Panthers are leading by example

Pomperaug High School junior Chase Belden, No. 24, leads the Pomperaug Panthers’ boys basketball team in scoring. He averages 15 points per game. (Ken Morse photo)

By KEN MORSE Special to the Middlebury Bee Intelligencer

Playing on the road usually has its own set of circumstances to overcome, never mind an opponent that is fired up by the emotions of the home crowd. The Pomperaug boys basketball team ventured out on the road for the first time in over two weeks last Friday and came away with a 73-55 win over Weston.

The Panthers were coming off a four-game home stand that began with a dramatic last-second win over defending Class L state champion Bunnell and concluded last Tuesday in a rousing fourth-quarter victory over Barlow, improving Pomperaug to 11-2 on the season and 6-0 in the Colonial Division of the South West Conference (SWC).

In the Patriot Division of the SWC, Notre Dame of Fairfield at 11-2 and Immaculate of Danbury at 12-1 share the lead at 6-0 in their division. The Panthers faced one of the toughest tests of this season Tuesday when they went up against the Notre Dame of Fairfield Lancers on the Lancers’ home court.

Pomperaug came out and forged a 13-11 lead. Notre Dame went on an 11-2 run to take over the game. The Panthers trailed 16-13 after one quarter and 35-29 at the half. Pomperaug closed the gap at 35-31 before a 7-1 run gave the Lancers a 46-36 lead heading into the final quarter. The final score was 66-50 Lancers.

Noah Miree led the Panthers, scoring 18 points, while Chase Belden added nine points. Grant Wallace chipped in with seven points as Matt Wynne and Rich Pugliese contributed six points each.

“They are a very well coached team and playing at their place is always difficult,” said Pomperaug head coach Dave Yachtis. “They are very quick and play a tough defense. That was the the toughest test we have faced this year.”

The hill is only going to get a little steeper from here on in for the Panthers as they play five of their final seven regular season games on the road. All three of the Pomperaug losses this season have come in enemy territory. A Jan. 4 stumble in Winsted to 11-1 Northwestern, one they left on the table with a fourth-quarter setback on Jan. 13 in Stamford to a 6-5 Trinity Catholic squad, and Tuesday’s loss to Notre Dame dropped the Panthers to 11-3 on the season.

The bread and butter for the Panthers features a lineup that boasts four players whose averages are in double figures. The effectiveness of that scoring diversity came to the forefront in the last three victories.

But Pomperaug has more than players who can score on a consistent basis; the team has players who are willing to step up and lead by example. In the last three victories, a different player has emerged to lead the team in scoring, knocking down over 20 points to secure the game in the win column.

“To have three different players lead the team in scoring in three consecutive games says a lot about this team’s ability,” said Yachtis. “I said at the beginning of the season that this team reminds me of the 2010-2011 team that went 15-5 and played for the SWC championship, the only Pomperaug boys team to have ever played for the league title. But I think this year’s team has a little more depth and a lot more scoring options.”

In the 84-61 win over Brookfield, junior Chase Belden buried five 3-pointers on his way to a team-leading 26-point night. Last Tuesday against the tough 7-3 Barlow Falcons, junior Josh McGettigan had the hot hand, dropping a team high of 23 points through the net.

In last Friday’s win over Weston, senior tri-captain Rich Pugliese found his way to the hoop for a game high 23 points. The Panthers got off to a slow start, especially in the face of a fired-up Weston crowd as they held a slim 33-28 lead at the half.

“It took us a while to settle into the game,” said Yachtis. “They were playing a very physical half court man-to-man defense, and we just didn’t come out and match that intensity level. We are good at making runs, and once we started to pass the ball around and going to the rim we were able to create some space between them.”

Then Pomperaug did what they do best and that is take over a game with a defense that can shut down an opponent long enough for the Panthers to take hold of a game. By the time the final quarter rolled around Pomperaug was out in front by a 10-point margin 48-38.

A 25-17 fourth-quarter burst closed the game and sent it to the win column as Belden knocked down 17 points, and Noah Miree threw in another 15 points just for good measure. Matt Wynne added seven points for the third game in a row, McGettigan chipped in with six points and Grant Wallace added four points.

“Not only do we have four guys who can score in double figures,” said Yachtis. “Matt comes off the bench and is close to scoring in double figures. We are becoming a very tough team to defend, and it all starts with the energy that we put out on the defensive end.”

Pomperaug returns to the Panthers Den Friday, Feb. 5, at 7 p.m. to take on Masuk of Monroe. The last time Pomperaug faced Masuk on the road in the beginning of January they escaped with a last second 50-46 win.

“Masuk is a quality team and we better come ready to play,” said Yachtis. “But all in all I think we are a much better team than when we faced them back then. But there certainly are no nights off in this league. If you don’t come with that intensity any team is capable of knocking you off.”