On Monday, Feb. 12, the annual girls basketball Senior Night was held at Coginchaug versus North Branford. The seniors who will soon be graduating from the program are Maddie Montz, Kaitlin Gossart, Virginia Benbow, Ashleigh Halligan, Carly Lane and Skyler Sentino. Before the game started, the seniors on the Coginchaug team as well as the North Branford team were recognised. The Lady Devils came in to the game with an overall record of 13-5, while the Thunderbirds came in at 12-7.
The Devils’ starters were Montz, Gossart, Benbow, Halligan and Lane. Montz, Gossart and Halligan have been out all season due to injuries but, with the good sportsmanship from North Branford, were given the opportunity to start the game. Gossart got the first jump ball and passed to Montz who passed it to Halligan, who then scored a layup. North Branford was also given the chance to score a layup to make the score even. After the Thunderbirds scored, the Devils called a time out, and the three injured Lady Devils were applauded as they walked off their home court, as a player, for the last time.
From there, the quarter picked up quickly. Starting off the quarter hot, the Thunderbirds scored a three-pointer to make the score 2-5. Lane didn’t let this discourage her as she fought right back with a layup to bring the score 4-5. The Thunderbirds scored points early on in the quarter, but Benbow came back, with 4:30 left in the quarter, to tie the score at 10-10 with a layup. For the rest of the quarter, North Branford managed to creep ahead of the Devils. The first quarter ended with a score of 14-21.
The Devils started off the second quarter hot, being the first team to score. The Devils and the Thunderbirds were neck and neck for the next few plays, each putting out a strong offense. North Branford scored a three-pointer to break the dry spell. This made the Devils retaliate. With 4:05 on the clock, the Devils scored a three-pointer, making the score 18-24. In the next two minutes, the Devils scored four points to make the score 22-24, just two points behind the Thunderbirds. The half ended with this score.
The third quarter was redemption time for the Devils. With 6:30 left in the quarter, the Devils finally got ahead of the Thunderbirds with a score of 27-24. North Branford made two foul shots to tie the game once again, with a score of 27-27. From here, North Branford took charge for the rest of the quarter. The ending score of the third quarter was 29-36.
The fourth quarter was fought until the end. North Branford kept their intensity by being the first team to score this quarter. With 6:58 left in the game, the score was 30-39. The Devils were hungry for a comeback. Coginchaug junior Jessi King made a foul shot at the line to bring the score to 31-39. Lane then scored a layup bringing the score to 33-39 with 5:22 left in the game. The game still could have been anyone’s at this point. Michaela Grenier, another CRHS junior, made a three-pointer, the Devils then only trailing by three with a score of 36-39. With 4:38 left in the game, the Thunderbirds made a layup, keeping them just ahead of the Devils. The Thunderbirds then made one of their foul shots to bring the score to 36-42. Grenier came through and made both of her foul shots at the line, with 3:56 left in the game, to change the score to 38-42. Benbow also came through by scoring one of her foul shots. The last point made by the Devils was made by King with 1:38 left in the game. From here, North Branford had a strong offense, scoring a lot of points in the last minute and a half. North Branford won the game with a final score of 42-56.
