The Joel Barlow High girls varsity basketball team did not have to wait long to run into some serious competition in the state Class MM tournament last week.
The 28th seeded Falcons, who were making their first trip to the state tournament in four years, had their hands full with host Sheehan of Wallingford in the first round on Monday, Feb. 26. The fifth-seeded Titans’ ability to score down low as well as from the perimeter meant trouble for the Falcons, who lost 60-35 to end the season.
“Offensively we got plenty of good shots,” said Barlow head coach Joe Carollo. “We didn’t convert as many as we needed to against a quality opponent.”
An experienced team, the Titans have eight or 10 players who play basketball year-round, according to Carollo. This soon became apparent, as they presented a balanced scoring effort early.
Sheehan’s overall team speed and basketball shooting and ball handling were the major problems for Barlow defensively. Sarah Ashgar’s field goal and a free throw by Aver Vanderburg accounted for all of Barlow’s offense in the first quarter as Sheehan jumped out to a 13-3 lead.
The Falcons picked up their offense significantly in the next frame, led in part by a seven-point effort by Mia Tartaglia, including one three-pointer. Agnes Davis sank a three-pointer as well to help keep Barlow in contention.
Sheehan, however, had offensive support in the form of Megan Wriesen’s seven points to lead her team to a 29-15 advantage at halftime.
When play resumed, the Titans basically pulled out of reach with some effective long-range shooting in the third quarter, as four different players hit three-point shots to help their team outscore the Falcons better than two-to-one for the period. Although Davis hit a three-pointer of her own with Ashgar and Vanderburg also sinking field goals, the Falcons still fell behind 51-25.
Having such a comfortable lead, the Titans eased up a bit on offense in the last quarter, the only time they were outscored by the Falcons. Davis hit one three-pointer while Tartaglia sank two, plus a field goal as Barlow’s season came to an end.
The former led Barlow with 14 points for the game, including three three-pointers. Davis was next with nine points, all coming on three-pointers.
Ashgar and Vanderburg each had four points. Mackenzie Sickinger sank two in her last high school game while Caroline Lippoth and Allie Ogden each hit a free throw.
“I really enjoyed how much the team learned this season, not just offensive and defensive schemes, but individual player development was great to see in so many of them,” said Carollo, whose team finishes at 8-13 overall. “Improvement player-wise and team-wise as the season went on was great to see.”
