Week 7 boys basketball recap: Rockville is on a roll, Riley Fox scores 70 points in two big games
The Rockville boys basketball team won only one of its first six games.
There were a number of reasons for this. Some of the Rams were on the football team, which went to the state championship game, and the basketball season started only a few days later. They also had a tough schedule. And they simply weren’t playing well.
But in January, they started to gel. They beat Granby, to whom the Rams had lost earlier in the season. They had a stretch of winnable games that they won. On Jan. 19, they knocked off defending Division V champion Windsor Locks 76-73.
“The kids started to gain confidence,” Rockville coach Tim Cooper said. “They felt like they could beat a top team in the league.”
Last Tuesday’s game was postponed due to the weather, so they had all week to work on a plan to beat undefeated Ellington. Friday, the Rams (7-6) handed Ellington (11-1) its first loss, 54-48.
“They came out and they played confident,” Cooper said.
Junior twins Tom (12 points, 14 rebounds) and Matt (12 points, 10 rebounds) led the way for Rockville. Junior Amir Knighton, the football star, made four free throws in the last minute to get the win.
“Darek Albert hit two free throws to make it 54-48,” Cooper said. “We were 6 for 6 from the free throw line in the final minute to ice the game which was a pleasant surprise considering how we’ve been shooting free throws this year.”
Top performances of the week
Michael Coggins, Suffield: Coggins had 27 points and hit two free throws with 10 seconds left to give Suffield a 49-47 win over Canton Friday.
Noah Cordone, E.O. Smith: Cordone had 28 points and 13 rebounds in a 75-60 win over South Windsor Friday.
River Eberhardt, Berlin: Eberhardt scored 26 points in a 56-55 win over Bristol Eastern Monday.
Riley Fox, Conard: Fox had 30 points and 21 rebounds in a 62-61 win over Northwest Catholic Tuesday and 40 points, 15 rebounds and six assists in a 78-69 win over Middletown Friday.
Da’mnic Gittens, Cheney Tech: Gittens scored 37 points and had 13 rebounds, eight assists and five steals in a 94-56 victory over Goodwin Tech Thursday.
Troy Johnson, Bacon Academy: Johnson had 20 points, including the last five points of the game and a 3-pointer that put Bacon up for good, in a 59-56 win over Griswold Friday.
Troy Miller, RHAM: Miller scored 31 points in a 70-62 loss to Newington Monday.
Gianni Mirabello, Northwest Catholic: Mirabello scored his 1,000th point in a 94-50 victory over Platt Thursday.
Victor Payne, Cromwell: Payne scored a career-high 42 points in a 76-45 win over Coginchaug Friday and 26 points in a 61-55 victory over Old Saybrook Tuesday.
Anthony Tallarita, Enfield: Tallarita, a freshman, scored a career-high 29 points in a 67-49 win over Berlin Friday.
Storylines of the week
Northwest Catholic had beaten Conard 67-56 on Dec. 22, but Conard gave it right back to the Lions Tuesday afternoon. Behind 30 points from Yale-bound senior Riley Fox, Conard (7-5) upset Northwest, 62-61. Conard knocked the Lions out of the CCC tournament last season 57-55 in the first round.
East Catholic bounced back from its only loss, to Christ the King, at the Hoophall Classic in Springfield to win three straight. The Eagles (12-1) beat RHAM 75-40, then Farmington 58-53 and Platt 77-55 last week.
Games to watch
Windsor Locks (9-2) at Ellington (12-1), Tuesday, 7 p.m.: Last year’s Division V champion Windsor Locks goes up against last year’s Div. IV runner-up in a big NCCC game.
Morgan (11-1) at Cromwell (10-2), Wednesday, 7 p.m.: Morgan beat Cromwell in its season opener, 52-49; Cromwell has won 10 straight.
