The Ansonia Chargers remain on top of the Brass Division of the NVL at 8 – 1 (10 – 6 overall) as they throttled the Woodland Hawks Tuesday night in Beacon Falls by an 81 – 73 margin.
Ansonia has won nine of its last 11 games, setting up next Tuesday’s rematch with Seymour with the winner taking home the division title.
The Hawks started the season strong and were once on top of the division heap sporting a 4 – 1 ledger. A six game losing streak saw Woodland tumble back to earth, but they have won two of its last four games and need just two more ‘W’s’ to make the state tournament.
That was all the incentive Woodland needed as they came out and forged an 11 – 7 lead with two minutes to play in the opening period. Ansonia head coach Bill LaRovera called a timeout looking to spark his team into action.
Whatever the coach said was heard loud and clear.
The Chargers exploded with a 15 – 0 run in the final minutes of the first period to take a commanding 22 – 11 lead.
Sheldon Clarke (15 points) got it started with a jumper from the corner. Maurice Brown with a game high 18 points and four three-pointers took it to the top of the key and buried it through the cylinder.
After a Clarke turn-around jumper in the lane, Brown threw down another three out on the wing. The Chargers were not through just yet, as :28 seconds remained on the clock. Brown followed up his missed free throw to snatch away the rebound and put it in off the glass.
On the Woodland inbounds, Tarrell Vargas (8 points) stole the pass and laid it in before the horn and the Chargers had silenced the Woodland crowd taking a double-digit lead into the second period.
The worst wasn’t over for the Hawks as the Chargers first three baskets of the second period were from behind the three-point arc. Brown hit back-to-back downtowners and Clarke stepped behind the stripe and let one rip through the net for a head shaking 24 – 0 run in a span of four and half minutes.
It was a 31 – 11 Ansonia lead before Woodland finally got back on the scoreboard when Ryan Genua (13 points) came up with a steal and took it coast-to-coast. From that point on Woodland made a game of it — but the damage was already done.
The Hawks finished the half outscoring Ansonia 19 – 13 but the hole they dug was a little too deep. Woodland went to the locker room at the break with the Chargers out in front by a 44 – 30 margin.
The key to the quick turnaround for the Chargers was Julian Sobin (9 points, 12 rebounds) owning the paint and muscling his way to rebounds. Montrell Dobbs (9 points, six steals) was the defensive general, helping to cause 10 Woodland turnovers in the first period alone.
Keshont Graham (15 points, 7 assists) directed the offensive flow as Reggie Finney and Jake LaRovera came off the bench to add to the Chargers presence under the boards.
So what does a coach tell his team during the break that is clicking on all cylinders?
“We practiced all week on pushing the tempo and using three seconds or less to get past half court to utilize our athleticism,” LaRovera said.
“We wanted to penetrate and then kick it out to the open shooter. It worked and we are a much better shooting team when we are moving it around.”
“But I give Woodland all the credit in the world. They didn’t give up and played tougher defense and got themselves back in this game.”
The Hawks did manage to battle back outscoring Ansonia 43 – 37 in the second half. But they couldn’t match the run and gun quickness of the Chargers who kept pushing the lead back out to double figures.
Bryan Spickle (16 points) wrestled away a rebound for a put-back and Ryan Angeloszek (14 points) knocked in a three to cut the deficit to 48 – 41 with 4:40 left in the third period.
Brown put the dagger in the Hawks nailing a three at the buzzer as the Chargers took a 60 – 50 lead into the final period. The closest Woodland got over the final eight minutes was at 63 – 56 after Shaine Thompson ((14 points) went around a screen and laid it in off the window with 4:23 to go.
Graham and Dobbs threw down five points each down the stretch to maintain the double-digit advantage until Woodland fired in a pair of threes to cut the deficit to an 81 – 73 final margin.