Greyhounds learning to finish what they start

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Naugatuck’s Molly Kennedy shoots over Sacred Heart’s Adalena Francis Dec. 13 at Sacred Heart. -REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN

NAUGATUCK — The little things, converting free throws and hitting the put-back in the lane, are what separate teams that win and teams that look to win. They appear to be the easiest conversions in the game but they can be the hardest ones to make, and the key to success on the court comes from learning to finish what you start.

The Naugatuck girls have been on that learning trail early on this season. The Greyhounds dropped the season-opener, 42-23, to Sacred Heart on Dec. 13, before handing new head coach Ron Plasky his first career win in a 39-31 victory over Oxford on Dec. 16.

Even in triumph the lesson was not easy. The Greyhounds built a large lead over the Wolverines and let it slip away before earning the win.

“Getting that first win was nice, no doubt about it,” Plasky said. “It should have been a lot easier than it was but the girls played hard and came through in the end. The girls played a lot more relaxed and with a lot more confidence than they did in the first game against Sacred Heart.

“We limited our turnovers and we did a much better job being patient on offense,” Plasky added. “For the most part the defense played well. We did have some breakdowns in the second half that allowed Oxford to get back in the game. But we did have a lot of positives to take away from the game.”

On Tuesday, the Greyhounds showed how their defense can keep them in games against a Kennedy team that is undefeated to start the year.

Naugy held a 4-2 lead over Kennedy after the first quarter and trailed 12-8 at the half. The Eagles took flight in the second half en route to a 43-16 win.

Molly Kennedy and Bridget Rosikiewicz led Naugy (1-2) with four points each versus Kennedy (3-0).

Plasky said there are some things the team still needs to clean up. Naugy went 14 of 34 from the foul line and missed 10 to 15 layups or put-backs versus Oxford (1-2), Plasky said.

The Greyhounds jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the first quarter and built a 21-9 edge heading into halftime.

“We had the opportunity to put the game away,” Plasky said. “Missed layups and foul shots kept us from pulling away and allowed Oxford to comeback and make it a two-point game.”

The Wolverines battled back and cut Naugatuck’s lead to 25-23 heading into the final eight minutes of the game. Naugatuck answered back and outscored Oxford 14-8 in the final quarter to put the game away.

Naugatuck’s Alyssa Peterson, left, and Alexis Woods, right, battle with Sacred Heart’s Nevaeh Jones for the ball in the Greyhounds’ season-opener Dec. 13 at Sacred Heart. -REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN

“The bottom line is with the game on the line the girls stepped up,” Plasky said. “We made a few big plays and hit some big shots. We were probably 50 percent on our jump shots out on the perimeter. I told the girls imagine how much better we can be once we start finishing our opportunities in the paint. We need to learn how to win these game and it was definitely a step in the right direction.”

The offense was spread around against Oxford. Kennedy led all scorers with 11 points. Mia Rotatori came through with eight points and Alyana Sosa added seven points, including a huge 3-pointer.

Alexis Woods (6 points), Alyssa Peterson (2 points), Rosikiewicz (3 points) and Shannon (2 points) rounded out the scoring.

“We don’t have any superstars but if we do run our offense we can get the ball into the hands of people who are open,” Plasky said. “It all comes down to being able to take advantage of those opportunities. It’s a process and it will be interesting to see how successful we can be once we start finishing those shots inside and knocking down our foul shots.”

Naugatuck will be at Wilby on Thursday and host Waterbury Career on Dec. 27.