WILTON, Conn. In just a few seconds, a game that should have been remembered for a stunning comeback for the Wilton High girls basketball team became one marred by critical mental lapses. Wilton erased a 12-point deficit to Weston with 5:24 to play, only to turn the ball over on its final four possessions and hand the win to the Trojans, 57-53.
We just havent been consistent yet this year. Weve tried all different tactics, but nothing has really worked yet, Wilton head coach Jaclyn Woitkowski said. When teams come to scout us I laugh because theyre not going to see the same Wilton team two times in a row. I wish they would save their time and enjoy their Friday nights.
Maddy Fulton led the Warrior comeback with 10 of her 22 points coming in the fourth quarter. She drained a pair of free throws with 1:55 to play to knot the game at 53-53.
Just when it seemed like momentum was in Wiltons favor, the Warriors suddenly could not hold onto the ball. Casey Pearsall had an uncharacteristically rough night, scoring just four points and turning the ball over at two crucial points.
Weston beat Wiltons full-court press as Ellie Martin found Anna Mahony wide open down the court. Mahony calmly sank the layup to put Weston up by two.
After an errant shot put the ball back in Westons hands, a wild final eight seconds sealed Wiltons fate. Pearsall seemed to save the game with a pair of dives, knocking the ball out of bounds on consecutive Weston inbounds attempts.
In the chaos of the frenzied inbounds attempts, Westons Morgan Moubayed stepped on the out-of-bounds line and turned the ball back over to Wilton. With a chance to tie, Fulton passed inbounds to Pearsall, but the normally razor sharp junior stepped in the backcourt. The ball turned back over to Weston again and the Trojans sealed the victory.
Theyre human and it happens. Its unfortunate it happened with just a few seconds left, but I cant get upset about that, Woitkowski said. But we cant focus on just a few plays when clearly one girl beat us in the first three quarters.
That one girl was Westons Martin, who led all scorers with 23 points. Mahony dominated on defense for the Trojans, keeping Pearsall and Kelly Brosko to a combined seven points.
Alyssa Malvarossa netted 18 points, second to Fulton. The Warriors were once again without freshman center Erica Meyer, who is sidelined with a concussion.
Wilton (3-2) returns to action on Jan. 3 when the Warriors travel to Ridgefield for a 7 p.m. game.
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