Sports blog: Stamford Sports Scene
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By JOE RYAN

Times Correspondent


NEW CANAAN -- Stamford girls basketball coach Curtis Tinnin said putting the Black Knights' loss to New Canaan in the simplest terms possible is easy: When his team shoots only 17 percent from the field, it loses.

That cannot be denied, and in the land of one-and-done postseason basketball, that usually means a short stay at the dance as Stamford found out after being eliminated from the FCIAC playoffs by the Rams 48-28 on Saturday, Feb. 20.

"Once again, our five losses have been because of our shooting. Once again, it's ugly head showed up and we threw the clunkers up," said Tinnin. "So best of luck to New Canaan because they were the better team tonight. They made their shots and we didn't and that was the ballgame."

The shooting problems experienced by the Black Knights were evident as was the play of the Rams up-and-coming sophomore star Sarah Mannelly, who tossed in 20 points. Mannelly's scoring led the way during the second and third quarters when New Canaan turned a 7-4 deficit into a 37-21 lead.

Mannelly was not alone, however, as senior Erin Fessler scored 13 points and pulled down nine rebounds.

New Canaan coach Kim Palmer had praise for the game's two stars.

"She's (Mannelly) a game changer and we're lucky to have her," said Palmer. "And Fessler is a brick under the boards. She took last year off and has worked hard to get back into the starting line-up."

Fourth-seeded New Canaan is now 16-5 and will face the top-ranked St. Joseph Cadets (19-2) in the second game of the semifinals on Wednesday, Feb. 24. Palmer said it was her team's all-around game that made it go tonight.

"You know what, we put everything together tonight. We came ready to play and our defense is what brought our offense to life," said Palmer. "Like I have said all year, when we are defensively prepared to go, then our offense comes."

Fifth-seeded Stamford (15-6) was led by senior Jasmine Jones, who finished with 12 points and eight rebounds.

The Black Knights jumped out to an early lead behind Jones, who scored five points in the first period, and added a layup early in the second period to give them a 9-4 advantage with 7:06 remaining until intermission.

But the Rams began to chip away as Fessler and Mannelly combined for nine straight points, which put New Canaan up 13-9. Stamford's Lauren Schapiro entered the game and cashed in a 3-pointer to get the Black Knights back to within striking distance, at 13-12, but that was the last time they would be that close as a 3-pointer by Mannelly sent the Rams into halftime with an 18-14 lead.

Mannelly was again the catalyst after halftime as she scored 11 points in the third period and led the way as New Canaan built a 35-21 lead.

The Rams senior co-captain Kacey Pippett was everywhere in the third quarter, handing out assists and grabbing three rebounds, while playing solid defense to keep the Stamford guards silent. Jones was again the only weapon for Stamford, scoring five more points and grabbing three rebounds in the quarter.

The final quarter was anti-climatic as Stamford was still immersed in its shooting malaise while New Canaan just stayed disciplined and patient while working the clock down.

Stamford now will have a the rest of the week to find its elusive shooting stroke for the state tournament.

"Once again, you cannot shoot 17 percent from the field and expect to have the confidence to put in the effort on the other end of the floor, knowing that your offense is not there," said Tinnin. "So what are you going to do, not shoot? We're going to go back to practice and see if we can get it going for the (state) tournament."

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