Although his team led by 23 points at halftime and won by 24, Wilton girls basketball coach Rob Coloney was not satisfied.
“Yeah, we came away with a win, but there are a lot of unanswered questions,” said Coloney following Wilton’s 51-27 victory over visiting Trinity Catholic on Friday night at the Zeoli Field House.“I’m clearly not pleased about the way we played tonight, and if we play like this against other conference teams we’re not going to win.
“The team needs to demand more of itself,” continued Coloney. “The effort they are giving is not the 110 percent level we need to be at. We can’t keep hiding behind the excuse that we’re a young team that lacks experience.”
Friday was Senior Night and Wilton’s six seniors were honored prior to the game. All six were announced in the starting lineup before the game, but co-captain Caraline Higgins — sidelined so far this season due to a concussion sustained while playing soccer for Wilton in the fall — came off the floor prior to the opening tip.
Fellow senior co-captain Karen Brosko got things going for Wilton with a steal and a fast-break basket. Trinity’s Kayla Cheatam came down the floor and hit a three-pointer to give her team a 3-2 lead. But the Warriors took advantage of 11 Trinity turnovers to close the first quarter on a 16-4 run and open an 18-7 lead. Several of the turnovers came as a result of the Wilton press, as the hosts picked off numerous inbounds passes.
Wilton (6-7) outscored Trinity, 15-3, in the second quarter to build a commanding 33-10 advantage at halftime. Trinity again committed double-digit turnovers that led to Wilton points — eight of the 11 Warriors who stepped onto the floor in the first half scored.
Neither team shot well from the field in the second half, and both teams were equally poor from the foul line. Wilton hit nine of 20 free throws and Trinity made six of 19.
“We need to get rid of the nervousness and focus on our game,” said Brosko, who was a starter on last year’s Class LL state championship team.
Brosko led the Warriors with 13 points, while senior Sarah Fitzgerald added eight points and Meghan Downey and Claire Gulbin each had six points. Senior co-captain Taylor Ingerman chipped in with five points, and Emily Tuin and Caroline Sweeny added four points apiece.
Notes: Wilton seniors Christina Holmgren and Hana Previte were also recognized before the game.
Midway through the first quarter, Coloney subbed out the five senior starters. It was a lineup approach that he used in each of the remaining quarters.
The post Coloney not pleased despite Wilton’s lopsided win appeared first on Wilton Bulletin.