Pomperaug High School’s Grant Wallace secures the rebound in the Panthers’ game against Barlow. (Ken Morse photo)
Postseason journey continues in Class L
By KEN MORSE Special to the Middlebury Bee Intelligencer
The Pomperaug boys basketball team went into the South West Conference (SWC) semifinals on Monday, Feb. 29, taking on the No. 2 seed, 18-2 Notre Dame of Fairfield, and forged a 39-30 halftime lead. But the No. 3 seed 16-4 Panthers couldn’t find a way to stop the red-hot Lancers in the second half as Notre Dame piled on 58 second-half points to pull away with an 88-74 win, ending the bid by Pomperaug to reach the SWC final for the first time since the 2010-2011 season.
“We came out and did exactly what we were supposed to do,” said Pomperaug head coach Dave Yachtis. “But we just couldn’t find a way to stop them in the second half. They didn’t score 58 points because we didn’t play defense; they scored that many points because they are that good.”
Noah Miree led the Panthers with 25 points, Chase Belden threw down 19 points, and Rich Pugliese added 16 points, but it wasn’t enough to offset the hot hands of the Lancers led by Jesse McIntosh with 26 points and Nori Davis with 23 points.
The journey is far from over for the Panthers, who showed they were tournament tested in the regular season final. Pomperaug had just clinched the Colonial Division of the SWC and traveled to Stratford to take on the 4-14 Red Devils. The Panthers were stunned in a 71-65 loss.
Facing the SWC number-one team, the 18-1 Mustangs of Immaculate, in the regular season finale last Wednesday, the Panthers showed just how ready they were for the postseason. Pomperaug pulled victory from the jaws of defeat, fighting back from a 16-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat Immaculate 82-78 in double overtime.
“It was like someone turned on a light switch,” said Yachtis. “We just kept at it, and the guys never quit. One thing seemed to lead to another, and before you knew it we were headed to overtime. It shows you the heart of this team.”
Miree scored 13 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter when Pomperaug outscored the Mustangs by a shocking 28-12. Belden, with 16 points, hit one at the buzzer to send the game to a second overtime session tied at 72-72. Pugliese knocked down 16 points, and Josh McGettigan added 13 points in the greatest come-from-behind tale of the season.
“I don’t know what happened between the Stratford game and Immaculate,” said Miree. “It certainly was a wake-up call for us, and we need to start looking at it like every game could be our last. It also showed us that we have the capability to play with anyone.”
Pomperaug showed that capability loud and clear in the SWC quarterfinal against No. 6 seed 12-8 Barlow last Friday at the Panthers Den in Southbury. By the time the Falcons got on the scoreboard with 2:27 left in the opening quarter, the Panthers were out in front by a 13-2 score.
A 15-0 run to end the third quarter pretty much slammed the door on Barlow as Pomperaug went on to a convincing 66-37 victory. Miree led the way, scoring 21 points, while Pugliese put in 15 points and McGettigan added 10 points.
Grant Wallace established himself under the boards, hauling down six rebounds, dishing out six assists and finding time to throw five points through the net. Matt Wynne also was a force in the lane with six points and eight rebounds to go along with three blocked shots.
“We just have to keep playing hard and hustle every play of every game,” said Wallace. “We are at the point in the season where every game can be your last. We just have to put it all out there, I’m not ready to have this thing end.”
The Panthers held a 13-6 first-quarter advantage, and by the time Belden (9 points, five assists) buried the fifth Pomperaug 3-pointer of the second quarter, the lead had swelled to 32-20 at the halftime break.
“They were giving us the outside shot, so I told the guys to take the three if it’s there,” said Yachtis. “That also opens up the inside for us, and we are just as effective taking it to the basket.
“We just kept coming at them. I thought we shot the ball well and got to the rebounds. Defensively, we attacked the ball and took control of the game early.”
Just in case the Falcons didn’t get the memo, the Panthers delivered the message loud and clear with another 3-point barrage, unloading four more from behind the arc in the third quarter.
The lead was 12 points at 44-32 with 2:15 to go in the quarter when Wynne tore away a rebound and put it back in off the glass. On the next trip down the floor, Pugliese held up in the corner and Miree fed him a pass for a net-rippling 3-pointer.
Tom Satkowski came up with a steal at the other end, and Pugliese traded places with Miree, dropping a 3-pointer from the same spot. Pugliese went on to hit another long-range bomb, and by the time the quarter ended the 15-0 run produced a 59-32 lead.
“We are not taking anyone for granted,” said Pugliese. “We saw what happened in Stratford, and we saw what we could do at Immaculate. But we can’t afford to lose our focus, and we may have done that in the first half against Immaculate. We just need to take this one game at a time.”
Barlow never really regained its focus, with Jacob Mendicino applying the defense that allowed the Falcons just five fourth-quarter points. At the four-minute mark, Yachtis took the opportunity to give his younger players some tournament experience with Zach McGettigan, Will McDonald, Jason Hirschauer, Mario Paniccia and Dylan Coxon closing out the game.
Pomperaug will be back in action Monday, March 7, in the first round of the Class L tournament and will know by Friday, March 4, at noon, when the CIAC releases the pairings, who the opponent will be.
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