Alfiere, Framski not enough in Hawks loss

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BEACON FALLS — This season has been all about trying to get over the hump for the Woodland girls’ basketball squad. The Hawks have been near the top of the Naugatuck Valley League, but haven’t been able to overcome the league’s best and have suffered a few letdowns along the way. The Black and Gold had another chance to get over that hump last Friday against Holy Cross. But Woodland squandered a halftime lead and double-doubles by both Katie Alfiere and Heather Framski en route to a 58-50 loss to the Crusaders in Beacon Falls. Hanging onto a 30-29 lead at halftime, the Hawks went back and forth with Holy Cross throughout the first 2 ½ minutes of the third quarter before the Green and Gold went on a 7-2 run to open up a 42-36 lead—their largest edge to that point—with 2:55 remaining in the third. Woodland closed the gap to 42-40 with 1:26 left in the period, but Cross responded by outscoring the Hawks, 13-6, from that point until the 3:25 mark of the fourth to seal the win.

Hounds can’t find that elusive first win

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NAUGATUCK — There are no Christmas gifts in the world of sports; if the Naugy boys want a win, they’re going to have to earn it the hard way. The Hounds went 0-3 after a 50-59 loss to Holy Cross Tuesday night at home. Head coach Kevin Wesche has been looking for the silver lining in a rocky start to the season, and that lining could be found Tuesday in a 10-point scoring performance in the second half from varsity newcomer Matt Zahornasky, 12 points overall for Warren Buerkle, and an early second-half offensive explosion.

High school hoops roundup for Dec. 29

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Three of the four local hoops teams were in action Tuesday, after a week-long holiday break. The Naugatuck girls got 29 points from Jessica Webber in her first game since reaching the 1,000-point plateau but fell to Wilby, 58-49. The Woodland ladies remained unbeaten by trouncing Derby, 64-43, and the Hawks boys continued their uncharacteristically hot start to the season with a 58-43 win over the Red Raiders.

Even in defeat, Hawks prove they’re elite

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BEACON FALLS — The word on the street before the Woodland girls’ titanic clash with St. Paul on Tuesday night was that the game probably wouldn’t be close—after all, the Falcons are one of the best squads in the Naugatuck Valley League, suffering their only loss to mighty Torrington early in the season. That word must have been in a different language, because the Hawks didn’t get it. Though the Black and Gold fell, 42-40, in the final seconds of the Brass Division showdown, Woodland proved it belongs in the conversation about the best in the NVL. “No one expected the game to be this close,” Woodland junior Heather Framski said. “We found out that we can compete and have a chance against a really good team, as long as we play to our potential.”

Woodland not enough for Royals, Raiders

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WATERBURY — All season, Woodland couldn’t take down the royalty of the Naugatuck Valley League. Sarah Royals and Torrington made sure that didn’t change in Monday’s NVL tournament semifinal at Kennedy High, as the Red Raiders eliminated the resilient Hawks, 53-49. Woodland couldn’t hold on to a lead that ballooned to as many as six points in the third quarter, as Royals (game-high 21 points) engineered an impressive comeback for top-seeded Torrington.

Woodland boys’ loss sets up win-or-out

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BEACON FALLS — The Hawks’ playoff hopes will be realized or dashed in the final game of the regular season. Woodland (7-12, 6-12 NVL) sustained a 62-61 defeat against St. Paul (10-7, 10-7 NVL) Thursday night, setting up a win-or-out scenario for Tuesday’s senior night contest with Seymour (11-7, 10-7 NVL). The game against the Falcons was tight throughout. The teams were tied, 33-33, at the half, and the Black and Gold led by one, entering the fourth quarter. Yahmad Rountree had a big night for Woodland, scoring 17 points and pulling down 10 rebounds, but St. Paul’s Byron Jones was even better. The senior, who recently committed to play football at UConn, poured in 23 and 15 to lead the visitors.

Rountree leads Woodland romp in Derby

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DERBY — Woodland boys’ basketball head coach Tom Hunt said before the season that junior Yahmad Rountree would make a huge difference when he returned to the lineup. Hunt wasn’t kidding. Rountree, in just his second game of the season, poured in a game- and career-high 28 points in a 72-56 rout of Derby Tuesday night. Twenty-two of Rountree’s 28 points came in the second half, helping the Hawks pull away from the Red Raiders, who stuck around until midway through the third quarter. Derby crept to within three at 30-27 with 5 ½ minutes left in the third, but Woodland put together an 8-0 run, started by an impressive fast-break dunk by Rountree, to gain a 38-27 lead that would never shrink to less than eight the rest of the way.

Moriello breaks Class L 1,000m record

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NEW HAVEN — Rosa Moriello earned her wings Thursday at the Class L indoor track and field championships at the New Haven Athletic Center. The Naugatuck senior broke a six-year-old meet record in the 1,000-meter run, winning in two minutes, 58.94 seconds, a feat that may inspire a little artwork on her feet. “I made a deal with my dad that if I broke the school record, I would ‘earn my wings,’” Moriello said, grinning. “I want to get a tattoo of those [Apollo] wings on my ankles.” “You can always change your mind,” replied an alarmed NHS coach Bill Hanley. “A tattoo is forever. Would you want your middle school haircut forever?”

The Science of Running

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They’re a meet day mainstay, though the faded, burgundy leather boat shoes befit a man who owns a closet full of Bermuda—rather than running—shorts. But to Naugatuck High cross country and track coach Bill Hanley, nautical footwear is as essential as a pair of Nikes. “What I’ll do is when I go to meets, I’ll wear Sperry Topsiders because they don’t have a lot of support,” he explains. “So on Saturdays, as I’m running around the course … I’m strengthening my lower legs.” And all this time I thought it was a fashion statement. I should have known better. See, Hanley, a special education science teacher at NHS, is a man of reason, and there’s a very good reason why he rocks those white-soled, bow-tied beauties.

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