On a night in which the temperature outside the Zeoli Fieldhouse was in the single digits, it took a while for the Wilton High girls basketball team to warm up its engines inside the gym.
But once the Warriors got their motor going they cruised to a 58-23 non-conference victory over New Milford on Wednesday evening.
The Warriors opened the game with a 5-0 run but held only a one-point lead, 11-10, at the end of the first quarter. After New Milford scored first in the second quarter to take its only lead of the game, Wilton went ahead to stay its next time down the floor, as Hannah Maatallah hit a short jumper in the paint to make the score 13-12.
That bucket began a 14-3 run that boosted Wilton to a 27-15 halftime lead.
Wilton used a full-court press in the first half to pressure New Milford and force the visitors to turn the ball over several times. On offense, the Warriors were trying to feed Erica Meyer in the post when the opportunity arose. Meyer had 10 points in the first half and finished with a game-high 16 points.
Although Wilton was up by 12 points at halftime, it could have stretched the lead even further had it capitalized more off of the Green Wave’s turnovers.
Wilton put the game away in the third quarter by outscoring New Milford, 18-2, in the period to take a 45-17 cushion into the final eight minutes of the game. Fifteen of New Milford’s 23 points in the game came by way of five three-pointers.
In addition to Meyer’s 16 points, Erin Cunningham added 10 points for Wilton. Christina Holmgren had eight points and Maatallah chipped in with seven points.
The win pushes the Warriors’ record to 6-1 overall and 4-1 in the FCIAC, while the loss dropped New Milford to 2-6 overall.
The Warriors are back in action on Friday night at home against the Trumbull Eagles. Tip-off time is 7 p.m.