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STAMFORD, Conn. If Trinity Catholic can put its pieces together to play as well as it did in Fridays 47-28 victory over Stamford, theres no telling how far the Crusaders can go this season.
Senior Mackenzie Griffin scored 24 points, but her supporting cast chipped in at opportune times, and the Crusader defense smothered the Black Knights for 32 minutes to improve to 6-3 overall and 5-2 in the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference. Stamford slipped to 6-3 overall and 6-1 in the league.
I told them thats the way we have to play all the time, Trinity Catholic coach Tom Kriz said.
Griffin, a senior center, went 12-for-12 from the foul line and helped get the Crusaders off to a fast start with 11 first-quarter points. Ali Palma added eight points and Kellie Hurd six for Trinity, and both knocked down a pair of three-pointers to help take the scoring load off Griffin.
I think the way other players stepped up and the defense is all positive, Kriz said. Im happy with the way they responded. We challenged them. Plus, its not too hard to challenge them when its a city game.
Trinity led 23-17 at halftime and took control for good in the third quarter. Hurds three-pointer extended the led to 26-17, and the Crusaders stretched it to 31-19 after Siobhan Kirby converted a three-point play with 1:16 left in the quarter. Stamford managed just three points in the third quarter and struggled from the perimeter. Lauren Schapiro finished with 10 for Stamford, while Kelsey Cognetta and Ashyla Cody added six each.
Our shots werent falling and that stopped any momentum we may have had, Stamford coach Todd Parness said. And I think it affected us on the other end of the court as well.
Stamford shot just 11-for-41 from the field, 27 percent, and its inside game was invisible. Stamford also committed 14 turnovers. We were ready for their different defenses, Parness said. But when the shots werent falling, they tightened it up even more. We didnt do a very good job of getting points in the paint.
Stamford had a nice start to its season, but now faces a critical juncture with games against unbeaten Trumbull and Wilton next week. Trinity has tough contests against St. Joseph and Danbury, but is riding a three-game winning streak and seems to be finding itself with a large part of the season still ahead. Theyre stepping into their roles, and thats important, Kriz said
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