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FactSet's men's basketball team has been striving for five years to win the Norwalk Industrial League championship. It got that title Wednesday night, and GE Capital made sure FactSet earned it.
The league's regular season champions hung on in a 49-44 victory at Ben Franklin School. Goran Skoko scored 14 points while Drake Bushnell and Calab Engelhan added 11 apiece for FactSet. Peter Skogg and Ryan Fowler scored 10 for GE, while Karon Edwards added nine.
"Losing last year [to Norwalk Hospital] was a ton of motivation for us,'' said Skoko, who played basketball at Fordham University. "We've been close for a number of years and finally getting it done is great. It's fun to play in a league like this, and we beat a good team tonight."
FactSet went 8-1 during the regular season, while GE went 4-5. If GE was a decided underdog, however, it sure didn't play like it.
FactSet led 45-38 after a three-pointer by Bushnell with 5:21 left. GE got to 45-42 with 3:37 left, and it was still a one possession game in the final minute. After two free throws by Engelhan gave FactSet a 47-42 lead with 15.2 seconds left, GE's Pat Schoenagel scored with nine seconds left. Engelhan missed the front end of a one-and-one with 1.5 seconds left, and Skoko scored on a putback as time expired.
"We were preparing for a tough game,'' Skoko said. "It's a different game when it's in the playoffs."
FactSet's Josh Geddy dislocated his knee early in the third quarter, and emergency personnel whisked him off on a stretcher. "Absolutely, we wanted to win it for him,'' Skoko said. "He's a strong defensive player for us. When he left, he said, 'Go out and win it.'"
FactSet's roster for Wednesday's game included Ed Tonella, Engelhan, Geddy, Skoko, Evan Penalba, Donnell Young, Alex Booth and Bushnell. The league is sponsored by Norwalk Recreation and Parks.
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