Sports blog: Stamford Sports Scene
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By STEVE GEOGHEGAN

Times Sports Editor


STAMFORD -- Ginny LaFauci wasn't about to let her team falter down the stretch again.

The Westhill High girls basketball standout had seen about enough of hard-luck losses for the Vikings and when things got tight in Monday's intra-city rivalry game against Stamford, she put the team on her back and carried it through.

LaFauci finished with 18 points, 16 rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks in a solid all-around game and scored 12 of her 18 points in the fourth quarter, including going 4-for-4 from the free-throw line in the final 40 seconds, to lift Westhill to a 39-36 upset victory over the Black Knights on Senior Night at the Kuczo Gymnasium.

LaFauci had never lost to Stamford in her career and she was going to do everything in her power to remain unbeaten against the Black Knights.

"We pulled through and we realized that this was our city championship," LaFauci said. "This is what we want and this is what we've been playing for. We've been playing so well recently and just been getting unlucky. We felt it was our time to shine."

The Vikings, who will miss out on postseason play this season, raised their record to 6-13 overall, 5-12 in the FCIAC. Stamford, which is headed to the FCIAC playoffs and had won seven of its last eight going into the game, slipped to 13-4 overall and in the league.

Westhill had experienced five losses by six points or less this season but this time the Vikings were able to come out on top.

"I thought the girls played very hard," Westhill head coach Mike King said. "I'm happy we finally won a close game. We've lost a lot of close games, especially in the last four weeks. Tonight's game could've gone either way at the end but I'm glad it went our way and I'm proud of the girls for making that happen."

Neither team had more than a four-point lead the entire game and there were three ties and six lead changes.

The most excitement came in the fourth quarter. Stamford had a 31-28 lead after a basket by Jasmine Jones (11 points) in the paint with 6:33 remaining in the game but LaFauci scored a basket in the paint (6:14) and she added a jumper (5:09) to put her team ahead at 32-31.

"I think she's one of the better competitors in the league," King said of LaFauci.

A free throw by LaFauci gave the Vikings a 33-31 lead with 4:03 on the clock but a turnaround jumper by Jones tied the score at 33-33 with 4:03 left.

That's when Asia Beatty came up big for the Vikings. Her driving layup while falling to the floor gave Westhill the lead for good at 35-33 with 3:46 on the clock.

"It was a huge one," King said. "I'm really happy for her. She can walk out of here with a big smile on her face. That was a big shot."

Stamford couldn't make a basket down the stretch and the Black Knights were forced to foul in the final seconds with LaFauci converting all four of her free throws.

"In previous games, I've been making all my free throws but early in this game, I was missing them," LaFauci said. "In the end, I said to myself 'I'm a senior and I'm a captain. I've been making free throws for four years -- I can do this. I've done it before and I can do it again.'"

The Vikings' triangle-and-two defense seemed to fluster the Black Knights scorers and held Kelsey Cognetta (nine points) and Brittany Duffin (five) in check. Plus Westhill came up with important rebounds at key junctures in the game.

Failing to execute on the offensive end has been a trend in all of Stamford's losses this season, head coach Curtis Tinnin said.

"It was a game that could've gone either way," said Tinnin, whose team has now lost two of three, with the other loss coming to city rival Trinity. "We made some mistakes down the stretch -- it cost us the ballgame -- and they capitalized on it."

Westhill had a 9-8 lead after the first quarter, with Megan D'Alesandro scoring six points to lead the Vikings, but Stamford answered in the second quarter and went ahead 14-11 on a jumper by Lauren Schapiro with 6:15 remaining until halftime.

Back-to-back 3-pointers by Suzanne Cohen, the latter with 3:38 on the clock, gave Westhill a 17-14 lead and the Vikings held on to a 19-16 lead at intermission.

Both teams took turns taking the lead in the third quarter and Stamford had a 25-21 advantage following two free throws by Kim Mannarino (nine points) with 1:08 left.

D'Alesandro (eight points) scored off an assist from Allie Souza with 56 seconds remaining and Westhill pulled to within two, 25-23, going into the final frame.

"Everyone stepped up and everyone played amazingly," LaFauci said. "It was an awesome team effort and a great victory."

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