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| Elmin Redzepagic (shooting) and Wolcott are headed to the Division III state tournament. (Copyright, Sports on CT-69, 2018 file) |
It came down to the final game of the regular season for Wolcott boys basketball in its quest to reach the state tournament.
Then that final game went to overtime.
The Eagles made sure the extra time went their way, outscoring host Ansonia 8-3 to pull off a 64-59 win on Friday night. That win was the eighth for Wolcott, and that means the Eagles qualified for the Division III state tournament.
Elmin Redzepagic continued his torrid scoring pace with a game-high 26 points, which included four 3-pointers. Mike Tessarzik went for 21 points, including three treys.
Ansonia hit a 3 to start the overtime scoring, but Wolcott answered with eight straight points. After two straight two-point losses, the Eagles had the win they needed.
Wolcott is 24th out of 26 qualifiers in Division III, and there will be byes for the highest seeds.
The Eagles are just happy to be in the state tournament. There was a time this season when Wolcott was 4-10. The Eagles won three straight games, then came a pair of two-point losses to Naugatuck and Wilby. Wolcott could have succumbed to the pressure. Instead, they fought their way into the tournament.
The pairings come out on Wednesday, Feb. 28. For the Eagles, it won’t matter where they go. The bottom line is Wolcott made it into the state tournament.
