After they defeated the Cromwell Panthers on the road, the Coginchaug boys basketball team got on a hot streak that resulted in them winning their last five games. If the boys are able to improve their record to 15-5, they can move as high as the No. 3 seed in the Shoreline Conference, and the No. 7 seed in the Class S tournament. Under the right circumstances from other league games, if the right teams win, the boys will be able to move up in the rankings.
Following their first win of this streak on Tuesday Feb. 7th, the boys hosted North Branford on Tuesday, Feb. 14, who they previously edged on the road by a score of 59-55. Both teams were unable to get anything on the board in the first quarter, which resulted in the boys trailing 0-3 after the first quarter. The boys were able to pick things up in the second quarter, leading 13-7 at halftime. The Devils were able to hold onto the lead over North Branford as they defeated them 34-27.
On Friday, Feb. 17, the boys made their way over to Clinton to take on the 4-15 Morgan Huskies. The boys’ hot offense could not be stopped by the Huskies, as the Devils went on to defeat them by a score of 64-49 and improved their road record to 7-2 and 12-5 overall.
The boys next hosted the Haddam-Killingworth Cougars (who had previously decimated the Devils by a score of 67-37 at home) on Saturday, Feb. 18. The boys exploded on the offensive end of the court in the first quarter, draining almost every shot they took, but the Cougars stuck with the Devils, as Coginchaug led 16-12 after the first. The Devils held off star-shooter Alex Segaline of H-K, who was not able to get anything to fall in the first half (field goals or free throws). This resulted in Coginchaug leading 30-21 at the half. Although things seemed lost for H-K, the Cougars did not go down easily. They outscored the Devils 18-10 in the third quarter, as the lead was cut to one, and the boys only led 40-39 heading into the fourth quarter. In the early fourth quarter, the Cougars went up by one, but the lead didn’t last, as Coginchaug fought their way back and won 58-48. Four players (J. Murphy, G. Murphy, Jameson and R. Cross) scored in double figures and combined for 48 of the team’s 58 points. As a result from this game, the boys moved into the top four teams in Shorelines and currently holds onto a home game for their first round of the Shoreline Tournament.
Following this successful win for the Devils, the boys hosted the Valley Regional Warriors on Monday, Feb. 20, for the boys senior night. The boys appeared to be working like a well oiled machine in the first half of the game, raining threes all over the Warriors’ defense, while holding the Warriors to single-digit points in the first and second quarters. As a result, the boys headed into the half leading 34-9. The team built on their lead in the third quarter, and the seniors were able to set aside roughly five minutes in the final quarter to allow the JV team to get a piece of the action and look back at what they’re leaving the team with for the next season. The boys defeated Valley by a score of 63-44 and officially eliminated Valley from the Shoreline and State tournaments.
The boys’ final regular season game will be against Old Saybrook on Wednesday, Feb. 22, and although non-league (has no Shoreline implications), this game is still important for the boys to get one more win to help them improve their standings in Class S.