Trumbull Girls Basketball Visits Ridgefield In FCIAC showdown

First place in the FCIAC will be on the line Friday night when the girls basketball team visits Ridgefield in an eagerly anticipated clash.

The winner of Friday's showdown, which could be a preview of the FCIAC championship game, will have the inside track for the top seed in the league playoffs, which begin in less than three weeks.

Trumbull (13-0, 14-1) remains the only team undefeated in conference play. The lone loss this season for the Eagles came against Masuk in the championship game of the Panthers' holiday tournament. 

Weekly storms have played havoc with the schedule, causing games to be postponed and the Eagles to miss practice time.

Trumbull's scheduled contest against Staples on Thursday was postponed for the third consecutive day because the high school was closed for a roof inspection.

The Eagles certainly run the risk of being rusty against Ridgefield as they have not played since beating McMahon a week ago.

“I’ve only seen my team twice in practice in a two-week span,” Eagles coach Steve Tobitsch said.

Ridgefield (12-1, 12-3) pulled within one-half game of Trumbull after defeating Fairfield Warde 40-33 on Thursday. While the Eagles will be in action for the first time in a week, the Tigers will be playing on back-to-back nights. 

Ridgefield had been keeping pace with the Eagles until last Friday, when they were beaten at New Canaan 67-61 for their first FCIAC defeat.

Trumbull and Ridgefield like to play man-to-man defense and boast depth at the guard position.

“We want to win the battle on the boards,” Tobitsch said. “We want to stop them in transition and be able to push the ball up court."

Trumbull will be led by senior guard and captain Kelly Coughlin, but the Eagles will need a total team effort."

“We all need to make sure we work together in this one,” Tobitsch said. “This is going to be a tough one, especially being on the road, so it’s not going to be one individual, it’s definitely going to be five girls playing as one.”

Of course, Tobitsch doesn't want to put any added pressure on his team, knowing this is still just a regular-season game and the first of three possible meetings between the teams.

“I tell my girls the same thing every time - it’s one game, a game out of 20," Tobitsch said. "There are no trophies being handed out."

"It’s definitely a good test, a lot riding on it - first place is riding on it, a little bit of bragging rights, get a little bit more confidence , especially being on the road - but in the end, when it’s all said and done, it’s still only one game,” he said.

However, the Eagles certainly have made a dramatic improvement this season after entering the FCIAC tournament last year as the no. 8 seed.