Trumbull Boys Defeat Ludlowe 46-36 In Critical Game

With the FCIAC boys basketball playoff race a certfiable mess, Trumbull coach Buddy Brey takes a philsophical approach, knowing that he can't control the outcome of other games.

The bottom line for the Eagles on Monday was that they bounced back from a poor effort against Harding to defeat Fairfield Ludlowe 46-36 and stay in the mix for a playoff spot along with what seems like a cast of thousands.

Following the game, the Trumbull assistants were trying to track down the Norwalk-Danbury score (Danbury won 81-75 in overtime).

"We had a couple opportunities during the season, let a couple games get away, didn't play well at Harding (51-46 loss)," Brey said. "But I like the way the kids responded tonight. It's almost like we've been in playoff mode for two weeks,  maybe more. Every night, it's become that important to win because of all the parity in the group after those first four teams."

Travis Fonseca (10) and Mike Yerina (6) combined for all 16 of Trumbull's points in the fourth quarter when the Eagles pulled away to improved to 10-9 overall and 9-8 in the FCIAC. Fonseca, who hit five 3-pointers, finished with 22 points while Yerina added 10.

While Fonseca's outside shooting was a huge factor in Trumbull's win, the Eagles also hurt the Falcons on the boards, resulting in a number of second-chance points.

Monday's loss snapped Ludlowe's five-game winning streak and likely ended their miracle run toward a possible FCIAC playoff spot.

With a win over Darien on Wednesday, the Falcons (8-9, 8-11) will finish at .500 in the FCIAC, which still would be an impressive accomplishment considering where they were at 3-10, but it probably won't be enough to get them into the playoffs.

Justin Berardino scored 12 points and Mark Cerulli added seven to lead Ludlowe.

"I'm glad that we're in the state tournament," Falcons coach Brian Silvestro said. "I really want to win that ninth game Wednesday. We certainly have plenty to play for there and the bonus would have been to somehow have six or seven wins to finish the season.

"I not saying (making the FCIAC playoffs) wasn't meant to be, but we were always on the edge with  all these games."

The first half was played at a deliberate pace with both teams patiently attacking zone defenses. Ludlowe went up 17-16 on Cerulli's 3-pointer with 3:57 left in the first half, but that was the Falcons' last lead. Three-pointers by Ryan McCabe and Fonseca gave Trumbull a 22-18 halftime lead.

The Eagles began to get some separation in the third quarter, scoring three straight baskets on second-chance  opportunities to go ahead 28-19 on Tyler Paolini's follow. Ludlowe, meanwhile, was limited to one shot on virtually every possession.

"We tried to minimize the second shots because they take so much time off the clock that if you give them a second shot, they'll run more clock," Brey said. "Now you're playing defense for a couple minutes - tough on a high school kid. They do a good job with it."

After a free throw by Berardino, Berardino and Patrick Gutierrez hit consecutive 3-pointers to pull the Falcons with 28-26.

Ludlowe then tied it at 30-30 on Gutierrez's follow with 7:07 left in the contest, but Fonseca answered with a critical  3-pointer from the top of the key.

"I can't fault the effort," Silvestro said, "but nothing seemed to go our way, no second-shots for us. I thought we played hard, but not particulary effectively. They got the shots when they needed them. We were laboring to get something good."

Connor Peterson's layup pulled Ludlowe with 37-36 with 2:45 left, but Yerina converted two free throws ans a layup to make it 41-36 with 56 seconds left. Fonseca then hit 5-of-6 from the line as Trumbull ended the game with a 9-0 run.

"I felt like it was an uphill battle the whole way," Silvestro added.  "I never felt like we had any control in the game. I thought that they contolled the tempo. But as I look back on it, I don't see that we gave them anything easy.  Everything was contested. They made shots."

When played ended Monday, Bridgeport Central, Danbury, Fairfield Warde, Greenwich and Trumbull were in a five-way tie at 9-8, meaning there is going to be a lot of scoreboard watching on Wednesday.

In addition to the Danbury win, Warde beat Greenwich while Bridgeport Central lost to Trinity Catholic and Stamford upset Bassick to improve to 10-7.

"We're going to try to knock off Trinity at home on Wednesday," Brey said. "Whatever is meant to be is meant to be. I can't control that. Instead, I can control a good practice tomorrow."