The first round of the NVL girls basketball tournament took place Saturday at Holy Cross High School, and Wolcott had the biggest win.
The seventh-seeded Eagles took down second-seeded St. Paul 49-39 behind a monster 31 point-performance from Raven Cody. Sam Hickey added eight points for Wolcott, which jumped out to an 11-4 lead after one quarter. After an even second quarter, the Eagles claimed a 14-7 advantage in the third quarter to push the lead to 14 points.
Jade Udoh had nine points and Lindsey O’Bright added eight for the Falcons, who have been snake-bit by injuries. Emma Cretella was the latest to go down for St. Paul.
Fourth-seeded Sacred Heart erupted for a 71-49 victory over fifth-seeded Seymour. Treasure Coleman led the Hearts with 20 points, but she had plenty of help from her teammates. Hayley Tucker scored 14 points, Mikayla Mobley added 12, Aamya Rivera chipped in 11 and Jenna Madigan tallied seven. The Hearts used a monster second quarter (19-4) to take the game over. Seymour did outscore Sacred Heart by 10 in the third quarter, but a 21-7 fourth quarter by the Hearts again extended the lead.
Top-seeded host Holy Cross kept eighth-seeded WCA at bay and took a 53-37 victory. The Crusaders led 25-16 at the half, then extended the lead in the second half. Meah Austin had 21 points, Aiyana Ward tallied 10 and Ja’Lin Waters added eight. There was also five points apiece from Julia Mecca and Allie Brown.
No. 6 Crosby couldn’t catch up with a red-hot No. 3 Naugatuck and lost 50-38. Tiahna Pulliam had 16 points and Gloria Vergeli added 10 for the Bulldogs. Erica Soares and Shyan Perez each had six points.
No. 6 Crosby couldn’t catch up with a red-hot No. 3 Naugatuck and lost 50-38. Tiahna Pulliam had 16 points and Gloria Vergeli added 10 for the Bulldogs. Erica Soares and Shyan Perez each had six points.
Semifinals on Monday at Kennedy
No. 7 Wolcott faces No. 3 Naugatuck in the first game at 5 p.m. The Eagles lost 37-30 to the Greyhounds at home this past week.
After All-NVL honorees are recognized, No. 1 Holy Cross and No. 4 Sacred Heart renew acquaintances at 7 p.m. The Crusaders won both matchups in the regular season.
