Local roundup: No. 3 New London girls roll past Waterford
New London — Tai Pagan scored 19 points with eight rebounds, five blocked shots and seven assists as No. 3 New London beat Waterford 85-37 in a girls' basketball game on Friday night.
Freshman Joniyah Bland-Fitzpatrick scored a game-high 26 points with six steals, Xaryia Melendez scored 10 points and Jayden Burns had five steals for the Whalers (2-0), who outscored Waterford 28-6 in the second quarter to take a 42-20 halftime lead.
Amy Pinch led Waterford (0-2) with 10 points.
In other games:
• Kellie Nudd scored 23 points, including five 3-pointers, as Bacon Academy defeated East Lyme 52-49. Cassidy LaSaracina went 6-for-6 from the line, including two with 12.2 seconds for the Bobcats' final margin of victory as East Lyme missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer. Megan Bauman scored 14 points to lead the Vikings in their season opener while Katie Durkee added 13, including three 3-pointers. Bacon is 2-0.
• St. Bernard overcame an early 8-0 deficit to defeat Killingly 45-39. Carly Potts led the Saints (1-1), who led 15-13 after the first quarter and never trailed again, with 15 points while Sophia Boras added 12 points and Amber Caldwell finished with 12 rebounds.
• Montville jumped out to a 12-4 lead after one quarter and went on to beat Fitch 38-27. Lauren Velazquez had 14 points and Maya Hillman scored 11 for Montville (2-0). Alyssa Virtue led Fitch (0-2) with 13 points.
Boys' basketball
• Bowen Baker and Ian Spracklin had big games as Wheeler opened its season with a 49-35 non-conference win over Ellis Tech. Baker finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds, seven steals and four assists for the Lions while Spracklin finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Men's basketball
• Thorlea School of Canada pulled away in the second half to defeat St. Thomas More 71-50 in the Basketball Hoopfest Invitational in Springfield, Mass. The Chancellors (8-7) trailed by only a point, 33-32, at the break, but were outscored 38-18 in the second half. Joel Soriano had 12 points and six rebounds for T-More while Wayne Bristol Jr. added nine points.
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