Griswold stuns Norwich Free Academy at the buzzer
Maybe it’s time to start calling the Griswold boys basketball team the “Cardiac Kids.”
The Wolverines stunned Norwich Free Academy, 59-58, on a buzzer-beating shot from sophomore Kaiden Kazlauskas in front of a raucous crowd Monday night at Griswold High School.
This was a barnburner for the ages.
Griswold (7-4) had built a 22-point advantage late in the third quarter before NFA stormed back and grabbed a three-point cushion with under a minute remaining.
The Wolverines, however, got some late heroics from senior Sean Garvin, who buried a game-tying three-pointer with only 32 seconds remaining, and Kazlauskas.
“It was a crazy win,” Wolverines senior Kin Kade Rubino said. “We faced a lot of adversity. We just came together as a team and did what we had to do.”
Rubino, along with Carmelo Curtis, Kolby Mills, Garvin, and Kazlauskas rained in one three-pointer after another in the first half. Griswold made seven 3-pointers and took a 31-18 lead at the intermission.
Mills opened the second half with a 3-point bomb, starting a spurt where the Wolverines played like the best team in the Eastern Connecticut Conference. Curtis drained another trey, Kazlauskas added a low post hoop, and when Rubino converted a fastbreak layup off a nifty feed from Mills, Griswold’s advantage ballooned to 41-19.
Griswold still maintained a 46-24 lead with 2:56 left in the third quarter before the Wildcats roared back.
“We’re making plays and everything’s going and I said, ‘This is great,’ ” Wolverines coach Rob Mileski said, “but I think NFA had a run in them and they certainly did.”
The Wildcats (4-6) never panicked. NFA’s aggressive, trapping defense began forcing turnovers and their shots started to fall. Kody Jameison (14 points), Armanee Davis (13 points) and Camren Barboza made some key 3-pointers, while Ethan Graham, who led all scorers with 23 points, continually got to the basket as the Wildcats reeled off a 27-5 run.
Davis capped the spurt with a steal and layup to tie it at 51 midway through the fourth quarter.
“I’m proud of the way they hung on and came back,” NFA coach Jeff Brown said. “That was exciting for us. We didn’t give up. We try to instill that … not to panic. We kept plugging away and stayed positive and it worked. We almost got it all the way back.”
Davis found Graham for a pair of low post hoops that gave NFA a 57-54 lead with 43 seconds left. Garvin (seven points) then buried a three-pointer from the corner, setting the stage for a wild finish.
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After NFA’s Keegan Johnston made one of two free throws for a 58-57 lead with 9.8 seconds left, Mills dribbled into the lane and took a shot that bounced high off the back rim. Kazlauskas grabbed the rebound over a pair of NFA defenders and tossed the ball in at the buzzer.
“I knew if he (Mills) wasn't going to make it I was going to have to get the rebound and put it up and that’s what I did,” Kazlauskas said. “It’s an amazing team win.”
Kazlauskas and Curtis each scored 14 points, while Mills and Rubino each had 12 points.
“It’s a great win,” Mileski said. “NFA’s a good team. They had all the momentum but during our timeouts I said, ‘Hey, we’re still winning.’ We needed to stay poised and that’s easier said than done.”
Big turnaround
Griswold’s thrilling win over NFA was their fifth straight, including three one-point victories (North Haven, Stonington, and NFA).
After an 0-3 start, the Wolverines have won seven of eight and are sitting atop the ECC Division III standings.
“Early in the season we weren’t really playing like a family,” Rubino said following the Wolverines’ 66-59 win against Tourtellotte. “We didn’t have the culture that we needed and I feel like these past five or so games we really brought it together. We’ve been tight like family and I couldn't be more proud of this team.”
Rubino and Garvin are the Wolverines’ only seniors. A year ago the senior laden Wolverines captured the ECC Division II tournament banner and made a magical run to the CIAC Division III semifinals and Rubino was the only returning player this season with significant varsity experience.
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“Our last four or five wins have all been close and Kin Kade has made a key play late in all of them,” Mileski said. “He’s going to make a play when it counts, either a steal, a layup, or an assist. He’s going to do something that is very productive. That’s who he is. He’s tough as nails.”
The Wolverines offense started to roll when Mileski inserted Curtis into the starting lineup. The sharpshooting junior scored 17 points in the win over the Tigers.
Griswold’s balanced attack against Touretellotte also included Rubino (15 points, nine assists), Kazlauskas (13 points, 10 rebounds) and Mills (12 points).
“We’ve got a young team,” Mileski said. “I’m very pleased.”
This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Griswold stuns Norwich Free Academy on Kaiden Kazlauskas buzzer beater
