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FAIRFIELD, Conn. Notre Dame of Fairfields offense sputtered and stalled in the second half Tuesday as Immaculate of Danbury defeated the Lancers, 62-53, in the South-West Conference boys basketball championship game at Weston High School.
Marco DeOliviera scored 19 points and Daniel McCorkle added 17 for the top-seeded Mustangs, 22-1, who won their first league title since 1997. Earl Coleman scored 21 to lead the third-seeded Lancers (18-5), who saw their 13-game win streak snapped. Dan Upchurch added 14.
The defending champion Lancers led by 11 at several points in the first half and were still up, 32-26, at halftime. Immaculate switched to a match-up zone. The Lancers went cold and managed just five field goals in the final 16 minutes.
We didnt play well in the second half, and thats because Immaculate took us out of what we like to do, Notre Dame coach Vin Laczkoski said. Theyre a tough team with their size and their seniors. We didnt get a few breaks. We were getting breaks along the way. Thats unfortunate, but thats how the game goes.
Notre Dame led 46-44 at the end of three quarters. Immaculate scored the first six points of the fourth quarter and was never topped.
The Lancers stayed close until the final minutes. Trailing 52-49, the Lancers had possession but lost it on a jump ball arrow. Immaculate hit its free throws, making 10 of 12 in the final 95 seconds. The Mustangs did not have a field goal in the final five minutes.
We wanted to come out strong and try to get a 20-point lead in the first half, Upchurch said. We were almost there. They kept playing and didnt give up. Give them credit.
Notre Dame came out strong in the first half, taking a 15-4 lead with 3:03 to play in the opening quarter. Upchurch and Coleman combined for 20 first-half points to stake the Lancers to the early lead. Immaculate kept chipping away and finally took its first lead, 40-39, with 3:24 to play in the third quarter. The game stayed tight until the Mustangs pulled away at the foul line late.
All the losses hurt, Laczkoski said. But Ive been around the block a little bit more. This one is on the back burner already for me. Im already thinking about states.
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