Enfield Advances to Class M Girls Basketball Quarterfinals

On the scoreboard, it may have seemed like a runaway, but Enfield's second-round game in the Class M girls basketball tournament Thursday was anything but.

After a long ride to the northern border of the state, Stonington quickly fell behind 11-2 to the undefeated and second-seeded Raiders. Rather than folding, however, the Bears clawed back into the game, at one point grabbing a four-point lead before heading into halftime with a 28-27 advantage.

After intermission, the Raiders unleashed a long-range attack, connecting for a quartet of three-point shots in the third quarter en route to a 70-48 victory and a berth in the state quarterfinals.

Danielle Delano, who was injured during the NCCC tournament and sat out the opening round victory over Killingly, did not play in the first half against Stonington. However, she entered the game in the third quarter and showed no shooting rust, draining a trio of three-pointers and adding three more treys in the final period, en route to a team-high 22 points.

Mary Baskerville scored 14 points and blocked numerous Stonington shots in limited playing time, due to early foul trouble. Cat Fonseca scored 13 points and Erica Lovering had an outstanding overall game, scoring timely baskets, grabbing rebounds and blocking shots.

Tatyana LaFrance-Boyce of Stonington led all scorers with 26 points.

Enfield (22-0) will host 10th-seeded Rocky Hill, an upset winner over No. 7 Weaver in overtime Thursday, in the quarterfinals Monday at Fermi High School. Game time is slated for 7 p.m.

Photo credits: Tim Jensen