5th Grade Girls Basketball Team Bests Stamford

Game against Stamford at St Luke’s, Jan 28, 2012

Tip off was at 5:15 Saturday evening and New Canaan took first possession.  Both teams started out controlling the ball and rebounding opposing shots well, but neither team scored for the first three minutes of play.  Then with 5 minutes left in the first period, Stamford scored the first basket from just inside the key to take the lead 2-0.  Two minutes later, New Canaan number 32 Abby Carstensen scored the first New Canaan basket with 3:10 left to play in the first period.  Both teams battled back and forth with multiple shots that would not drop.  Then New Canaan number 13, KK Marcus scored from the top of the key with 4 seconds left in the period.  First period ended with New Canaan in the lead 4-2.

Second period play matched the first, with both teams working the ball well but shots were not resulting in points on the board.  No score for the first 2:30 of the 2nd half, when New Canaan fouled number 8 on the Stamford team who went to the free throw line for two shots.  She missed them both and play continued without either team scoring until the end of the second period.  With 4 seconds remaining, New Canaan number 10, Olivia Cosco, hit a long jump shot from outside the key.  The second period ended with New Canaan maintaining the lead 6-2.

At 2:30 into the third period, Stamford scored again, narrowing the lead to 6-4.  On the next Stamford possession, number 3 hit a long jump shot to tie the score at 6-6.  Time out New Canaan!  Two minutes later, Stamford number 9 hit a side jump shot from outside the key to take the lead for the first time in the game.  Stamford 8 – New Canaan 6 with 3:30 left to play in the third period.  A minute later, New Canaan number 11, Lauren Bisceglia, was fouled under the net and made the second of two free throws, cutting Stamford’s lead to just one point.  The score was Stamford 8 – New Canaan 7.  With 15 seconds left in the third period, New Canaan number 11, Lauren Bisceglia, hit a short jump shot inside the key to put New Canaan ahead 9-8 as the period ended.

The first 6 minutes of play in the fourth quarter passed without either team scoring a basket.  With 1:35 left to play, Stamford number 55 scored to take the lead, Stamford 10 – New Canaan 9.  As the clock passed one minute left in the game, New Canaan number 32, Abby Carstensen, scored on an inbound ball, putting New Canaan back in the lead, 11-10 with 54 seconds to go.  Two possession changes and two sets of free throw attempts passed without a change in the score.  With 8 seconds remaining, New Canaan number 11, Lauren Bisceglia, was fouled and sent to the free throw line for two shots.  She made the second of two, advancing New Canaan’s lead to 12-10.  Game ended as the clock ran out on the final Stamford possession, New Canaan 12 – Stamford 10.