Derby Loses A Heartbreaker

It all came crashing down in the final eight minutes.

The Derby Red Raiders had the lead for most of Monday night’s Class S state playoff game, keeping the crowd in tiny Putnam High School Gymnasium relatively quiet.

But the final quarter saw the Putnam Clippers assert themselves in the paint to take the lead in the final two minutes and hold on for a 41 – 39 victory.

Putnam senior Katelyn Tarr scored eight of her game-high 20 points in the final period, working hard in the paint to hit shots or draw fouls to send her to the line. 

Tarr’s two free throws with nearly two minutes remaining gave the Clippers a 2‑point lead. 

Derby senior Mary Hyde tied the score on the Raiders’ next possession. 

Tarr, however, would not be denied on the Clippers’ next chance, hitting the game-winning shot with about 20 seconds left. 

Derby missed its final two tries to tie the game. 

The Red Raiders had one more chance with 0.7 seconds left, but Tarr blocked Jordyn DiMartino’s last attempt, sparking an on-court celebration with the Eastern Connecticut Conference team and its fans.

Derby managed to lead by as much as 11 in the contest, relying on junior Jenna Cripps (10 points) and Hyde, who scored 15 of her team-high 17 points in the first half. Hyde was limited after picking up her third and fourth fouls of the game in the second half.

Derby entered the fourth quarter with a 34 – 26 advantage, but Putnam chipped away largely on the strength of Tarr on offense and forcing Derby to take tough shots, allowing the Clippers to outscore the Raiders 15 – 5 in crunch time.

Putnam Head Coach Willie Bousquet said his team changed to a man-to-man defense in the second half to keep Hyde from taking easy shots. Bousquet said his team played like ​“a desperate team” in the fourth quarter.

“If we didn’t change our tactics in regards to how we defended, I think she [Hyde] would have kept chewing us up like she did in the first half,” Bousquet said. ​“Getting her with the ball in her hands away from the basket allowed us a chance to get back in the game. I think that was critical for us.”

Derby Head Coach David Chevarella said his team seemed to lose its composure and patience down the stretch, missing easy lay-ups that allowed the Clippers to get back in the game. They also had difficulties with Tarr in the low box.

“We knew we had to stop her [Tarr] and in some moments, we did a nice job and in other times we seemed to forget about her,” Chevarella said.

Chevarella said his Raiders also were affected by the crowd. Though only about 350 people came to the game, it was noticeably loud in its intimate confines and only got noisier as the Clippers crept closer and eventually took the lead.

“It was a hostile environment down there, they made a run and we weren’t able to respond to it,” he said.

Derby finishes its season at 10 – 12.

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