Top-seeded Waterford wears down New London in ECC Div. I semis
Waterford — There was a moment Saturday night during the game-closing 19-3 run that Waterford High School coach Bill Bassett began frantically waving his arms, attempting to excite the already excitable Lancer Nation, the clever student section.
As if the rattle and hum at the "X," otherwise known as the Francis X. Sweeney Fieldhouse, wasn't wild enough. And while the Lancers coughed and wheezed their way for moments of the first half, they finished with an exclamation point, storming to the championship game of the Division I Eastern Connecticut Conference boys' basketball tournament.
Top-seeded Waterford defeated New London 71-56 before 1,570 fans, earning a date with No. 2 Ledyard in the final Wednesday at the X (7:30, live on theday.com).
Story of the game: New London coach Craig Parker didn't make his first substitution until 27.7 seconds remained. It was out of necessity after Major Roman fouled out. New London's fatigue was evident.
"We didn't decide to do that, no," Parker said. "I didn't even realize we hadn't substituted. Fatigue could have been a factor."
New London guard Nick Fleetwood spent the entire game chasing Waterford guard and leading scorer Mikey Buscetto to everywhere but the restroom. By game's end, though, Buscetto had 17 points, 10 assists and plenty of compliments for his teammates.
"My dad always tells me not to lose my composure. Don't get aggravated and just move to get open," Buscetto said. "They got tired. And my teammates hit every shot. We did great underneath rebounding the ball, too."
"We saw them getting tired," Bassett said. "In the first quarter Mikey couldn't breathe. By halftime, he had all day. They couldn't sustain that defense. They worked really hard and got really tired."
Jeff Evans had 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Lancers (19-3), while Walker Sutman had seven points and 12 rebounds. Liam Spellman finished with nine points, 11 rebounds, three assists and three steals.
And then there was Colin Shannon. Gone are his struggles from earlier this season. He scored 17 points, including a pair of dagger threes in the fourth period.
"I'm getting more comfortable," Shannon said. "I didn't play with these guys all summer. I played soccer. I'm getting back into the old swing of things."
Roman had 15 points for the fourth-seeded Whalers (14-7), who led by as many as eight in the third quarter.
"We told the kids this would be won in the trenches," Bassett said. "Major is a fantastic player. We knew we had to rebound. I knew Jeff would. That's what he's known for. But I love it when I see that red head (Sutman) jumping up to get rebounds. Everyone who knows Walker knows he is a fantastic kid. But he's a warrior when he's out there."
m.dimauro@theday.com
2017 ECC AWARD WINNERS / BOYS' BASKETBALL
The following have been selected 2017 Eastern Connecticut Conference boys' basketball all-stars and sportsmanship award winners:
Division I
First team – Steven Fletcher (Ledyard), Dev Ostrowski (East Lyme), Isiah McNair (Ledyard), Jalen Benson (New London), Major Roman (New London), Seth Thomas (NFA).
Honorable mention – Tyler Sebastian (NFA), Jalen Graham (NFA), Edwardo Gonzalez (New London), Luke Leonard (East Lyme), Trevor Hutchins (Ledyard), Ajia Brown (Fitch).
Sportsmanship award – A.J. Genova (Ledyard), Melquann Gomez (New London), Liam McCarthy (East Lyme), Sal Aiello (Fitch), Luis Rivera (NFA).
Division II
First team – Mikey Buscetto (Waterford), Paul Chasse (Bacon Academy), Matt Schmeelk (Stonington), Jeff Evans (Waterford), Nick Short (Woodstock Academy), Cam Collins (Montville).
Honorable mention – R.J. Parrilla (Stonington), Dommoy Ennis (Killingly), Maurice Underwood (Bacon), Jared Gosper (Killingly), Chase Anderson (Killingly), Adam Pinch (Waterford).
Sportsmanship awards – Josh Robichaud (Killingly), Connor Woodworth (Stonington), Zach Sedor (Bacon), Tyler Yeomans (Waterford), Gennaro Davis (Montville), Pat Houlihan (Woodstock).
Division III
First team – Willie Brown (Windham), David Lopez (Lyman Memorial), Eli Malboeuf (Plainfield), Hunter Baillargeon (St. Bernard), Max Gregory (Griswold), Ryan Dussault (Wheeler).
Honorable mention – Hunter Hayman (Lyman Memorial), Bryce Mileski (Griswold), Chris Peasley (Plainfield), Andrew Gonzalez (Windham), Connor Svab (St. Bernard), Marcus Robinson (Plainfield).
Sportsmanship award – Brayden Barbosa-Ramos (Windham), Jarvin Alday (Plainfield), Nate Tedeschi (Griswold), Adam Volack (Wheeler), Logan Lussier (Lyman Memorial), Brian Bergeron (St. Bernard), Michael Falco (Tourtellotte).
Comment threads are monitored for 48 hours after publication and then closed.