy with that.”

BOYS BASKETBALL
Nonnewaug at Canton, 6:45
Bristol Eastern at Middletown, 6:45
Weaver at Sacred Heart, 7
Bristol Central at Lewis Mills, 7:10
GIRLS BASKETBALL
O’Brien Tech at Grasso Tech, 4:30
Forman at Chase, 4:30
Bristol Central at Lewis Mills, 5:15
Terryville at Innovation, 5:30
Brookfield at Oxford, 6
Bristol Eastern at Plainville, 6:45
Pomperaug at East Lyme, 7
Kaynor Tech at Crosby, 7
BOYS SWIMMING
Nonewaug at Sheehan, 5
Cheshire at Amity, 6:45
BOYS ICE HOCKEY
Shepaug at Newington, 4
SGWL at Housatonic-NW, 8

Avery Hinnant, Naugatuck basketball

• Class: Sophomore
• Age: 16
• Social media (Twitter): Avery1k__
• Snapchat: Mikswag47
• Instagram: Avery. 1k_
• His week: 23 points versus Derby; 14 points, 14 rebounds, 10 blocked shots versus Ansonia; 12 points versus Seymour

Q&A

• Funniest sports moment: When I dunked on somebody and started screaming.
• Worst sports injury: When I broke my knuckle.
• What makes you love the sport that you play? It just my happy place I can play it to blow off some steam when I’m mad and so far it hasn’t let me down.
• Who is your biggest influence? I don’t really have one influence. There are multiple people that push me to be me, like my coach.
• What is the most difficult thing to do in your sport?: The thing that’s most difficult to me is to shoot because it take time for somebody that don’t how to shoot to learn.
• If you had to play another sport, which one and why?: If I had to play another sport it would probably be football because it would make me stronger and I like to get physical.
• Pregame superstition: Listen to music.
• Dream college: Duke
• Career ambition: Work with computers if I don’t make it to the NBA and to do all four years in college
• Biggest wish: To make it to the NBA
• Biggest fear: The ocean
• What would you do if you were principal for a day?: Make it a half day and just relax
• Pet peeve: Styrofoam/plastic foam rubbing together
• People would be surprised to know: That I’m really funny and a nice person
• Describe yourself in one word: Funny
• Foreign country you’d most like to visit: France
• Family athletic background: My little brother plays both basketball and football and my uncle played in high school.

FAVORITES

• Sports team: Houston Rockets
• Sports athlete: Ja Morant (third pick in 2019 NBA draft Memphis Grizzlies)
• Class/subject: Math
• Celebrity: Will Smith
• Actor: Will Smith
• TV show: The flash
• Song: Replay
• Animal: Dog
• Cellphone brand: Verizon
• App: YouTube
• Website: YouTube
• Music artist: J cole
• Meal: Sweet and sour chicken
• Store: Foot Locker
• Restaurant: Tuck’s Tavern
• Dessert: Oreo ice cream
• Junk food: nutty buddy
• Car: Scion FRS
• Childhood memory: Dunking in my middle championship game
• Video game: 2k
• Sports memory: Getting my first triple double.
• Music genre: Hip hop
• Ice cream flavor: Vanilla

Arlinda Peraj, Seymour basketball

• Nickname: Lin Lin
• Class: Senior
• Age: 17
• Social media: Instagram: arlinda.peraj
• Her week: 18 points versus Torrington; 22 points versus Oxford; 16 points, 6 steals, 4 blocks, 4 assists versus Naugy

Q&A

• Funniest sports moment: Making a shot at the wrong basket.
• Worst sports injury: Having a black eye
• What makes you love the sport that you play?: I love the competition and the hustle of the sport and playing with my best friends.
• Who is your biggest influence? mom Liljana Peraj, dad Blerim Peraj.
• What is the most difficult thing to do in your sport?: Not getting into foul trouble and hustling for every ball the entire game.
• If you had to play another sport, which one and why?: Soccer because it’s known in my family to play it.
• Pregame superstition: Drinking a Glaicer Freeze Gatorade before my game.
• Dream college: University of North Carolina
• Career ambition: Business and Marketing
• Biggest wish: To be state champs and NVL champs
• Biggest fear: Spiders
• What would you do if you were principal for a day?: Let our school use phones because they’re banned.
• Pet peeve: Eating with their mouth open.
• People would be surprised to know: I’m Albanian
• Describe yourself in one word: Funny
• Foreign country you’d most like to visit: Thailand
• Family athletic background: My dad grew up playing soccer.

FAVORITES

• Opposing high school player: Aamaya Rivera (Sacred Heart)
• Sports team: Golden State Warriors
• Sports athlete: Steph Curry
• Class/subject: History
• City: New York City
• Celebrity: Dwayne Johnson
• Actor: Ian Somerholder
• TV show: The Vampire Diaries
• Movie: The Hangover
• Song: High Fashion by Roddy Rich
• Animal: Dog
• Cellphone brand: Apple
• App: Tik Tok
• Music artist: Roddy Rich
• Sporting event: UConn girls basketball vs. Tulane
• Meal: Pasta
• Store: Hollister
• Restaurant: Olive Garden
• Dessert: Chocolate Cake
• Junk food: Chips
• Car: Mercedes
• Childhood memory: Getting stuck in a dresser when I was little.
• Video game: Fortnite
• Sports memory: Scoring a buzzer beater for a win in AAU.
• Music genre: Rap
• Quote: “A team will never reach their true potential until all players put the team before themselves.”
• Vacation spot: Greece
• Ice cream flavor: Chocolate
• Who would you like to give a shout out to? (include person’s name and family relation, if there is one): My teammates, My coaches Brian Cleveland, Nicole Fearon, Aaron Pawluk, Christina Tacinelli and parents Liljana and Blerim Peraj.

BOYS BASKETBALL
Sacred Heart 108, Weaver 90
Bristol Central 53, Lewis Mills 41
Nonnewaug at Canton, not reported
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Chase 47, Forman 15
Lewis Mills 48, Bristol Central 17
Innovation 42, Terryville 33
Oxford 43, Brookfield 31
Bristol Eastern 69, Plainville 39
Crosby 62, Kaynor Tech 18
Pomperaug at East Lyme, not reported
BOYS SWIMMING
Nonnewaug 93, Sheehan 93
Cheshire 98, Amity 85

BOYS BASKETBALL
Naugatuck Valley League
St. Paul at Oxford, 6
Crosby at Ansonia,6
Wilby at Derby, 7
Naugatuck at Holy Cross, 7
Seymour at Watertown, 7
Kennedy at Wolcott, 7
Torrington at WCA, 7
Woodland at Sacred Heart, 7
Berkshire League
Nonnewaug at Wamogo, 7
Housatonic at Terryville, 7
Northwestern at Litchfield, 7
Gilbert at Thomaston, 7
Others
Platt Tech at Wolcott Tech, 4:30
Foran at Cheshire, 7
Bunnell at Pomperaug, 7
Kaynor Tech at Wilcox Tech, 7
Abbott Tech at Shepaug, 7
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Naugatuck Valley League
Derby at Wilby, 6
Sacred Heart at Woodland, 7
Ansonia at Crosby, 7
Watertown at Seymour, 7
Wolcott at Kennedy, 7
Oxford at St. Paul, 7
Berkshire League
Wamogo at Nonnewaug, 6
Terryville at Housatonic, 7
Litchfield at Northwestern, 7
Thomaston at Gilbert, 7
Others
Wilcox Tech at Kaynor Tech, 6
Pomperaug at Bunnell, 7
Wolcott Tech at Platt Tech, 7
Shepaug at Torrington, 7
Cheshire at Branford, 7
BOYS SWIMMING
Naugatuck Valley League
Watertown at Crosby-WCA, 4
Oxford at Kennedy, 4
Naugatuck at Woodland, 4
Berkshire League
Shepaug at Wamogo, 4:30
Others
Lewis Mills at Bulkeley, 3:45 p.m.
Platt-Maloney at Bristol co-op, 3:45
Northwestern at Sacred Heart, 7
GYMNASTICS
New Milford, Nonnewaug, Oxford at Pomperaug, 5:30

SACRED HEART 108, WEAVER 90
Weaver (2-9): Dashon Gittens 8 8 26, Kwinton Gillison 2 2 7, Nashawn Hill 1 0 3, Chris DeJesus 5 6 19, James Caro 0 0 0, Josh Stephens 0 0 0, Mike Crowe 3 2 8, Jalen Moore 7 1 21, Shakure Weaver 2 2 6, Damar Artis 0 0 0, Tyrese Duckworth 0 0 0. Totals: 28 21 90.
Sacred Heart (10-0): Lorenzo Washington 9 17 36, Connor Tierney 4 0 8, Trevahn Duncan 9 4 25, Caleb Sampson 8 4 20, Steve Alseph 3 1 8, Osa Igbinewuare 1 2 4, Darrien Ponder 3 0 7, Davon Ellison 0 0 0, Arik Daggan 0 0 0, Johnny Pierce 0 0 0. Totals: 37 28 108.
Weaver 21 23 21 25—90
Sacred Heart 15 34 27 32—108
3-pointers: W—Gitten 2, Gillison 1, Hill 1, DeJesus 3, Moore 6; S—Washington 1, Duncan 3, Alseph 1, Ponder 1.

BRISTOL CENTRAL 53, LEWIS MILLS 41
Bristol Central (10-3): Victor Rosa 1 0 2, Damion Glasper 0 1 1, Austin Brown 3 0 8, Michael Lorenzetti 0 2 2, Shaen Ouellette 0 0 0, D’Ante Ross 1 0 2, Sean Wininger 2 0 4, Donovan Clingan 15 4 34, Carson Riviora 0 0 0. Totals: 22 7 53.
Lewis Mills (3-8): Nate DiChiara 2 0 5, Tommy Martinotti 1 0 2, Colby Norton 2 0 6, Colby Cables 1 0 2, James Nestor 3 0 8, Matt Geissler 3 2 8, Brice Waldron 1 0 2, Logan Cowger 3 0 8. Totals: 16 2 41.
Bristol Central 11 12 17 13—53
Lewis Mills 6 12 10 13—41
3-pointers: BC—Brown 2. LM—Norton 2, Nestor 2, Cowger 2, DiChiara 1.

CROSBY 62, KAYNOR TECH 18
Kaynor Tech: Antia Ozuna 0 0 0, Dessire Rodriquez 0 0 0, Danielle Salvati 3 4 9, Claire Feledie 0 0 0, Toyin Bilewu 2 3 7 Se’Raya Steward 1 0 2. Totals: 6 7 18.
Crosby (3-10): Tiahna Pulliam 6 1 16, Destiny Parris 4 0 10, Aniyyah Watson 7 0 14, Brianna Jackson 3 0 7, Glorines Rivera 2 0 6, Iyanna Figueroa 0 1 1, Nazyah Small 1 0 2, Mahasin Gudaf 0 0 0, Shyann Peart 3 0 6. Totals: 26 2 62.
Kaynor Tech 5 4 6 3—18
Crosby 14 15 18 15—62
3-pointers: C— Pulliam 3, Rivera 2, Jackson 1.

OXFORD 43, BROOKFIELD 31
Brookfield (6-6): Faith Karych 3 3 11, Clare McGrade 1 0 2, Mackenzie Sam 0 1 1, Stesha Grossman 2 0 5, Courtney Delehanty 3 0 9, Mitchell 0 1 1, N. Grossman 1 0 2. Totals: 10 5 31.
Oxford (5-8): Mikayla Walton 5 5 18, Maddie Sastram 4 0 9, Jess Kondic 1 0 3, Emma Lobraico 1 0 2, Paige Davis 4 3 11, Olivia Garcia 0 0 0. Totals: 15 8 43.
Brookfield 7 8 1 13—31
Oxford 14 5 13 11—43
3-pointers: B—Karych 2, S. Grossman 1, Delehanty 3. O—Walton 3, Sastram 1, Kondic 1.

BRISTOL EASTERN 69, PLAINVILLE 39
Bristol Eastern (10-4): Ciara Collins 9 0 20, Sage Scarritt 1 0 2, Jordan Ouellette 14 0 28, Avery Arbuckle 5 0 10, Alyssa Kehler 3 1 7, Taigan Parent 1 0 2. Totals: 33 1 69.
Plainville (5-9): Elyse Brown 0 1 1, Tessa Susco 2 3 9, Jaida Vasquez 4 0 10, Kori Jones 2 5 9, Katie Gagnon 2 0 4, Elayna Gorneault 0 1 1, Sami Thompson 1 0 3, Vanessa Xiaves 0 2 2. Totals: 11 12 39.
Bristol Eastern 12 26 18 13—69
Plainville 15 5 4 15—39
3-pointers: BE—Collins 2. P—Susco 2, Vasequez 2, Thompson 1.

CHASE 47, FORMAN 15
Forman: Caroline Finck 1 0 2, Lucy Kramer 1 0 2, Olivia Maguire 1 0 2, Gabriella Germano 1 0 2, Addie Lamond 0 0 0, Lauren Russel 3 0 7, Dylan Antonie 0 0 0. Totals: 7 0 15.
Chase: Maya Tucker 3 0 7, Sherly Xiao 0 0 0, Eliza Slevinsky 0 0 0, Riy Hicks 8 0 16, Mina Zeng 0 0 0, Maddie Patrick 7 2 16, Ali Dassatti 4 0 8, Alexandria Richards 0 0 0. Totals: 22 2 47.
3-pointers: F—Russel 1. C—Tucker 1.

INNOVATION 42, TERRYVILLE 33
Terryville (2-11): Taylor Barnett 0 1 1, Ally Drake 0 0 0, Amy Roqi 6 4 17, Alisson Benson 0 0 0, Zoe Zappone 6 0 12, Kassie McCarthy 0 0 0, Tiffany Pires 1 1 3. Totals: 13 6 33.
Innovation (5-8): Chelsea Wray-Brown 1 3 5, Ariana Rivas 7 4 19, Tejah Roberts 4 0 8, Brieanna Santana 4 2 10, Lydia Bishop 0 0 0, Annalees Hill 0 0 0. Totals: 17 9 42.
Terryville 2 14 12 5—33
Innovation 8 12 8 14—42
3-pointers: T—Roqi 1. I—Rivas 1.

LEWIS MILLS 48, BRISTOL CENTRAL 17
Bristol Central (4-9): Damani Hough 0 0 0, Janess Bartell 0 1 1, Gwen Torresso 3 3 9, Ella Watson 0 0 0, Sophia Torresso 3 0 7, Aylah Rodrigues 0 0 0, Destiny Craft 0 0 0, Lia Rolden 0 0 0 . Totals: 6 4 17.
Lewis Mills (5-7): Brianna Pelchar 3 1 8, Lauren Searle 0 0 0, Lauren Alvarez 6 1 13, Abby Mills 3 0 6, Annika Fitzgerald 2 0 4, Vickie Fleming 1 0 2, Grace Annonson 0 0 0, Jordan Anderson 0 0 0, Abby Jankoski 7 1 15. Totals: 22 3 48
Bristol Central 1 2 4 10—17
Lewis Mills 8 15 14 11—48
3-pointers: BC—S. Torresso 1. LM—Pelchar 1.