St. Paul boys basketball has won three straight games and five of its last six. The hot streak couldn’t have come at a better time for the Falcons.
St. Paul, now 7-7, needs one more win to qualify for the state tournament for the 12th straight season. Where the Falcons are perched now is a far cry from how most of the first half of the season went. St. Paul lost 68-48 at home to Naugatuck on Jan. 8 and fell to 2-6 on the season. It was the third straight loss for the Falcons.
The turnaround began with a 68-39 thumping at Watertown on Jan. 11. AJ Brooks erupted for 17 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and six blocks that night. St. Paul returned home on Jan. 14 and beat Ansonia 54-47 behind strong efforts from Jack Noli (14 points), Noah Waters (12 points) and Brooks (16 rebounds). The two-game win streak ended with a 10-point loss at Wolcott on Jan. 16.
St. Paul started its current three-game win streak with a 60-54 road victory over Waterbury Career Academy on Jan. 18. Waters tallied 21 points against the Spartans while Brooks had 15 points and 15 rebounds. On Jan. 23, St. Paul made it two straight wins with a 56-39 home victory over Oxford. Tyler Garry led the Falcons with 14 points while Brooks had 10 points. Donovan Symes filled the stat sheet with nine rebounds, seven steals and five rebounds. In its most recent game, St. Paul won 57-50 at Seymour. Brooks had 16 points and eight rebounds while Symes added 13 points and five steals.
In what is typical of a St. Paul team, the Falcons have had balanced efforts in their turnaround. St. Paul takes its first shot at win No. 8 on Tuesday at Torrington at 7:30 p.m. After that, the Falcons will get some serious home cooking. St. Paul will play four of its final five regular season games inside the friendly confines of the Rev. Brian Monnerat Gymnasium.
