Rams Girls Basketball Falls to Foran in Tournament Play

In a classic basketball ending, the game was won on the final buzzer.

Sadly for New Canaan, it was Foran High School's Jasmine Rodriguez who took a defensive rebound, charged down court, and put up two points for the 39-37 win as the game clock hit zero.

The Rams (4-2)  hosted the Foran Lions (2-4) Tuesday night at New Canaan High School in the first round of the 16^th annual LaVista Tournament.

While the Rams showed flashes of brilliance, their game was marked by inconsistency and sluggish play compared to recent outings.  On the other side, it was clear that Foran came ready to play, and its high energy paid dividends.

The Rams' Sarah Mannelly continued her dominance on the court, showing good ball movement and toughness inside.  She led New Canaan's scoring with 10 points.

"Mannelly is one of the best point guards I've seen this year," Foran's head coach Scott Nails said.

However, every time the Rams put up points, the Lions answered back.  After the first quarter the Rams held an 8-7 edge, and by the half Foran was up 18-16.

"We didn't come to play today," New Canaan head coach Kim Palmer.  "Our shots were off, we were missing easy buckets, we were flat defensively and offensively."

The score continued to see saw in the third quarter as the Rams put up 12 points compared to 13 for the Lions.

With four minutes left in the game, New Canaan found itself in a 37-30 hole.  But at that point, in perhaps their most inspired stretch of the game, New Canaan rallied.

Mannelly and co-captains Melissa Tweed and Christina Loop each bucketed deuces, and Loop added a free throw to tie the game at 37-37  with 1:21 remaining.  When Foran's Rodriguez missed two free throws it seemed the tide had turned in New Canaan's favor.

With 15.3 second left on the clock, the Rams raced down the court but failed to put up any points.  The Lions grabbed the rebound, and the rest is history.

"We just weren't feeling it," Loop said. "This year our team is not solely based on a few players, everyone's effort is going to count, so we have to come together, unify, and play as one team."   

Nails said that beating New Canaan was a big boost for his team.

 "It's good for our overall team confidence, but I give credit to them, they came back, and I thought they were going to win it.  But sometimes it is better to be lucky than be good."

Loop tallied seven points in the game, and Hannah Femia and Tweed added eight points apiece.

Taylor Jagoe led the Lions' scoring with 12.

The Rams will be back in action on Wednesday when they play in the consolation game of the La Vista Tournament.