Buzzer-beater reenergizes Hawks

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BEACON FALLS — The Woodland girls basketball team got the spark it was looking for last week against Seymour.

With the game tied at 49, Morina Bojka hit the game-winner with 0.3 seconds left to lead the Hawks to a much-needed 51-49 win over Seymour Jan. 27.

The Hawks (11-6) have been tested in recent weeks and the win slowed down the avalanche of games that have gotten away from Woodland against some of the top teams in the league.

“It was good to get back that energy,” Woodland head coach Jess Moffo said. “It was like the win we had against Kennedy. The gym was loud and the girls showed up to play with an intensity level that we need to be successful.”

Bojka led the Hawks with 25 points and four steals against Seymour (9-7). Cameron Caswell added 10 points, while Maddie Hupprich scored eight points. Carla Piccolo and Haley Andrews had four points each. Piccolo also pulled down 10 rebounds.

“We just kept plugging away,” Moffo said. “And that’s what we need to do. We have been in every game we’ve played this year, outside of the Holy Cross and Watertown game. We need to play from the opening tip off until the final buzzer.”

The Hawks played with that intensity for the better part of three quarters against Crosby (12-4) last Friday. The Hawks took a 27-24 lead into the final quarter but got outscored 13-6 down the stretch and fell, 37-33.

Caswell scored 11 points to lead the Hawks. Piccolo and Bojka contributed nine points each with Hupprich adding four points.

“We were playing away and Crosby is a tough physical team,” Moffo said. “We got into foul trouble but what hurt us the most was we didn’t convert our opportunities in the paint and we had turnovers at crucial times down the stretch.”

The Hawks picked up win number 11 Tuesday with a 42-29 victory over Torrington (8-8) in a rematch of the season-opener that the Raiders won.

Bojka led the way with 19 points, followed by Hupprich with seven points.

Woodland will visit Naugatuck on Friday. Woodland will conclude the regular season next week against Watertown on Tuesday and Wolcott on Thursday.