Bianka Bell delivered the Shelton High girls basketball team its first victory on Wednesday. The sophomore Bell swished the game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer in Shelton’s 46 – 44 triumph over Norwalk in the consolation game of the Shelton High School Girls Basketball Christmas Tournament.
“Before the play started, I saw the [Norwalk] girl wasn’t going to be in the area,” said Bell. “I knew I had to make the shot and when I took the shot, I knew it was going to go in. It was an amazing feeling.”
Bell (14 points, two three-pointers, five rebounds, two steals, three forced turnovers) felt no pressure when she took the shot and Gaelettes coach Mary Maciulewski also felt good when the ball left her hands.
“I know Bianka is a great shooter and we worked on that play in practice,” said Maciulewski. “No one was near her when she got the ball and I had confidence she was going to make the shot.”
Shelton raised its record to 1 – 6. Norwalk dropped to 1 – 6.
After Lady Bears senior tri-captain Vanessa Harris hit two free throws to give Norwalk a 44 – 43 lead with 9.8 seconds left, the Gaelettes tried to set up for the winning play. After the Bears knocked the ball out of bounds, Shelton junior Molly Hanko inbounded the ball with 2.9 seconds remaining and her perfect pass to Bell set up the game-winner.
“I was looking for an open person and I’m very happy for her and the team,” said Hanko.
In the first quarter, it appeared as if the Gaelettes would have an easy go at it as they jumped out to a 12 – 0 lead with 3:32 to go in the quarter. Hanko (six points, seven rebounds, one assist, one steal, one blocked shot, six forced turnovers) made things happen on defense by forcing Norwalk into making mistakes and scored on a putback off the offensive glass. She also set up classmate Melissa Corraro’s layup.
“I just caught them and went after the ball,” said Hanko.
Corraro (14 points, two three-pointers, four rebounds, three assists, three steals, one forced turnover) swished a trey from senior tri-captain Kelsey Perusse (one point, five rebounds, two assists, one steal, one blocked shot, one forced turnover) and set up senior tri-captain Jen Spicer’s trifecta. Spicer (three points, two rebounds, three forced turnovers, one tieup, one charge drawn), a 5 – 4 guard, had a settling affect on
defense and her teammates fed off of her. She also forced the Lady Bears into critical mistakes and the charge she drew on senior tri-captain Rachel Simpson, a 5 – 10 forward.
Senior tri-captain Erin Chuma was aggressive in going after the ball and made her presence felt inside for Shelton. Chuma (three points, three rebounds, two steals, one blocked shot, four tieups, two forced turnovers) hit a jumper from freshman center Alyssa Eannotti (two points, 10 rebounds, three assists). Eannotti was a force on the glass and on defense.
Shelton led 14 – 4 after one quarter.
However, Corraro and Spicer got into foul trouble and after they both committed their third foul, they were on the bench for the rest of the first half. Moreover, Shelton was missing three important players, junior guard Kelly LaRue, who is a pesky defender and regularly forces turnovers, sophomore forward Kelsey Pendagast, who is a tough inside player and athletic (her brother is football quarterback and boys basketball senior co-captain Ray Pendagast) and freshman Megan Burke, who is a scrappy guard.
We were missing critical players and it made it hard for us,” said Spicer.
This gave Norwalk an opening and through the rebounding and blocked shots of 5 – 11 junior tri-captain Rottisha Lewis (15 points) and 6 – 0 freshman Emma Oyomba (six points), the Lady Bears battled back.
Lewis hit two free throws to cut Norwalk’s deficit to one, 16 – 15 with 5:15 left in the half. After Lady Bear senior Jessica Schmidt’s putback made it 18 – 17, the Gaelettes closed out the half with a 9 – 3 run and led 27 – 20 at the break. Before heading to the bench with three fouls, Corraro ignited the rally with two free throws, a coast-to-coast layup off a steal and a three-pointer off an inbound pass from Bell.
“I just hustled and played with intensity because I wanted to win really bad,” said Corraro. “I know the game well and it brings out the intensity in me.”
Corraro and Spicer were whistled for their fourth fouls early in the third quarter and spent the rest of the frame on the bench. Norwalk took advantage and inched ahead, 31 – 29 on Lewis’ three-point play after scoring off the offensive glass and drawing the foul on the play. Sophomore Zayna Fulton’s (13 points) trifecta increased the Lady Bears’ lead to five, 34 – 29. Lewis and Eannotti exchanged putbacks to end the third quarter with Norwalk ahead, 36 – 31.
Bell hit a layup and two free throws to tie it, 37 – 37, but Norwalk regained the lead on Oyomba’s putback. The Lady Bears took advantage of 27 Gaelette turnovers, 12 in the second half and built their lead to 42 – 39 with 2:36 to go in the game. However, Shelton was also tough on defense and forced 27 turnovers as well, 11 in the second half. Junior Melissa Brouillette and sophomore Brittany Lampert helped the Gaelettes on defense and both grabbed a rebound.
With Norwalk clinging to a 42 – 40 lead, Chuma knocked down a pass and Perusse came up with an important steal. She then got it to Corraro, who set up Bell for her first trey of the night with 52.1 seconds remaining, giving Shelton its first lead since early in the third quarter, 43 – 42.
“I tried not to get into the pressure when I play and when I know I have to do it, I do it,” said Bell. “I knew I had to make it and when you put it in your head you’ll make the shot, you’ll make it.”
Corraro said, “Bianka knows how to get open and set her feet. She didn’t rush her shot.”
Spicer fouled out in the fourth quarter and 49.6 seconds to go, Corraro fouled out. The defense held fort, which set up Bell’s heroics in the end.
“The other girls stepped it up when we were in foul trouble,” said Spicer. “You still have to play your hardest and if you foul out, I knew I had great teammates backing me up.”
Maciulewski said, “Everyone played a key role, whether it was getting a steal or a rebound.”
The Gaelettes didn’t help themselves at the free throw line, going 11 – 27. The Lady Bears (15 – 31) weren’t much better.
Shelton is buoyed by the win.
“It feels great and I feel the team did really well,” said Corraro, who represented the Gaelettes on the All-Tournament team.
Spicer said, “It feels awesome to win and nice to get what we earned. People don’t see how hard we work and it’s nice to see it pay off. It shows we never give up as a team and have character.”
Bell said, “We’re in it to win it. We now believe in ourselves and we’ll go on a winning streak.”
