Despite Strong First Half, Pomperaug Succumbs to Lauralton Hall

On Tuesday night the Pomperaug Panthers girl's varsity basketball team took to the court to take on Lauralton Hall.  Pomperaug entered the game with a 2-0 record, but struggled against Milford and ultimatedly lost 47-41.

Tuesday's game drew quite the crowd; by the time the 7:00 p.m. tip-off rolled around, the bleachers in the Pomperaug High School gymnasium were completely full, and the crowd was energized.

The cheerleaders chanted "Defense!," and in the first quarter, that's exactly what the crowd got: neither team could score consistently, and the both teams' defense system held their opponents like an iron curtain. 

Tuesday's game had an incredibly intense feel to it. The crowd was loud and energetic, and Lauralton played with a full-court defense from the start. There were a number of turnovers on both ends in the first quarter, which can easily be attributed to the pressure that both defenses maintained efficiently.

With a few seconds remaining in the first quarter, Morgan Metcalf for Pomperaug hit a three pointer from the top of the key, and the quarter ended with Lauralton trailing Pomperaug 11-6.

In the second quarter Pomperaug found some holes in Lauralton's steel defense and took advantage of them. The Panthers came out strong in the second quarter. Thirty seconds into the quarter Gabrielle Holness floated past the defense and laid the ball in the hoop, getting fouled in the process. After knocking down the free throw, Pomperaug got the ball back just a few seconds later, and Metcalf hit her second three pointer of the night, this time from the right corner. With Pomperaug now leading 17-8, Lauralton called a timeout.

Unfortunately for Lauralton, the timeout didn't hault any of Pomperaug's momentum, and Haili Welton dropped a three pointer through the net, and before Lauralton knew what hit them, the score was 20-8.

If anybody in the crowd wasn't convinced that Pomperaug dominated the second quarter of Tuesday's game, Pomperaug's play with two minutes left changed their minds. Allie Wallace blocked a Lauralton shot, passed it to Holness who put a spin move on Lauralton's defense, and took it in strong for a lay up, bringing Pomperaug's lead to 12 points.

Lauralton led a bit of a comeback with a minute left with a layup-steal-lay up combination, but after a stellar assist from Kate Nadler Pomperaug scored again, and the teams left the court for halftime with Pomperaug in the lead by a score of 24-14.

No one except for Lauralton's team knows what kind of pep-talk their coach gave them in the locker room during halftime, but whatever it was, it worked: Lauralton came out for the third quarter with a newfound sense of aggression, drive and energy, and essentially took over the game.

In the third quarter Lauralton went on a 17-6 run, scoring and defending with a prowess that wasn't present in the first half. This did not please the Pomperaug crowd, and the spectators became hostile, shouting insults at the referees after a call against Pomperaug. The momentum entirely shifted in Lauralton's favor, and the fourth quarter started with Pomperaug trailing Lauralton 31-30.

The fourth quarter was scoreless for the first two minutes, until Pomperaug laid the ball in after a long possession. In the fourth and final eight-minute quarter of the game there was a significant level of intensity both in the bleachers and on the court; the players were giving the game their all and the crowd was vocal and loud in its opinions.

The game was a gridlock in the fourth quarter. Lauralton stretched their lead to seven with a minute left, but Holness made a falling-down layup and was fouled.  Holness made the foul shot that followed, making the score 42-38 with Lauralton in the lead.

The game ended with Lauralton winning 47-41, and Lauralton sealed their win by making both free throws after a Pomperaug foul with 16 seconds left.

Pomperaug will try to improve their record to 3-1 on Thursday against Notre Dame-Fairfield at 6 p.m. on Pomperaug's home court.