Boys Basketball: East Granby Edged By Putnam 70-68

The East Granby High boys basketball team walked into a tempest Monday evening and almost came away with a victory, falling to No. 15 Putnam in the first round of the state Class S tournament on the road.

"We had an early lead and then had a chance to win it at the end, but lost on a last-second shot by Putnam," East Granby head coach Jeff Moger said. 

Putnam's Dino Porcic and East Granby's Ryan Aeschliman both scored 26 points, in what was Aeschliman's career finale.

Moger said that the game was neck and neck, with neither team going up by more than five points.

"Putnam's gym is 'Hoosier-esque' as it was built in the 1950s and is very tight," Moger said. "Both teams had very vocal support. EGHS had a fan bus that took the 1 1/2 hour drive on a cold Monday night. Tough way to end the season but we played hard and did not ever quit. We had our chances to win."   

While a tough pill to swallow, the loss does not diminish a successful season that saw the Crusaders finish 12-10 on the year and place fifth in the competitive North Central Connecticut Conference.

"One of these days we will win a post season game, but for now we take pride in getting into the post season tourneys," Moger said.  

The season also saw its share of highlights, most notably the thrilling home on January 24. The Crusaders also had the thrill of playing, and defeating, in Springfield, Mass., on Feb. 3.

"We look back on this year with good memories and forward to next year as we return many players with varsity experience," Moger said. "We graduate four players, Ryan Aeschliman, who will play next year at Kean University in NJ, Kyle Bowers, Brian Watterlond and Jared Lowenstein.  They will be missed."

Both of East Granby's starting guards, Aeschliman and Noah Fersch, were recognized as All-NCCC performers this year.

"It's a tribute to their great efforts this year and throughout their careers," Moger said.

Aeschliman finished with over 800 career points, while Fersch was the team leader in scoring, assists, and steals and the second leading rebounder this season. 

Ray Marek led the team in rebounding and was missed the last five games of the season after he broke his hand against East Windsor.