New Canaan notched two dramatic wins and will play for their second consecutive FCBL championship on Sunday afternoon at Danbury High School.
New Canaan sixth-grade girls basketball has set its sights on a second consecutive FCBL crown, notching two dramatic wins this past weekend to advance to the final. Contributed
New Canaan 27, Norwalk 26
The New Canaan 6th Grade Girls basketball team won its first two FCBL playoff games this weekend. In game one, played Saturday at Chelsea Piers, they held on to beat Norwalk 27-26.
Leading the scoring was Quinn McKiernan with 8 points and Marlee Smith with 7.
Norwalk came out with a three-pointer, but strong defense by Tyler Towers and Brynne Harris helped New Canaan stay close.
McKiernan started the scoring off an inside feed from Chloe Reidy, followed by a steal and fast break by Smith. When inbounding the ball, Norwalk was picked off by Elizabeth St. George, who converted with a layup. Deft ball movement by Cameron Murphy and Olivia West helped New Canaan maximize time of possession, and additional baskets by Emma Gibbens, Julia Bazata, McKiernan and Smith helped New Canaan take the lead by the end of the third quarter.
New Canaan started off the fourth quarter with a bang after Smith converted a three-pointer, and West followed with another basket. However, Norwalk fought back and retook the lead with a flurry of two- and three-point shots. New Canaan re-took the lead for good with a clutch basket in the final minutes by McKiernan.
New Canaan 28, New Fairfield 25
New Canaan also won its second-round game against New Fairfield 28-25 on Sunday morning in Trumbull. Leading the scoring was Elizabeth St. George with 10 points, followed by Emma Gibbens with 5 and Olivia West with 4.
The game was physical and hard-fought from the very beginning. West kicked off the scoring with a free throw, and two plays later she inbounded to Gibbens who made a layup. St. George had several steals that led to layups, and Cameron Murphy’s passing led to baskets by West and Quinn McKiernan, Tyler Towers’ physical presence underneath led to several defensive rebounds, and Brynne Harris’ tight defense helped keep New Fairfield in check.
Both teams ended up in the bonus, and clutch foul shooting by Julia Bazata and Marlee Smith gave the girls a lead into the fourth quarter. However, New Fairfield went on a 10-0 run in the last 8 minutes of the game, and an injury to Gibbens pressured the bench.
Strong defensive pressure by Chloe Reidy and Harris helped New Fairfield from getting any closer than 3 points. New Fairfield had three possessions in the last minute of play, but was unable to counter the defensive duo of West and Towers underneath, and New Canaan held on for the win.