Pomperaug Panther no. 15, Noah Miree, goes to the basket with authority in the Panthers’ game against Bunnell last Friday. (Ken Morse photo)
By KEN MORSE Special to the Middlebury Bee Intelligencer
If there was any question about how legitimate the fast start to the season has been for the 7-2 Pomperaug boys’ basketball team, it was answered loud and clear last Friday in front of a jam-packed house of screaming fans at the Panthers Den in Southbury.
Pomperaug had just missed a foul shot and was clinging to a 63-62 lead with just 12 seconds left on the clock. Bunnell, the three-time South West Conference (SWC) champions and last year’s Class L state champ, was bearing down for the game-winning bucket as the clock ticked down towards zero.
It was white-knuckle time for the Panther fans as this one was turning into a real seat-grabber. The Bulldogs Zyhaire Fernandes (29 points) drove to the baseline, looking to dish it off to a wide-open Nick Giannoni (16 points) on the other side of the basket as the clock struck the five-second mark.
The Panthers’ Matt Wynne reached in and stole the pass and was mauled under a pile of bodies diving to the floor. The junior rose to his feet and went down the other end of the floor to shoot a one-and-one situation at the foul line.
Wynne calmly drained the pair of free throws, and the Panther fans almost blew the roof off the gymnasium screaming their approval. Three seconds remained, long enough for Fernandes to race down the court and throw up a hope and a prayer, as the 3-point attempt rattled the front of the rim and came out as the buzzer sounded.
The 65-62 Pomperaug victory sent the exuberant fans pouring onto the court to congratulate their team, a team that made a statement throughout the SWC that the Panthers are a legitimate threat to contend for a league title.
“I will admit, I was a little nervous,” said Wynne, about his game-on-the-line experience at the foul line. “I knew what I had to do; the one-and-one just added a little more pressure. But we came out and played hard the whole way, and we deserved this win.”
Basketball games don’t get much closer than this as the lead changed hands 15 times and there were 13 ties. Bunnell held its largest lead of four points twice in the second quarter. Pomperaug held a four-point lead twice in the third quarter.
The pace of the game looked like a track meet as both teams went in full-speed-ahead mode from the opening tipoff to the final buzzer. Pomperaug got right after it, controlling the action on the boards as Josh McGettigan, with a team high 14 points and eight rebounds, went to the glass for a pair of putbacks to open a 6-2 advantage.
That didn’t last long as Bunnell raced to an 8-6 advantage on a steal by Fernandes and two drives in the lane by Giannoni. By the end of a dizzying first quarter, the lead had changed four times, five ties were broken, and the Bulldogs were out in front 18-16.
“We wanted to go up and down the floor with them,” said Pomperaug head coach Dave Yachtis. “I felt we had a deeper bench and we could tire them out in the second half. I don’t know for sure if that was the difference in the end but that was our game plan.
“Midway through the third quarter I just sat down next to coach Lewis and said, ‘Boy, this is a heck of a game.’ I could only imagine how much fun it was for the fans.”
Noah Miree picked the most opportune time to show his all-around game, throwing in 13 points, hauling away 10 rebounds, and blocking three shots while finding time to dish out four assists and come away with four steals. His shot selection ranged from a variety of putbacks, dunks and 3-pointers.
“This was definitely a statement game for us,” said Miree. “To do it in front of our home crowd is a great feeling. After our loss at Trinity Catholic, we felt we had something to prove.”
Grant Wallace played a huge factor under the boards, scoring nine points, pulling down 11 rebounds and blocking a pair of shots. His 3-pointer towards the end of the third quarter helped the Panthers build momentum heading into the final quarter.
“We knew that we would come out pressing the ball on both ends,” said Wallace. “But it was getting pretty tiring racing up and down the floor on every possession. We have such a great crowd, and we fed off that energy.”
Bunnell grabbed a four-point lead twice in the second quarter and had a chance to extend the advantage. Chase Belden (11 points, four assists) made sure that didn’t happen as he fired in a 3-pointer and on the next trip down the floor hit a pullup jumper in the lane, putting it in off the window.
The biggest question remaining was whether this Pomperaug team had what it takes going down the stretch to finish out a game like this. That was answered when Rich Pugliese (eight points, four steals) brought the crowd to its feet with a two-handed dunk to open up a 47-43 lead late in the third quarter.
Tom Satkowski and Jacob Mendicino provided valuable minutes off the bench, each scoring a basket and battling for rebounds in the paint. The 20-point third quarter handed Pomperaug a 52-49 advantage heading into the game’s final eight minutes.
“On the road we tend to start out a little flat at times,” said Yachtis. “But I noticed we play with a lot more intensity at home. We certainly got ourselves noticed in the SWC, and now we just need to go out there and take it one game at a time.”
Pomperaug showed they have what it takes to overcome adversity after a tough 62-54 loss to Trinity Catholic last Wednesday. The Panthers held a 28-23 lead at the half but came undone by a 39-point second half from Trinity Catholic.
Belden led the Panthers with 18 points on the strength of four 3-pointers. McGettigan and Pugliese added 11 points each, and Wallace knocked down seven points.
Pomperaug took on New Fairfield Tuesday in a game that put the 8-2 Panthers in the state tournament with a 57-39 win after missing out on the post season last year. Pugliese led the Panthers, scoring 18 points, with Belden and McGettigan adding 10 points each.
The Panthers are back in action Friday, Jan. 22, at home against Brookfield and will also host Joel Barlow Tuesday, Jan. 26, at the Panthers Den with both games scheduled for a 7 p.m. tipoff.
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