Pictured: Coginchaug’s Chloe Shafir winds up from three Tuesday night against Hale-Ray. Shafir had four 3-pointers on the night and finished with a game-high 19 points.
By Paul Augeri
middlesexcountysports@gmail.com
DURHAM – Coginchaug proved once again Tuesday that it is not limited to its centerpiece player, 6-foot-4 senior Jessica Berens.
The Blue Devils are talented and deep at guard, and from that bunch sophomore shooter Chloe Shafir rose up as the star of the night in Coginchaug’s 61-24 Shoreline Conference victory over Hale-Ray.
With her team in need of a spark late in the first quarter, Shafir came off the bench and swished her first attempt, a 3-pointer, to give Coginchaug its first lead of the game at 11-10.
From there, she scored five of the team’s next seven points in a 12-0 run that changed Coginchaug’s fortunes. By halftime, Shafir had three more 3-pointers and 17 of her game-high 19 points as the Blue Devils built a 37-15 advantage against the short-handed Noises (1-1).
“Coach felt we needed some energy at that time and I wanted to pick it up,” said Shafir. “Every time I hit my first shot I get on a roll and it gets me hyped up. When I hit two shots I feel like I want to keep shooting. I’ve really developed my shot this year.”
Berens finished with 11 points and 16 rebounds, her second double-double in Coginchaug’s 2-0 start, and guards Amalia DeMartino (7 points) and Katie Farr (6) also were factors.
“Whether it’s Chloe or any other shooter like that, when you can just step right into the shot in open space you’ve got to take it,” Blue Devils coach Chris Watson said. “She took those opportunities in the first half. I could tell early on we just didn’t have a flow, and a lot of times you have to see a couple of balls go in to get the energy going. That’s the biggest reason I put her in so quickly. I knew with the space they were giving on the outside, if I stuck her in and she really got hot, then we’d be in really good shape.”
Hale-Ray’s Angelo Morello, who dressed only six varsity players, game-planned for the Blue Devils as most coaches would. He packed the middle to try and limit Berens – “not a surprising tactic at all,” Watson said — and gave Coginchaug space on the perimeter.
“After watching the film on (Berens), I told the girls we’d pack the middle and take our chances with their perimeter shooters,” said Morello, in his first season with the Noises. “(Shafir) opened the game up a little bit.”
Hale-Ray started strong behind freshman guard Winnie Ciccarello, a shooter/slasher who figures to be standout player in the league in coming years. Ciccarello scored seven of her team’s first 10 points and finished with 16 points, 12 coming from 3-point range.
“She’s asked to do a lot,” Morello said. “She’s got the green light. Shooters shoot. I keep telling her that. The other girls played hard, they were just outnumbered. There will be a few games like this this year. The effort was there. The execution wasn’t there like it was last Friday (in their win over Westbrook), but the effort was and that’s all you can ask for.”
HALE-RAY (1-1)
Winnie Ciccarello 6 0-3 16, Brooke Praskievicz 1 2-2 4, Kayla Bartolotta 0 1-2 1, Gabby Aquilera 0 1-6 1, Lexi DeSiata 1 0-0 2. Totals: 8 4-15 24.
COGINCHAUG (2-0)
Hannah Nielsen 1 0-0 2, Allyson Woodward 0 1-2 1, Chloe Shafir 6 3-4 19, Katie Farr 3 0-0 6, Alyssa Woodward 2 0-2 5, Jessica Berens 4 3-3 11, Amalia DeMartino 3 1-2 7, Maura Zettergren 0 0-0 0, Allison Strang 1 0-0 2, Serena Fournier 2 0-1 4, Mia Poturnicki 2 0-1 4.
Totals 23 10-16 61.
Score By Quarters
HR 10 5 6 3—24
C 14 23 13 11—61
3-Pointers: HR—Ciccarello 4; C—Shafir 4, Woodward 1.
Elsewhere in the Shoreline on Tuesday:
Valley Regional 53, Haddam-Killingworth 33
H-K (0-3)
Kaleigh Bodak 1 4-6 6, Carly Rettberg 0 2-4 2, Payton Yazmer 6 1-2 13, Julia Favalora 1 2-2 4, Tessa Wills 1 0-0 2, Ella McGlynn 1 0-0 2, Kelsey Lonergan 1 0-0 2, Jordan O’Linn 0 0-2 0, Audra Yazmer 1 0-2 2. Totals 12 9-20 33.
VALLEY REGIONAL (2-1)
Ava Cunningham 2 0-0 4, Addi Marchese 1 0-2 3, Hannah Jenkins 0 0-0 0, Bitzy Klomp 0 0-0 0, Lily Grow 4 0-0 8, Abby Bradbury 4 5-9 13, Liz Allen 0 2-2 2, Libby Cap 0 5-6 5, Alena Crosby 5 7-8 18, Sharmel Rivera 0 0-0 0, Olivia Cunningham 0 0-0 0. Totals: 14 19-27 53.
Score By Quarters
HK 5 6 17 5–33
VR 12 10 18 11–53
3-Pointers: VR–Crosby 1, Marchese 1.
Of note: Payton Yazmer had 6 rebounds, 1 block and 1 steal to go with her team-high 13 points.
Morgan 47, North Branford 32
NORTH BRANFORD (1-2)
Hannah Senerchia 1 0-0 3 Erica Piercey 0 0-0 0 Braedan LeBeau 8 2-4 18 Charliana Crisculo 1 0-0 2 Delaney Norman 1 0-0 3 Julia Ricardo 2 0-0 6. Totals: 13 2-4 32.
MORGAN (2-1)
Catie Donadio 4 8-9 16, Caeley Ayer 7 1-2 16, Katie Martin 3 0-0 6, Sofie Passante 2 1-2 5, Ava Johnson 1 0-0 2, Victoria O’Neill 0 0-0 0, Maeve Madura 1 0-0 2. Totals: 18 10-13 47.
Score By Quarters
NB 7 5 0 10–32
M 14 7 4 22–47
3-Pointers: M–Ayer 1; NB–Ricardo 2, Norman 1 Senerchia 1.
Of note: Morgan senior Donadio scored her 1,000th career point. She also had 10 steals, 5 assists, and 2 blocks. Ayer had 9 steals and 4 rebounds.
Old Saybrook 47, Portland 43
PORTLAND (0-2)
Ava Hurley 3 1-7 8, Hannah Brunk 7 2-8 16, Carly Graves 2 1-2 6, Sam Lasky 3 0-0 6, Lindsey King 1 3-4 5, Leah May 1 0-0 2. Totals: 17 7-19 43.
OLD SAYBROOK (1-0)
Taylor Stone 2 3-6 8, Lily Cody 2 1-2 5, Beldina Feratovic 2 2-8 6, Priscilla Gumkowski 4 0-0 11, Cassie Johnson 3 3-7 9, Mackenna Cook 0 0-0 0, Ella Hagleston 3 2-2 8. Totals: 16 11-23 47.
Score By Quarters
P 9 10 12 12–43
OS 3 10 11 23–47
3-Pointers: P–Hurley 1, Graves 1; OS–Gumbkowski 3, Stone 1.
Old Lyme 58, Westbrook 12
OLD LYME (2-1)
Sam Gray 5 0-0 13, Emma McCullough 6 2-2 14, Emily Deroehn 3 4-7 10, Megan Loflin 4 0-0 8, Grace Lathrop 2 2-4 6, Ellie Zrenda 2 1-1 5, Ava Roth 1 0-0 2. Totals: 23 9-14 58.
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WESTBROOK (0-2)
Jami Sacco 3 1-2 7, Adriana Straneri 0 2-2 2, Leticia Pires 0 1-3 1, Olivia Palumbo 1 0-0 2. Totals: 4 4-7 12.
Score By Quarters
OL 18 19 12 9—58
W 5 4 1 2—12
3-Pointers: OL—Gray 3.