Seniors Lead Panthers In Final Home Game

On a night where honored its senior girls basketball players, it was fitting that a pair of seniors sparked a victory in their final game on their home court.

The Panthers took the lead midway through the first quarter and never looked back, pulling away for a 52-22 victory over in NCCC action Thursday.

Briana Matteson led the winners with 19 points, while Kelly Strba chipped in with nine. Emma Golden and Kayla Hersom also played their last home game for the Panthers.

"Our seniors played tonight like we hoped they would all season," East Windsor head coach Bob Lengyel said. "They did a terrific job and represented our program well. It's nice to win the last one and go out with a positive feeling in our season."

Enfield started out strong, leading for the first few minutes before the Panthers embarked on a 7-0 run to assume the lead for good.

A 15-0 stretch over a 5:40 span put East Windsor firmly in control, giving the Panthers a 30-10 advantage at halftime. Matteson scored 10 of her points before intermission.

Both teams struggled in the third quarter, with no points being scored for nearly five minutes. Lengyel and Enfield coach Bruce Hargraves substituted freely in the second half, enabling 15 different players to score during the contest.

Enfield's lone senior, Emily Rund, led the Raiders with six points. Leading scorer Rachel Kaliff was held to just five points, all on free throws.

The depleted Raiders, who were missing six injured players, have not won a game since beating East Windsor on Feb. 1, 2008. "Our five starters went out there and they hustled and played hard, but they just ran out of gas," Hargraves said. "These kids have been tremendous all year long. They know the record, I know the record, yet each and every one of them go out and practice hard. I'm incredibly proud of all these kids: the way that they work, their character and the way they treat one another on a daily basis. You can't ask for more than this."

East Windsor winds up the season with a 6-14 record. Enfield hosts Somers Friday at 5:30 p.m., then finishes up at Ellington Saturday at 7 p.m.