By Dave Stewart
MaxPreps.com
FAIRFIELD, Conn. - Take a quick look inside the Fairfield-Ludlowe gymnasium and the first thing that stands out about the Falcons’ girls’ basketball team is the size of its front line — namely, senior tri-captain Sara Kinsley and junior Jill Baranger. The two low-post players give Ludlowe close to 18 points and 20 rebounds per game, and each is, in the words of coach P.J. Wax, “a phenomenal presence” on the basketball court.
Kinsley and Baranger alone could make any team a contender, even in the rough-and-tumble FCIAC, but there’s more to this season’s Ludlowe team than just those two. The Falcons have rolled to 12-2 overall and 11-1 conference records and they’ve done it with a stifling defense, a deep roster and an ability to stand tall in the face of adversity.
“We have two big posts that are a phenomenal presence, but our M.O. is if one girl has a bad game, there are two other girls who can step in and pick them up,” Wax said Friday, after the Falcons picked up a 53-38 home win over Ridgefield in a key divisional contest. “We have six seniors, Kinsley, (Meghan) Mahder and (Catherine) Howard are our senior captains, and they’re just playing great basketball right now.
“This is only our fourth year as a varsity program (since Fairfield split into two public schools) and my third year as the head coach, so I’ve been with these girls since the beginning, since the foundation was laid. They just work hard every practice and every game.”
The starting five features Kinsley and Baranger, Howard at forward, Mahder at guard, and junior Mookie Gomola running the show from the point. The Armstrong sisters, junior Rachael and freshman Emily, along with senior Stephanie Glenn provide extra lift from the bench, and seniors Erin Power and Kelly MacLean are can also give the team a boost when needed.
That’s 10 deep, and it’s somewhat of a surprise for a team that graduated four players from last year’s 15-8 squad, including two who are playing in college: Taylor Lenci at Kenyon and Annie O’Donnell at Dickinson.
“Last year, we lost a lot of girls and none of us had really played together before,” Kinsley said. “We came into the season and we didn’t know what to expect. But we worked really hard and we’ve all been working really well together on the court. That’s one thing we have this year: A lot of team chemistry on the court. We move the ball so well, that’s one of our strongest things, and we’re really good on defense.”
Wax’s three years at Ludlowe have been like steps up a ladder. In his first season, the Falcons were seventh in the FCIAC and 15th in state Class M; last season they moved up to fifth and 10th, respectively, and this season they currently hold the second seed in the conference and are ranked fifth in Class L.
They’ve held opponents to a little more than 34 points per game, and only one team has scored more than 45 — top-ranked Trinity Catholic during a 55-47 win over the Falcons on January 18. That game was a pivotal point for Ludlowe, which also lost to the Crusaders by six points in the 10th game of the season last winter. Following the latter defeat, the Falcons went on a mini-slide with losses to Staples and Ridgefield. They bounced back after that, but the downturn cost them the FCIAC’s Central Division title and higher seeds during the postseason.
This season, the Falcons came back strong after the loss to Trinity, beating Staples by 37-26 before their victory over Ridgefield on Friday. They’re just about a lock for their first division championship, with a three-game edge on the Tigers. More importantly, the Falcons found out a lot about their fortitude and maturity.
“That (Trinity game) was a really hard loss for us — we worked really hard for that game and we just tried and keep ourselves up after that loss,” Kinsley said. “Last year, we lost to Trinity and then lost three games. We learned the hard way that you can’t stay in the past and we played better after the loss this year. And we’re looking forward to see them again.
“This year, they learned from it,” Wax said. “It’s OK to lose a big game. It’s OK to leave everything on the floor. You’re still the same team, you’re still a good team, you have to come back and prove it the next game. You can’t slack off and feel bad for yourselves. These girls learned from last year’s loss. It’s going to happen — good teams lose big games and good teams bounce back.”
Baranger has been averaging 10.2 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, with Kinsley notching 7.6 points and a team-best 11 rebounds per game. The pair are a terror under the basket, as Baranger has 67 blocks (4.7 per game) and Kinsley has 33 blocks. Rachael Armstrong has been averaging 7.2 points and five rebounds per game and has 12 blocks, while Mahder leads the team with 77 assists and 21 steals.
Against Ridgefield on Friday, Kinsley had nine points, 13 rebounds and seven blocks; Baranger had 13 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks, and Mahder had 12 points on four 3-pointers, seven assists and four steals. Jamie Bertilson and Alexa Darling led the Tigers (11-4 overall, 7-4 FCIAC), with 12 points apiece. Ludlowe had an 11-point lead in the first half and the Tigers got as close as four in the second half before the Falcons pulled away for the 15-point victory.
“We set short-term goals along the way and tonight was another one,” Wax said. “We had to get over the hump against Ridgefield, especially since it’s not only a league game but a division game for us. Last year, we came up one game shy of winning the division so tonight was a big one for us.”
“Ridgefield is a great team — they hustle really hard all the time,” Kinsley said. “We knew this wasn’t going to be easy, we just went out hard and when they came back, we kept ourselves in it and didn’t let down. We haven’t beaten Ridgefield in two years and last year they took us out of the FCIAC tournament. So this one feels really good.”
The Falcons’ win all but locks up a top three seed in the conference tournament, although they still have difficult games remaining with St. Joseph (10-4 overall, 10-2 FCIAC), Fairfield-Warde (10-4, 8-4) and Westhill (10-4, 8-4), all on the road. A finish in the top three is key for any team in the conference, as it means avoiding Trinity Catholic (14-1, 13-0) until the championship final.
In the meantime, the Falcons will focus on the next few weeks, including a Feb. 8 showdown with crosstown rival Fairfield-Warde, which beat Ludlowe in a non-conference game, 42-34, during Ludlowe’s Christmas holiday tournament. The rematch should be an emotional one, but the Falcons have shown a knack for bouncing back. Wax credited not only this year’s players, but the four seniors who graduated last season, as the keys to that perseverance.
“They’re really the foundation of this program,” the coach said. “They played three years of varsity basketball since they were sophomores. The foundation that they laid is what these seniors are building on. What last year’s seniors taught this year’s seniors is really coming through — stepping up in the big games, working hard in practice, and a no-quit attitude.”
Around the FCIAC: Danko Wins No. 250; Trinity Continues to Roll
Fairfield-Warde coach Dave Danko hit a milestone when the Mustangs defeated Bassick, 53-32, on Jan. 15, as Danko notched his 250th career victory. Danko is in his 14th season of coaching, first with Fairfield High and then with Warde when the town’s one high school split into two public schools. He is now 253-79, with three FCIAC championships and two state runner-up finishes.
Trinity Catholic continued to roll this past week, picking up two more road wins, including a 51-35 victory over the Stamford Black Knights, a win which gave the Crusaders an eighth consecutive Stamford city title. Senior tri-captain Da’Shena Stevens, the second leading scorer in Stamford girls’ basketball history, racked up 31 points in the victory.
Despite that loss, Stamford (9-5 overall, 7-5 FCIAC) came out of a tough week in good shape as it knocked off St. Joseph by 51-32 on Friday. Senior Aiysia Jones led the Knights with 16 points, junior Lauren Beluk had 14 and junior Fiona O’Dwyer had 13. Brittany Capozziello scored 13 for the Cadets, who fell to third place in the playoff race behind Trinity and Ludlowe.
Ridgefield is currently the fourth seed with a 9-4 conference mark, with Westhill and Warde on its heels. Westhill would get the nod in a tiebreaker against Warde based on its 44-40 win on Jan. 4. Stamford and Norwalk are tied for seventh place.
Dave Stewart, the Sports Editor of the New Canaan (Conn.) Advertiser, is a MaxPreps writer and photographer. He may be reached at 203-966-9541 or at sports@ncadvertiser.com
