Naugatuck senior Carli Pelliccia knocked in the game-winning jump shot with 11 seconds left to lift the Greyhounds over Sacred Heart 47-45 Tuesday night at Alumni Hall. –FILE PHOTO

WATERBURY — Since her freshman year, Carli Pelliccia has been encouraged by her head coach to shoot more. Pelliccia, now a senior, needed one shot on Tuesday night to make her coaches and teammates smile.

Pelliccia hit the game-winning jump shot with 11 seconds left to lift Naugatuck to a 47-45 win over Sacred Heart at Alumni Hall. The Greyhounds improved to 10-8 overall after holding off a feverish Sacred Heart comeback.

Naugy let a 38-29 lead slip away over the final six and half minutes before finishing off the Hearts in dramatic fashion.

“I’ve been telling Carli to shoot more since her freshman year,” Greyhounds coach Jodie Ruccio said. “When Carli gets set and takes a shot she’s a very good shooter.”

Lauren Piroscafo tallied a team-high 18 points. Amy Dietz provided a key inside performance for the ‘Hounds with 14 points and 11 rebounds and set up the game-winning shot by Pelliccia.

“I got the ball in a spot I like,” Pelliccia said to describe the final moments and her only two points of the game. “I was ready for it.”

Dietz went up against the Hearts’ dynamic post player, Mikyla Jacobs, who had 18 points. Dietz helped limit Jacobs’ impact.

“Amy played great defensively,” said Ruccio, who noted the team’s recent inconsistent offense. “We don’t worry about offensive so much when the defense is there.”

Naugy led for most of the first half thanks to an 8-0 run over the final three minutes of the first quarter. Amber Kuczenski (six points, six boards) hit a layup with 3:07 left before Piroscafo took over.

Piroscafo followed with a bucket on the low block, a steal that led to two made free throws, and a crisp pass to Dietz for a jumper that gave Naugy a 12-8 edge.

Naugy led 24-18 at the half and pushed its lead to nine multiple times in the second half. Piroscafo drained a 3-pointer to give the Greyhounds a 38-29 lead with 6:24 left in the fourth.

It wasn’t enough to knock out the Hearts.

Dionne Parker returned to the Hearts’ lineup following an injury that kept her out of the lineup last week. Parker scored all seven of her points during a 13-5 fourth-quarter run.

Jenna LoRusso capped the run with a 3 from the left arc to cut the Hearts’ deficit to 45-44 with 1:38 left.

Naugy missed two contested layups on the next possession before LoRusso grabbed the rebound and was fouled with 48.8 seconds to play. With the Hearts in the double bonus, LoRusso made one of two free throws to tie the game at 45.

After Pelliccia’s go-ahead basket, Jacobs had two shots around the basket that rimmed out in the final seconds as time expired.
Naugy will close out the regular season with home games against Kennedy on Friday and Wilby on Tuesday. Both games are scheduled to start at 7 p.m.

Woodland's Shannon Meany (10) drives to the basket past Seymour's Cindy Ferrell (24) during their game Tuesday at Seymour High School. –RA ARCHIVE

SEYMOUR — Opponents may be thinking it’s a walk in the park after viewing the Woodland girls record. They may be right if they are referring to being chased through Central Park. Head coach Jess Moffo has the Lady Hawks playing like a team deserving of a post-season appearance.

In spite of a 4-14 record Woodland went into Seymour on senior night to take on a team that needed one more win to qualify for the state tournament and pushed the Wildcats around before running out of steam in the fourth period. Ultimately, Woodland fell to the Wildcats in a hard-fought 42-35 decision.

“It certainly didn’t matter to us what their record was,” Seymour head coach Brian Cleveland said. “This has turned into a good rivalry and Woodland in spite of its record is a very good basketball team. We knew we had our work cut out for us and they proved that with the way they played.”

Woodland’s Alma Rizvani splits a pair of Seymour defenders as she drives to the hoop Tuesday night at Seymour High School. –KEN MORSE

Carolyn Mariotti (12 rebounds, eight points, five assists) established herself in the paint scoring on a baseline drive to give the Hawks a 9-6 lead with 2:38 remaining in the period.

Seymour put together a run led by Christine Cretella (20 points) to take the lead. The Cats’ pressure defense created four turnovers on three steals but it did little to slow down the Hawks.

Woodland was passing the ball around looking for the high percentage shot with four players lending assists. Time was running out in the period when Nicole Fowler split a pair of defenders with a bounce pass on the baseline. Andrea Piccolo (seven points, seven rebounds) threw it in off the window and Woodland took an 11-10 advantage into the second period.

“It was their senior night and they needed one more win to qualify,” Moffo said. “Cretella is a great player and I tried to impress on the girls they we needed to come out and be ready to play.”

Seymour kept at it and got some luck in the second period as they grabbed the lead at the buzzer to end the first half 21-19.

Woodland’s Brianna Pacileo (15) looks for an open teammate Tuesday night against Seymour. –KEN MORSE

The Wildcats caught their second break when Cretella launched a half-court three at the buzzer and it ricocheted off the backboard and through the net to put Seymour out in front.

At the midway point of the third period the Cats’ pressure defense finally got to the Hawks as Woodland turned it over on two straight possessions. The consecutive turnovers paved the way for Seymour to open up a five-point advantage at 30-25.

“We tried to rotate the ball to the weak side in the second half,” Moffo said. “But Seymour turned up the pressure coming up with steals and we turned it over too many times.”

Shannon Meany dropped in a pair of shots from the corner to keep the Woodland within striking distance. Brianna Pacileo dished it off to Rizvani for a rainbow shot at the top of the key and the Hawks were hanging in trailing 34-31 entering the final period.

Woodland’s Nicole Fowler (23) drives the lane Tuesday night against Seymour. –KEN MORSE

Fowler knocked down a shot in the lane with 51 seconds left for only the Hawks’ second basket in the period as Seymour escaped with a 42-35 win.

Woodland will finish up the season with home games on Friday against Derby and next Tuesday versus Ansonia.

Jessica Weber, a member of the 1,000-point club at Naugatuck High School, is a sophomore at Post University. -POST UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

Woodland’s former point guard Lindsay Feducia averages 15.1 minutes per game for St. Joseph College. - ST. JOSEPH COLLEGE ATHLETICS

Lindsay Feducia, a former All-Naugatuck Valley League Brass Division point guard at Woodland, is in her freshman year at St. Joseph College. - ST. JOSEPH COLLEGE ATHLETICS

Former Woodland star Heather Framski is averaging 13.6 points per game for St. Joseph College. - ST. JOSEPH COLLEGE ATHLETICS

Woodland’s all-time leading scorer Heather Framski has started every game for St. Joseph College in her freshman year. - ST. JOSEPH COLLEGE ATHLETICS

Former Woodland star Sam LaCroce is the second-leading scorer and rebounder for Wesleyan University. -WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

Sam LaCroce of Prospect averages 10.5 points per game and 6.9 rebounds per game for Wesleyan University. -WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

Former Woodland basketball player Sam LaCroce is a senior at Wesleyan University. -WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

Anthony Mariano of Naugatuck is averaging 8.8 points per game for the Keene State College Owls. -COURTESY JESSE FERREIRA

Former Woodland star Yahmad Rountree, right, has started 10 games for Becker College as a freshman. -MANZELLO PHOTOGRAPHY

As a freshman, Yahmad Rountree, right, is fifth on the team at Becker College with 8.1 points per game. -MANZELLO PHOTOGRAPHY

Jessica Weber of Naugatuck averages 2.2 points per game and 1.1 assists per game for Post University. -POST UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

Former Naugatuck standout Jessica Weber averages 9.7 minutes per game as a sophomore at Post University. -POST UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

Former Woodland star Heather Framski is averaging 13.6 points per game for St. Joseph College. - ST. JOSEPH COLLEGE ATHLETICS

At least seven former Hawks and Greyhounds are enjoying successful basketball seasons at colleges and universities throughout New England. These players, who were all parts of strong teams at Woodland and Naugatuck, have all seen time on the floor this winter.

Sam LaCroce (Sr., Wesleyan University) is the second-leading scorer and rebounder for the Cardinals, which were 12-6 as of Wednesday. LaCroce, who was the second player in Woodland history to score 1,000 points, averages 10.5 points per game and 6.9 rebounds per game. The 6-foot forward from Prospect has played more than any player on the roster, averaging 29.1 minutes per night.

Anthony Mariano (Jr., Keene State College) is a key part of the Little East Conference-leading Owls, who were 15-4 as of Wednesday. The former Naugatuck star has started all but one game and averages 8.8 points per game, good for fifth on the team. Mariano is second in the team in minutes per game (23.6) and assists per game (2.2), and leads the team in steals (27).

Jen Fredericks (So., Daniel Webster College) has started all but one game for the Eagles, who are third in the New England Collegiate Conference with a 12-6 record as of Wednesday. Fredericks, who was a three-year varsity player at Woodland, averages the third-most minutes per game (30.1) while sitting fifth in assists per game (1.9) and sixth in scoring per game (4.9) and rebounds per game (3.4).

Jessica Webber (So., Post University) has appeared in 15 of 18 games for the Eagles, who have struggled to a 4-14 record as of Wednesday. Webber, who was Naugatuck’s most recent addition to the 1,000-point club, averages 9.7 minutes per game, 2.2 points per game, and 1.1 assists per game.

Yahmad Rountree (Fr., Becker College) has made an immediate impact for the Hawks, who lead the New England Collegiate Conference with a 14-4 record as of Wednesday. Rountree, a 6-foot-6 forward who last season led Woodland to its first postseason win in six years, has started 10 games and is fifth on the team with 8.1 points per game and third with 5.7 rebounds per game. Rountree also earned NECC Rookie of the Week honors on Jan. 23.

Heather Framski (Fr., St. Joseph College) is in the midst of an outstanding first season in West Hartford for the Blue Jays, which are fifth in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference with a 12-6 record as of Wednesday. Framski, who is Woodland’s all-time leading scorer, has started all 18 games and is second on the team in scoring (13.6 ppg) and leads the squad in rebounding (6.4 rpg). The 5-foot-10 forward also leads the team in field-goal percentage at 57.1 percent, which is also good for 14^th in all of Division III. Earlier in January, Framski led the country with a 66.7 shot percentage en route to earning GNAC Rookie of the Week honors.

Lindsay Feducia (Fr., St. Joseph College) has also seen playing time for the Blue Jays and is one of seven players to appear in every game. Feducia, a former All-Naugatuck Valley League Brass Division point guard at Woodland, averages 15.1 minutes per game and 3.2 points per game. She has also averaged 2.0 rebounds per game and 1.7 assists per night.

Former Woodland star Heather Framski is averaging 13.6 points per game for St. Joseph College. - ST. JOSEPH COLLEGE ATHLETICS

WATERBURY — Ryan Angeloszek scored a game-high 26 points, including the go-ahead basket in overtime, to lead Woodland to a 63-55 victory over Kennedy on Tuesday night.

Woodland improved to 7-6 on the season, while Kennedy fell to 5-7.

After racing out to a 16-point lead late in the first half, the Hawks held off the upstart Eagles in a tale of two halves. While Angelosek led the team in scoring, it took multiple big plays from several players to win the game.

It culminated in overtime with Billy Alfiere (16 points, six rebounds), who drew a foul and made one of two free throws 17 seconds into the extra session. On their next possession, the Hawks’ David Uhl scored in transition to give the Hawks a 55-52 lead.

Kennedy’s Gabriel Cabrera hit his third and final 3-pointer of the game to tie it at 55 with 2:24 left. Then Angeloszek provided the difference.

Angeloszek received the ball on the low block, created space, then sped along the baseline to score a bucket, draw a foul and break the deadlock with 2:11 left. He hit the ensuing free throw to give Woodland a lead it wouldn’t relinquish.

“We have a number of players who are willing to step up,” Woodland coach Tom Hunt said.

Woodland needed every boost it could get, especially in the second half when a 16-point lead evaporated and Kennedy grabbed a one-point edge with less than three minutes left in the fourth quarter. David Alves and Tanner Kingsley offered the response for Woodland.

Down 48-47 with 2 ½ minutes left, Alves grabbed an offensive rebound off an Angeloszek miss and scored. On the next possession, Kingsley (11 points, six steals) drained a 3 from the left arc to give Woodland a 52-48 lead with 1:40 remaining.

“David is a very physical player and Tanner hits big shots every game,” Angeloszek said.

Cabrera and Cyrise Davis scored back-to-back baskets for Kennedy to tie the game.

Alfiere missed two free throws with 12.9 seconds left — either would have broken the tie.  Kennedy missed two shots as time expired in regulation to send the game to overtime.

Once back in the huddle prior to overtime, Alfiere didn’t sulk. He showed leadership.

“As a senior captain on this team, Billy never put his head down,” Hunt said. “He got right back into the huddle and said. ‘We’re going to win this.’”

Alfiere put Woodland on the board first in overtime, produced two steals and two rebounds in the extra session and provided the spark the Hawks needed in OT. His efforts helped the Hawks find the same spark they showed in the first half.

Woodland used stingy defense and controlled the glass to dominate the first 16 minutes of the game. Kennedy received few second-chance opportunities and the Hawks used crisp ball movement to set up shots.

In the second quarter, Woodland scored the first 13 points and didn’t allow a basket for the first 4:50. Angeloszek scored the team’s first eight of the quarter in a variety of ways — under the hoop, in the lane and with a mid-range jumper.

Kennedy regained momentum in the third quarter and most of the fourth and wiped out a 14-point halftime deficit.

“We played the defense we wanted to play in the first half,” Hunt said. “We let them adjust and we didn’t adjust with them.”

The Hawks kept their composure and now stand one win away from a program-record third straight state tournament berth. Angelozsek credited the Hawks’ approach.

“We’re showing a lot of chemistry,” Angeloszek said. “We work together as a team.”

The Hawks travel to Wilby this Friday and host St. Paul on Monday.

Naugatuck’s Brandon Kuczenski scores two of his game high 19 points last Friday night in Ansonia. Kuczenski added eight rebounds and three blocks. Naugatuck won 56-35 to pull within one win of heading back to the state tournament. -KEN MORSE

ANSONIA — The Naugatuck boys basketball team is playing with a whole lot of confidence these days, making the ‘Hounds a dangerous team heading down the stretch.

Saddled with a 2-5 record after the first seven games and the prospect of another dismal season, Naugy has turned things around in a hurry.

Last Friday in Ansonia, the Greyhounds raced up and down the court to their fifth straight win, dismantling the Charger, 56-35. The win pushed Naugy’s record to 7-5, one game away from qualifying for the state tournament.

There were signs earlier in the season that this was not the same team as last year’s 3-17 squad. There was a heart-breaking, 61-59 loss to Holy Cross and a cliff-hanging, 69-68 loss to Crosby.

Then Naugatuck earned its signature win of the season when it knocked off the 10-2 Watertown Indians. Along the way, the ‘Hounds have assembled a formidable unit.

Four double-digit scorers spread the damage, led by Mick Pernell (14.4 points per game), Brandon Kuczenski (11.3 ppg), Gabe Pulliam (10.2 ppg) and Husani Foote (10.5 ppg). Senior forward Adam Neveski (4.7 ppg) has recently been strong from 3-point range to give the ‘Hounds a solid starting five on the brink of reaching the state tournament.

“That has been our goal coming into this season: Trying to make the NVL tournament and get back to states,” Kuczenski said. “We have put in a lot of hard work and have renewed our effort on the defensive end. That has led to this turnaround as we are playing as a team.”

Last Friday, it was all Kuczenski in the first period against Ansonia as he scored all 10 of the Greyhounds’ points in the quarter as Naugatuck took a 10-5 lead.

If Ansonia had any notion of getting back in this game, it was quickly laid to rest. Nolan Kinne dove to the floor for loose balls while Zac Mercer scored on the baseline as Naugatuck outscored Ansonia, 9-3, to close the second and stretch a 15-10 advantage into a comfortable 24-13 cushion at the break.

Pernell (16 points, four 3-pointers, four assists) and Gabe Pulliam (12 points, nine assists) went back and forth assaulting the Chargers with long-range shots. Neveski (four assists) steered the action in the low post and Charles McClain (two blocks) manned up on defense as Naugatuck started to pull away in the third period.

Foote added the thunder to the house with a two-handed dunk that brought the Naugatuck fans in attendance to their feet, putting the ‘Hounds safely out in front 41-25 entering the final period.

“We are playing team defense now and we have guys coming in to help out,” Foote said. “It’s not any one player. It’s the whole team and the results are showing up on the scoreboard.”

Pulliam started the fourth period with a rainbow 3-pointer from way downtown. Kuczenski (19 points, eight rebounds, three blocks) put the finishing touches on his team-leading effort with a turnaround jumper in the lane with 6:07 to play to open up a 48-28 advantage.

Coach Mike Wilson went to the bench and brought on Nate Franklin, Jason Bradley, Bryan Coney and Ryne Griesenauer to finish off the Chargers.

Naugatuck squandered its first chance to qualify for the state tournament on Tuesday with a 62-49 loss at St. Paul. The Greyhounds will have another chance to earn their eighth victory on Friday night at home against Derby.

Steph Lima scored a game-high 15 points while Amy Dietz added 14 points, Amber Kuczenski grabbed 10 rebounds, and Lauren Piroscafo made nine steals as the Greyhounds rolled past the Hawks, 53-34, to move one step closer to a state tournament berth.

Naugy (7-5) dominated from the opening tip, going on an 11-0 run to start the contest. The Greyhounds’ full-court press stifled Woodland, allowing the Hawks to pass mid-court only a handful of times in the first five minutes of the game.

In fact, the ‘Hounds tallied 11 of their 25 steals in the first quarter. Piroscafo, Lima, Dietz, Emma Colucci, Kuczenski, and Ang Piccirillo all scored in the period, after which Naugy led, 14-6.

“That’s been our focus since the first couple of games,” Naugatuck coach Jodie Ruccio said of the team’s pressure defense. “We changed our lineup to go to a pressing team. We substituted a few girls who are better defensively and we’ve been a lot better since.”

Woodland (3-8) made an 11-5 run spanning about six minutes from the end of the first to the start of the second, but only Carli Mariotti (11 points) and Andrea Piccolo (14 points) were able to score. Naugatuck turned on the defensive intensity once again and closed the half on a 10-0 run to take a 26-11 halftime lead.

“I think all of our scoring came in the paint tonight,” Woodland interim coach Jess Moffo said. “We really don’t have a point guard, so we don’t have anyone to distribute the ball to the wings.”

Only Piccolo, Mariotti, and Shannon Meany (seven points) scored field goals in the game as the Hawks struggled to find an offensive rhythm.

“Shannon is really a forward but she’s been stepping up to fill in as the point guard,” Moffo said. “She’s trying her best out there and is stepping up as a senior captain, but that’s not her natural position.”

Naugatuck took advantage of Woodland’s backcourt inexperience and continued to make steals as the Hawks tried to press up the floor. Piroscafo, who finished with an uncharacteristically low four points, totaled nine steals and two blocks in her defensive effort.

“Lauren is definitely underestimated as a defender,” Ruccio said. “She’s one of our best conditioned girls so she stays strong throughout the game. She can steal the ball and go down and score, so that’s even better.”

While Piroscafo paced the Greyhounds’ defense, Lima continued her recent resurgence on offense. She scored seven of her 15 points in the third quarter, all coming during a personal 7-0 run that gave Naugy its biggest lead of the night at 37-13.

“She left last year thinking she was going to be our point guard,” Ruccio said of Lima. “But she came back this year and realized she was going to be a forward. I think she’s our toughest player to guard because she can step outside and shoot or drive inside.”

Woodland outscored Naugatuck, 13-10, in the fourth quarter, including an 8-0 run on consecutive layups by Mariotti and Piccolo, but it was too late for the Hawks.

“I don’t care if we’re down one or 100,” Moffo said. “I keep telling these girls not to give up and they haven’t yet. The effort is there, we’re just making mental mistakes. As long as we don’t give up in a game, I’ve done my job.”

Woodland was set to host Holy Cross on Wednesday before visiting Sacred Heart on Friday and hosting Kennedy on Tuesday.

For Naugatuck, its next win will clinch a state tournament bid for the first time since 2010. The ‘Hounds were scheduled to visit Watertown on Wednesday before returning home for games against Ansonia on Friday and St. Paul on Tuesday.

“I’m feeling really good about our team,” Ruccio said. “I still don’t think we’ve played our best game yet. When we can get all of our girls going at the same time, I think we’re going to be a real tough team to beat.”

Naugatuck’s Husani Foote hit a shot at the buzzer to give the Greyhounds a 52-50 win over Woodland Friday night. –FILE PHOTO

BEACON FALLS — Little did the Naugatuck boys know that a comfortable 14-point lead against Woodland in the fourth quarter would require late-game heroics to pull out a win.

Woodland staged a dramatic comeback in the final seven minutes, only to be upstaged by Husani Foote’s catch-and-shoot basket at the buzzer to give the Greyhounds a heart-pounding, 52-50 victory last Friday night. The result put both teams at 5-5 overall.

Naugy’s Mick Pernell and Woodland’s Ryan Angeloszek led all scorers with 18 each.

“It’s a typical NVL game,” Naugy coach Mike Wilson said. “It’s always going to be a war.”

Foote’s game-winning bucket capped a wild fourth quarter. Naugy ran out to a 14-point lead after Foote sent home a fast-break dunk with 7:02 remaining in the game.

The Hawks chipped away from there. After struggling most of the game from long range, Woodland found its stroke.

“The assistant coaches said that we needed to start facing up and shooting with some confidence, and I don’t think we had that confidence in the first half,” Woodland coach Tom Hunt said.

Billy Alfiere (12 points) and Angeloszek drained back-to-back 3s to cut the deficit to eight with 4:30 left. Tanner Kingsley’s (10 points) layup and Alfiere’s putback trimmed the Greyhounds’ lead to four with 2:10 remaining.

The last two minutes was pulsating basketball before an energized crowd. Woodland’s David Uhl’s open 3-point attempt circled the rim and missed with 1:24 left. The teams traded turnovers on the next two possessions.

Woodland, now forced to foul, put Gabe Pulliam at the line. He smoothly hit both attempts of a one-and-one, and increased Naugy’s lead to 50-44 with 44.3 seconds left.

Angeloszek made things more interesting and banked in a 3-pointer over the stretched arm of Foote with 29.9 seconds left to make the score 50-47.

Pulliam missed the front end of a one-and-one and gave Woodland one more possession to tie. Angeloszek hit another 3 to tie the game with 13 seconds left, bringing the crowd to its feet.

“I tip my cap to Woodland,” Wilson said. “They fought the whole way through and gave themselves a chance.”

On the ensuing possession, the ball was knocked out of bounds under the Naugy hoop with one second left. The Greyhounds had time for one more shot.

Foote broke into the paint, caught a pass from Adam Neveski and buried a shot from 10 feet out to give Naugy the win.

“Down 14 in the last quarter to come all the way back,” Hunt said. “I wouldn’t trade these guys for anything. There’s not a team in this league that has more heart and believes what’s on the front of their jerseys.”

The Greyhounds doubled a 27-21 halftime lead to a 12 thanks in part to Foote, who scored all 11 of his points in the second half. Brandon Kuczenski (12 points) beat the clock at the end of the third quarter to give Naugy a 43-31 edge.

Naugatuck took the lead in the second quarter with four 3-pointers by Pernell. He hit six 3s in the game.

“Mick has been hot the last couple of games and he’s really understanding that he’s probably the best shooter in the league if he’s one-two with his feet and his strokes,” Wilson said.

The lead built on Pernell’s hot shooting wasn’t enough. Woodland refused to quit, but the ‘Hounds were able to hold on.

“Yeah, we let a 14-point lead slip away,” Wilson said. “But in the same breath, we responded and, like I told the boys, a win is a win. This is beautiful for us because we haven’t won a tight one like this in a while. Every time we’re in a tight game it feels like we’re on the other end.”

After a meeting with Watertown on tonight, Naugy will visit Ansonia on Friday night before traveling to St. Paul on Tuesday. For Woodland, it was set to visit Holy Cross on Wednesday before hosting Sacred Heart on Friday and visiting Kennedy on Tuesday.

Moffo is filling in for Gail Cheney, who is taking the season off after the birth of her first child.  But don’t be fooled; Moffo is not a stranger to the sidelines.

After five years as an assistant at Wolcott with Rick Laferriere, Moffo has spent the last five at Woodland. That experience has served her well, especially her time with Cheney.

“The transition to head coach has been easy for me,” Moffo said. “Gail gave me a lot a leeway and let me run some practices.”

On Tuesday night, Moffo paced the sidelines, shouted out plays and worked to inspire her players like a seasoned coach. After the 63-39 loss to the Red Raiders, her postgame comments to the team had an encouraging tone.

Woodland trailed, 38-15, at the half. But outscored Torrington, 15-13, in the third as the Hawks never quit.

“I couldn’t have been more proud of them,” Moffo said of her team.

Moffo has also appreciated her players, who have understood her situation. She inherited a young team that lost most of its experienced players from last season, including the program’s leading scorer, Heather Framski, and All-NVL Brass guard Lindsay Feducia, who both play at St. Joseph College in West Hartford.

“The kids have made it easy for me,” Moffo said. “I never have to yell and there’s no drama to deal with because we have good kids.”

So, what’s been the biggest difference going from assistant to decision-maker?

“The varsity game is a lot faster than the JV game,” Moffo said. “The pace of the game is quicker.”

Ironically, Moffo’s first game at the helm took place at home against Wolcott and Laferriere.  Despite the 48-25 loss, Woodland trailed by only four at the half against the Eagles, who are 9-2 and lead the Brass Division.

“It was definitely nerve-racking to play him,” said Moffo, a 2001 Wolcott grad. “But we played competitively.”

At 3-7, the Hawks still have hopes of earning a state tournament berth, which the team has achieved in each year of its varsity existence. The loss to Torrington on Tuesday night didn’t dampen Woodland’s spirits.

Moffo made it clear to the team that there’s still half a season left and lot that can still be accomplished.

“The players have shown tremendous effort and we’re gaining experience,” Moffo said.

Woodland's David Uhl dives to save the ball as Torrington's Jan Carlos Cruz rushes in during the Hawks’ 57-48 win Tuesday night in Beacon Falls. RA ARCHIVE

BEACON FALLS — Tuesday night’s game against Torrington provided a different sort of challenge for Woodland. The Hawks either played from behind or were locked in a neck-and-neck battle in each of their first eight games this season.

But Woodland held a 16-point lead over Torrington after the third quarter in Beacon Falls. Naturally, the fourth quarter couldn’t be too easy.

Despite a brief Red Raiders comeback, the Hawks remained ahead the entire away and finally pulled away with a 57-48 victory.

Torrington started the fourth quarter with a 10-0 run — three buckets coming off turnovers — to cut Woodland’s lead to 46-40 with 4:05 to play. But Tanner Kingsley, who scored a game-high 28 points, was 7-of-8 from the free throw line over the final four chippy minutes to help the Hawks (5-4) break their two-game losing streak.

“We’ve been learning how to play at the finish line and do special things at the end, but this was the first time we’ve had to play from the front with a double-digit lead,” Woodland coach Tom Hunt said. “Some guys weren’t sure if we were supposed to be running clock or taking shots. We were trying to get great looks instead of the good looks we were getting through the first three quarters.”

The first four minutes of the fourth quarter were just as bad for Woodland as were the first four minutes of the game, in which Torrington went on an 8-0 run to take an 8-2 lead. That prompted a rare early timeout by Hunt.

“They needed to be challenged,” Hunt said. “We work real hard in practice, but I don’t think they were doing themselves justice in the first few minutes. We asked them to back up their talk in practice, and they came out and showed how hard they work.”

Woodland's Ryan Angeloszek drives to the basket Tuesday night during the Hawks’ 57-48 win over Torrington in Beacon Falls. RA ARCHIVE

The timeout worked. Woodland outscored Torrington, 10-5, through the rest of the first quarter to pull within 13-12, then had a 17-7 advantage in the second quarter to take a 29-20 halftime lead. The Hawks started the third period on a 10-1 run to take their largest lead at 39-21.

Overall, it was a 37-13 run in which Hunt saw strong teamwork, ball movement, and shot selection.

“We have some real nice chemistry going right now,” Hunt said. “Ryan Angeloszek is doing a great job of finding Tanner when he’s open, and Tanner’s doing a great job finding Ryan when he’s open. Ryan had a nice cut at one point and Tanner gave him a great pass that met him right at the spot.”

Angeloszek scored 11 points and was the only player besides Kingsley to score in double figures. But many players contributed in their own ways. Dave Uhl scored seven points and was persistent in the defensive backcourt. Billy Alfiere, Dan Giacomazzi, Dave Alves, and Kirk Chamenko combined for only 11 points, but each played well in the paint.

“Billy’s shot might have been a little off, but he really went to the boards hard,” Hunt said of Alfiere, who had 10 rebounds. “When you can contribute in other ways than shooting, that’s important. The team is coming together and the coaching staff is developing a great rotation that is suiting the team. We’re really able to keep the guys fresh.”

Woodland continues its Copper Division stretch with a key game against Naugatuck on Friday night in Beacon Falls. The Hawks then travel to Holy Cross on Wednesday. With five wins, Woodland is just three victories away from making another state tournament.

“The first goal we set at the beginning of the season was to get eight wins,” Hunt said. “We have to get the next three wins as quickly as possible and then we can go from there.”

TORRINGTON — The Hawks fell behind the Red Raiders early and never caught up.

Torrington sprinted to an 11-0 lead in the first 2 ½ minutes en route to a 63-39 victory over the Woodland girls on Tuesday night. Leaving the Hawks at 3-7 overall at the season’s halfway point.

“Things came apart in the blink of an eye,” Woodland interim head coach Jess Moffo said.

Carli Mariotti and Nicole Fowler led the Hawks with 10 points each.

After picking up its third win of the season last Friday with a 51-42 win over Crosby, the Hawks’ positive momentum did not carry over to the first half Tuesday. Turnovers troubled Woodland all night.

“We have to protect the ball,” Moffo said. “A lot of it comes down to confidence, confidence, confidence.”

The Hawks have shown promise in spurts throughout the year, but ran into one of the best teams in NVL on the road. The Red Raiders used a full-court press, took advantage of their size and executed on offense.

At the half, Torrington had more than doubled Woodland on the scoreboard as the Hawks trailed 38-15.

Ali Otis scored a game-high 18 points for Torrington, and produced the team’s first four points in the paint. Once the inside game was established, the Raiders stretched Woodland’s defense with a 3-pointer from Nicole Kozlak.

Caycee Williams, several inches taller than Woodland’s post players, followed with four straight to extend Torrington’s run to 11-0. Fowler broke the run with the Hawks’ first bucket, but the Raiders kept coming.

Torrington’s press stifled Woodland’s young backcourt and led to seven first-quarter turnovers.  Otis capitalized on a turnover and scored inside to restore the lead to 11 and force a Woodland timeout with 4:41 left in the first.

The Torrington lead grew to 21-4 before a putback by Andrea Piccolo (seven points) and a Fowler layup started to chip away at the Raiders’ momentum.

Despite a 23-point deficit at the half, the Hawks refused to quit and outscored Torrington, 15-13, in the third quarter. Woodland responded to a pep talk at the half.

Fowler and Mariotti scored all of the Hawks’ points in the third. Mariotti became more aggressive in the second half and earned six free throws — and hit two to cap a notable, 7-0 run in the quarter.

“Our girls came out fired up after halftime,” Moffo said. “I couldn’t have been more proud of them. That’s what I told them after the game.”

Up next, the Hawks travel to Naugatuck on Friday for a 7 p.m. tipoff. Woodland will then continue its Copper Division stretch of the schedule when it hosts Holy Cross on Wednesday.