Winter Sports Highlights 2.13.17

 

‪Feb. 11: Basketball-First Girls’ 27 vs Berkshire School 50

‪Feb. 8: Basketball-First Boys’ 76 vs Pomfret School 71

 

‪Feb. 8: Basketball-Second Girls’ 25 vs Berkshire School 14

 

‪Feb. 11: Basketball-Second Girls’ 43 vs Canterbury School 29

The team traveled to Canterbury on Feb. 11. Westminster struggled to generate consistent offensive momentum and couldn’t seem to grab many rebounds in the first half, but Canterbury’s offense posed a threat. Ridgely Green '20 and Alayna Tawney '19 each scored eight points for the Martlets in the first half to help the team lead by five at half, 18-13. The second half proved to be much more fluid and successful for the girls. With an excellent press and six different players putting points on the board, the team was able to solidify a lead that Canterbury was not able to overcome. With a final score of 43-29, Green led the team and finished with 17 points. Tawney finished with 14 points for the day and Gabby Nemarich '20 scored her first points as a Martlet with a three-pointer.
 

‪Feb. 8: Basketball-Second Boys’ 35 vs Pomfret School 38

Westminster's bid for a come from behind victory fell short in a close 38-35 game against Pomfret. In the first half, Hayden Fox '19 had six points and pulled down five rebounds, Eli Cohen '19 added four points, and the Martlets only trailed by a 21-19 score at the intermission. Andrew Lee '17 sparked the offense with 12 second half points to keep Westminster in the game. With nine seconds left in the contest, the Griffins had a slim three point advantage. Matt Marciano '19 took a three point shot that bounced in and out of the basket as time ran out, and Pomfret held on for the win. Cohen, Adrian Enchill '17, and Fred Seo '17 played well defensively for the Black and Gold. Riley Larsen '18 had six rebounds.

 

 

‪Feb. 8: Basketball-Third Boys’ 28 vs Loomis Chaffee 37

 

‪Feb. 11: Basketball-Third Boys’ 48 vs Taft School 50

On Feb. 11, despite a slow start, the Martlets were down 3 at half. The Martlets generated great offense led by Henry Mitrano '19 with 17 points and captain Edward Lie-A-Cheong '19 with 15 points. The defense was great all game, as the Martlets pressed very well. With five seconds left on the shot clock, Lukas Dudzik '19 couldn't make the game tying layup to force the game to overtime.

 

 

 

‪Feb. 8: Hockey-First Boys’ 0 vs Hotchkiss School 0

Westminster found its rhythm after three periods in Lakeville on Feb. 8. Although there were no goals scored, the Martlets had the upper hand in chances. Hotchkiss tested Kai Edmonds ‘19 and he was able to stand strong in net, stopping every opportunity the Bearcats had.

 

The Martlets earned an important league win on Feb. 10 by earning a season sweep of Choate and beating them on their home ice. Westminster opened the game with a quick tempo and was able to take advantage of its speed and skill on offense. Ryan Doolin ‘18 scored by beating his defender out of the corner and getting to the front of the cage. John Hunt ‘17 scored later in the second to put the Martlets ahead by two. Choate evened the game heading into the third period, but a goal by Cam Scott ‘18, and another from Jack Flanagan ‘17 closed the deal on the evening. Kai Edmonds ‘19 had a strong game in net, making some keys saves and keeping his team in the game.

 

‪Feb. 11: Hockey-First Boys’ 4 vs Pomfret School 3

Westminster outlasted a physical, scrappy Pomfret team on Feb. 11 at Pomfret. Both teams brought energy and grit from the first puck drop. Kai Edmonds ‘19 had a stellar game in net, stopping many point-blank chances, and standing tall between the pipes. John Hunt ‘17 opened the scoring with a goal in the first period, continuing his excellent play over the last two games. Pomfret was not to be denied, and the team scored two goals in the second period to take a 2-1 lead before PJ Roy ‘17 evened the game for Westminster with his first goal of the season. Tasso Housakos ‘18 scored a goal on the penalty kill off a feed from behind the cage. Pat Dawson ‘18 put Westminster ahead 4-2 in the third period with a laser from the top of the circles. Pomfret would earn one back on a puck that was deflected several times before it landed in the net. Westminster held strong through the end of the game, earning another win heading into the closing weeks of the season.

 

‪Feb. 11: Hockey-Second Girls’ 2 vs Shoreline Sharks 6

 

‪Feb. 8: Hockey-Second Boys’ 1 vs Hotchkiss School 1

Two very accomplished teams with identical records (11-1) faced off at Jackson Rink on Feb. 8, and battled to a 1-1 overtime draw. Neither team found the back of the net in the first period. Westminster's goalie, Alex Gadowski '18, made a fine breakaway save to prevent the visitors from taking the lead. However, the Bearcats scored the first goal in the beginning of the second period when the Martlets were too slow on the back support. With under a minute remaining in the middle frame, the hosts tied the game on a nice move and shot by Walker Stevens '19. Jack Griffith '17 and Max Powers '17 earned assists for that goal. Despite several quality chances in the final period and OT (and fair to say, more good opportunities by Westminster than Hotchkiss), the game ended in a hard-fought 1-1 tie. Both goaltenders had strong performances, each stopping about 18 shots. A shorthanded Westminster defensive corps also had a fine showing. Blueliners Merlin Ennis '17, Peter Hall '18, Tim Harris '17, Stevens and Arthur Renehan '17 all deserve a shout out for playing smart and tough defense all game long. This was a tightly contested JV hockey game. Both teams played very hard and well; unfortunately, no winner was declared following the 50 minutes of play.

 

 

US High School Nationals

US High School Nationals

US High School Nationals

The girls played three very competitive matches at the High School Nationals, finishing winless despite playing well. Seeded 13th-16th in Division III, they played Episcopal High School, one of the top-seeded teams in round one. The final score was 5-2, with the wins coming from Sixth Formers Abby Leblanc ’17 at #1 (7, 5, 4) and Dora Mitchel ’17 in thrilling come-from-behind fashion at #6 ((6), (4), 10, 8, 5). Lucy Noel '18 nearly added a third win, at #7, splitting her first two games before dropping the final two narrowly (12 and 10). Round two against Bryn Mawr was a more closely fought match, even though the score was a more lopsided 6-1. Leblanc got the lone win (7, 4, 7), but three others nearly flipped the team result. Caroline Kelter '19 took her first two games at #5, but could not close out the win against her determined opponent. Noel, again, split the first two games and took the third to 14-12 in her four-game loss. And Mitchel, again, went to five but could not get over the hump, with every game decided by the minimum two-point margin in an agonizing loss. The final match of the weekend was a rematch with Berkshire. Unfortunately, the result would be the same as it was in January – a 4-3 loss that could well have gone the other way. Leblanc remained perfect on the weekend with a 4, 3, 5 win. Noel finally broke through in three, although she had to take two games at 13-11. Kelter also finally got her due, storming back with three straight strong games after dropping her first. Mitchel was in the mix again, but fell in four, with all of her lost games close ones. At #4, Caroline Miller '18 played her best match of the weekend, also going to four against the same player who had beaten her 3-0 in their first meeting. Likewise for Katie Kosior '18 at #3, who took her second game 14-12 and forced extra points in a 12-10 third-game loss.

 

Riley Wood ’19 led off with a 12-10 win in game one, his fourth tie-breaker game in six games. He followed with two tie-breaker losses 10-12 and 12-14 and was unable to recover losing 6-11 in the fourth. It was another close battle that foreshadowed his later match against Loomis Chaffee. At #2 captain Will Leathers ’17 avoided his second five-game match with a 13-11 victory in the fourth against a very steady and tournament tested opponent. Leathers used all four corners and good patience to work every point. Andrew Doucette ’18 followed Leathers with his own 3-1 win in very close games. Doucette's fitness gave him a decisive edge, but his unforced tins kept the match close. Connor Seeley ’18 couldn't find his magic from Friday, but battled and took the third game of his match before succumbing in four. When Sean Ryan ’18 went down 0-2 and Aly Tolba ’18 went up 2-0, it was shaping up to be a 4- 3 match with the deciding point squarely resting on Chanler Miller's ’18 shoulders. But Ryan had other ideas about the match. After twice being the one in 6-1 wins earlier in the week, Ryan was determined to turn things around. He won the third game 11-9 and the team noticed that his opponent was starting to flag. Ryan stepped up the pressure with more volleys and better depth finally winning 11-4 and 11-5. Suddenly, instead of 3-3, the match was already decided 4-2 for the Martlets. Miller would have to wait for a meaningful match. It might have helped his motivation. After winning his first two games, Miller eased up a bit and lost the next to 9-11, 9-11 before righting his ship and winning 11-9 in the fifth. It was on to the semi-finals against rival Loomis Chaffee.

 

Westminster tied for third in Division IV

After two great wins, the Martlets had to face familiar foes Loomis Chaffee in the US High School Nationals Division IV Semi-finals. The match started off with Will Leathers ’17 losing a very close match 0-3. Leathers left too many balls near the T and his opponent put many of them into the nick. Leathers won many points with nicks and good length, but also found the tin a little too often. At #7 Riley Wood ’19 was back in another long battle. He lost the first two games very closely and then won 13-11 in game three, his seventh tie-breaker in 12 games. Not to be outdone, Wood played another tie-breaker in the fifth, unfortunately coming up just short 12-14 after having four match balls. Simultaneously, Andrew Doucette ’18 was battling in a tie-breaker to get to game four. Doucette also lost 12-14 after having a game point at 12-11. Suddenly, what might have been a 2-1 lead was a 0-3 deficit. Good news for Doucette was he called about eight lets and earned eight strokes. Aly Tolba ’18 quickly made that 1-3, hitting nicks and getting everything back his opponent could offer up. Connor Seeley ’18 meanwhile was playing amazing squash again. Seeley took the first game and lost the second and found himself in a tie-breaker in the third. It went to Loomis 10-12, and then Seeley hit the wall and fell in four. Sean Ryan ’18 had to retire from his match with a pulled muscle in his back, leaving Chanler Miller ’18 to play another match without anything on the line. Miller played every game close but only won the third 12-10.

 

 

‪Feb. 10: Squash-Second Girls’ 7 vs Suffield Academy 0

 

‪Feb. 8: Squash-Second Boys’ 5 vs Williston Northampton School 3

  

‪Feb. 8: Swimming/Diving-First Girls’ 101 vs Kingswood-Oxford School 72

 

‪Feb. 8: Swimming/Diving-First Boys’ 67 vs Kingswood-Oxford School 103