The Coginchaug boys basketball team traveled to East Hampton on Tuesday, Feb. 28 to battle the Bell Ringers for the Semifinals of the Shoreline basketball tournament. The Bell Ringers previously beat the Devils by a score of 66-33, so the boys knew prior to this game that they had their work cut out for them.
After a few stagnant minutes in the first quarter, the boys (specifically the Murphy brothers), got the offense going for the Devils. The Devils shortly trailed 6-8 in the first quarter before sinking all their shots and ending the quarter leading 16-8. In the second quarter, the boys tallied their lead up to ten points, but due to several long-range shots by East Hampton, the lead was cut to two. Thanks to Jameson, the boys went up 28-23 with a last-second three that left all fans speechless.

Entering the second half of the game, the Bell Ringers began attacking more on the offensive end, which resulted in the teams being tied at 34 in the later minutes of the third period. There were few lead changes in the final minutes of the third, but the Devils came out trailing 36-38 heading into the fourth quarter. The Bell Ringers continued their dominance, and took advantage of turnovers by the Devils, allowing them to extend their lead to 7 with under three minutes remaining. The Devils were not going down easily, though, as they quickly cut the lead to two with 45 seconds remaining. The Devils had a chance to tie the game but could not get the equalizer, causing them to foul the Bell Ringers. A last-second three by Jameson cut the lead to four, but their was not enough time to capitalize on this momentum, and the Devils fell 46-50.
Looking on the horizon, the Devils prepare for the Class S State Tournament, having locked down the No. 9 seed in their class. They will host the No. 24 ranked East Windsor on Tuesday, March 7; the last time these two teams played was in the Class S State Semifinals of 2016. This game was very close, but it was the Devils who were sent to the state finals after a 46-43 win over the Panthers.