Fairfield Prep Savors Sweet Taste of Victory

After feeling the bitter taste of defeat the past two years, the Fairfield Prep basketball team was able to savor the sweet taste of victory in a thrilling 51-50 victory over No. 2 Westhill in the Class LL championship Saturday at the Mohegan Sun Arena.

The top-seeded Jesuits (25-2) had lost to Hillhouse and Bridgeport Central in the past two state finals.

Fairfield Prep held a 1-point lead and had to hold its collective breath when Westhill’s Vashon Nattael took a 3-pointer at the buzzer that missed.

After that, the Jesuits could finally exhale and celebrate the state championship — the program’s first since 1997 and third overall.

“My heart stopped,” Junior Rich Kelly told Ned Griffen of CIACsports.com of the shot at the buzzer. “I didn’t breathe. It looked good. It was short, then (it was) literally one of the happiest moments of my life.”

Kelly and Tom Nolan both scored 12 points apiece while Patrick Harding had 13 points.

Nolan, who started in the last three Class LL title games, told Joe Morelli of GameTimeCT.com/New Haven Register that the victory felt needed.

“If I didn’t come out with this, my high school career wouldn’t have felt as full,” he said.

Read more at GameTimeCT.com here.