By Dave Stewart
MaxPreps.com
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. - Coach John Pfohl’s Kolbe Cathedral Cougars faced a daunting task when the boys’ basketball season began back in December.
The Cougars were 22-2 a year ago, finishing as the SWC runner-up and with the top record in State Class M, but they also graduated eight seniors in the spring. With only three returning varsity players, Kolbe faced a huge challenge right off the bat with seven road games to open the season.
After an interconference loss to Norwich Free Academy, Kolbe resumed winning games, and when the Cougars finally tipped off in their home opener on Jan. 8 at the Shehan Center, they were owners of a 5-2 record and had sent a clear message to the rest of the SWC.
“I knew graduating a lot that we’d probably struggle a little out of the gate,” said Pfohl, who is in his 15th year as Kolbe’s head coach. “We had our first seven games on the road, which for a young team graduating what we did, was going to be tough for us to deal with.
“Once we got out of the gate at 5-2, I felt like this was a team that really could go some places this season, especially in the tournament down the road.”
At 14-4 overall and 10-1 in SWC, the Cougars are again sitting in their familiar spot atop the SWC standings. Despite a one-point loss to Bunnell last Friday night, Kolbe can secure the top seed in the conference tournament by beating Newtown and Pomperaug this week. Bunnell and Notre Dame-Fairfield are both 9-2 in the SWC and trail the Cougars by a game.
Pfohl gives much of the credit for Kolbe’s early success to his three returning varsity players: junior guard Dominique Langston, senior center Andrae Beckford and senior guard Zenabaay Moore.
“We had three returning players from last year’s team and they all have stepped up their games and really helped the younger players, especially early in the season,” Pfohl said. “Based upon that, the young guys started to develop a little bit more and right now, they’re playing their best basketball of the year.”
Langston, a 6-foot-3 combo guard who can play at the one or two, leads the Cougars in scoring with a 19 points per game average, and in 3-pointers with 29. He even added a new twist to his game when Beckford went down with a concussion against Stratford on Jan. 2 and subsequently missed three weeks.
“During that period, I put (Langston) in the post and Dominique responded with four straight games of double-doubles and an assist short of a triple-double in three of the games,” Pfohl said. “So he’s just a complete player. He doesn’t just score, doesn’t just shoot, he does everything. He’s a tough guard for the other team and he’s just a great all-around player, no question.”
A three-year starter at center, Beckford measures in at 6-5 and is averaging a double-double for the season.
“He’s got good back-to-the-basket moves and shoots the ball well 15 feet and in. He’s a tough kid, a good rebounder and great shot-blocker as far as timing is concerned,” the coach said.
At the two guard is the 6-0 Moore, who played varsity last season as part of Kolbe’s 11-man rotation.
“He’s second on our team in 3-pointers made with 25 and he really defends the other point guard real well — good pressure, good hands and a good passer,” Pfohl said.
A 6-2 senior, D.J. Ellis is “a true power forward for us,” Pfohl said. “He was coming in with not really any varsity experience from last year. He defends the power forward on the other team and leads the team in charges taken with 12 — something we really pride ourselves in.”
The fifth starter is a gem of a player in Ronnie Underwood, a 6-1 sophomore.
“I think he is going to be a superstar when it’s all said and done,” Pfohl said. “He’s second on our team in scoring right now with a little over 14 points a game. He’s kind of a slasher, can run real well and he’s got more of a set-shot 3-pointer right now, but he’s certainly making those enough right now, and he’s a good defender.
“He’s got great upside and I can see him playing at a top Division I program three years from now.”
Adding depth off the bench are 5-11 junior guard Heath Henderson and sophomores Jabare Roach, a 6-4 forward, and Dan Carmichael, a 6-1 guard.
Kolbe lost its bid for a perfect SWC regular season with a 66-65 loss at Bunnell Friday night, but the Cougars bounced back from the defeat the next afternoon and pounded Brookfield, 74-51.
“Anytime we lose, the kids are disappointed because they expect to win every game, which is exactly what I want them to do,” Pfohl said. “I tell the kids all the time, the reason winning feels so good is because losing feels so bad. I want them to feel some pain from a loss because I think it just makes them come back a little hungrier. It makes them focus a little more.
“We play a tough schedule and when you play a tough schedule, you’re going to lose some games along the way," Pfohl added. "But you hope you learn from those losses. That’s a good thing for us and so is the fact that we get to play another day.”
Kolbe Girls Slip Past New Milford in SWC Playoffs
The Kolbe girls’ basketball team got off to a winning start in the SWC tournament quarterfinals, but it wasn’t as easy as expected for the top seed. The Cougars (18-2) squared off against No. 8 New Milford, a team they had routed by 83-44 during the regular season, but this time New Milford (11-8) kept it tight before falling, 55-50. Kamiya Burwell led Kolbe with 14 points, Ashley Prim scored 12, while Ryann Simmons had nine. New Milford received 12 points from Sam Dougherty and 10 from Emma Crowcraft.
Second-seeded Lauralton Hall (20-1) was a big winner over No. 7 Newtown (10-11), 46-25. Bridget O’Donnell led Lauralton with 14 points, and Keylantra Langley scored eight.
Notre Dame-Fairfield, the No. 3 seed, topped No. 6 Bunnell, 36-29. Rosa Bajda scored 15 for the Lancers (18-3), while Taylor Kulhawnik had 10 for Bunnell (11-10).
In the four-five game, Pomperaug (16-5) defeated Joel Barlow (12-9) by a 57-45 score. Katie Cizynski scored 20 and Kasey Dean scored 17 for No. 4 Pomperaug, which led 30-16 at halftime. Barlow’s Jenn Shinnall was the game’s high scorer with 23 points.
The semifinals will be hosted in Stratford by Bunnell, beginning at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 19, with Notre Dame-Fairfield facing Lauralton Hall, and Pomperaug facing Kolbe.
Top Seeds Roll in FCIAC's First Round
The quarterfinals of the FCIAC girls’ basketball tournament held few surprises, as the top four seeds all won by 14 or more points in the quarterfinals last Friday.
Top-seeded Trinity (20-1), which has won 62 consecutive games against league opponents, picked up Coach Tom Kriz’s 401st career victory by soundly defeating the No. 8 Norwalk Bears, 75-54. Da’Shena Stevens led a trio of Trinity Crusaders in double figures, scoring 18 points, while Jeana Trimboli scored 17 and Kristina Paolino scored 13.
It was a rough 24 hours for the Bears (11-10), who qualified for the tournament by beating Danbury, 46-39, the night before. That game was originally scheduled for last Wednesday, which would have given Norwalk a day of rest, but Danbury schools were closed due to a storm and the game was pushed back.
No. 2 seed St. Joseph (16-3) defeated No. 7 seed Danbury (13-8), 53-33, with Christine DellaVecchia netting 12 points and Brittany Capozziello scoring 11.
Third-seeded Westhill (17-4) rolled to a 73-59 win over No. 6 Ridgefield (14-7), with Jess Williams (25 points) and Julie Becker (23) doing most of the damage.
In a battle of Fairfield schools, No. 4 Warde (17-4) defeated No. 5 Ludlowe (15-6), 55-38. Daphne Elliott had the hot hand with 23 points and Sabrina Siciliano added 17. It was Warde’s third win over their town rival this season.
The FCIAC semifinals and finals will be played at Fairfield-Ludlowe High School, with the semifinals beginning at 6 p.m. Tuesday and the championship game at 7:30 p.m. Thursday.
Dave Stewart, the Sports Editor of the New Canaan (Conn.) Advertiser, is a MaxPreps.com writer and photographer. He may be reached at 203-966-9541 or at sports@ncadvertiser.com.
