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Gildea leads Crusaders into semis (hoop)
Tuesday, 21 February 2012 15:28
The top-seeded Lauralton Hall girls basketball team defeated eighth-seeded Bunnell High, 73-47, in the quarterfinals of the South-West Conference tournament on Saturday night in Milford.
Cassie Gildea led the host Crusaders with 23 points, while Olivia Levey and Allison Sacco added double-doubles.
Levey notched 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Sacco chipped in with 11 points and 10 steals after coming on for injured sophomore guard Carly Fabbri midway through the first quarter.
Michelle DeSantis added 10 points for the Crusaders, who improved to 20-1 overall.
Lauralton Hall faced fifth-seeded Masuk High (13-8) on Tuesday night at Weston High, with the winner advancing to face either second-seeded Pomperaug High (19-2) or sixth-seeded Joel Barlow of Redding (14-7) tonight in the finals at David Strong Gymnasium in Monroe.
Bunnell led 13-9 late in the first quarter, but the Crusaders turned the game around behind a stifling pressure defense that forced a bevy of Bulldog turnovers.
Springing the trap in the backcourt was Gildea, who at 5-11 showed her mettle as one of the top defenders in the state.
“It helps when you have a tall, athletic kid,” Lauralton Hall coach Amanda Forcucci said. “She’s able to get her hands on a lot of tips and deflections and what not...
“She’s the best defender in the state. This kid is a special kid... She has the heart of a lion.”
Gildea also helped hold Bunnell senior pivot Sha’quira Palmer in check.
Palmer (16 points, 10 rebounds) scored the first three baskets of the game for the Bulldogs, then didn’t connect on another field goal until the fourth quarter.
A three-point play from Erin Koletar staked Bunnell to a 13-9 lead with 1:33 left in the first quarter, before Levey and Marisa Dowling closed the period with back-to-back baskets.
That sparked a game-changing 16-0 run for Lauralton Hall, as Levey tallied six points during the spurt.
Lauryn Kostopoulos banked in a 3-pointer to momentarily stop the deluge, cutting the Bunnell gap 25-16.
Free throws from Gildea and Sacco and a step-through basket by DeSantis, pushed the Crusaders’ margin to 29-16 at the half and they remained ahead by double digits for the entire second half.
A putback from Levey and four consecutive foul shots by DeSantis and Gildea ballooned Lauralton Hall’s lead to 49-29 at the end of the third quarter.
Deja Fonseca’s layup got Bunnell within 65-47 with 3:12 left to play in the game, but Sacco, DeSantis, Bianca Roberston and Maggie Salandra scored baskets down the stretch to secure the lopsided victory.
“Win and move on,” Forcucci said of her squad’s postseason mentality. “Take each day and each opponent one at a time.”
Lauralton Hall, currently ranked fourth in the state poll, will participate in the Class LL state tournament beginning on Feb. 27 following the completion of the SWC playoffs.
“I’m extremely proud of these kids,” Forcucci said. “These kids are the closest, tightest-knit team I’ve coached and I’ve been coaching for ten years.”
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