Time ran out Friday night on a great run by St. Paul in the Class S girls basketball state tournament.
The third-seeded Falcons were blitzed by No. 7 Trinity Catholic in the first quarter of their state semifinal game and the Crusaders made sure they never recovered. Trinity went on a 14-0 run to open up a double-digit lead after one period and wound up defeating St. Paul 56-45 at Newtown High School.
The Falcons, known for their wicked pressure defense and the 1-2 punch of juniors Janessa Gonzalez and Jade Udoh, never gave up. St. Paul got to within six points, 51-45, as time ticked away late in the fourth quarter, but it was as close as the Falcons would get.
Gonzalez led St. Paul with 17 points while Udoh, plagued by foul trouble in the first half, wound up with nine points. Liv Heslin tallied eight points, Emma Cretella added seven points, and Catherine Ciampi chipped in three points. Morgan Kolb rounded out the scoring with a foul shot for one point.
St. Paul finished the season as a division champion and an NVL Tournament champion. The Falcons came up one game short of their ultimate goal and ended the season at 24-3, with all three losses coming to teams from the FCIAC. St. Paul lost back-to-back games to Fairfield Ludlowe and Fairfield Warde in a holiday tournament in December, then ripped off 19 straight wins.
Friday marked the final game for Falcon seniors Cretella, Ciampi (tri-captain), Kolb, McKenzie Gauthier (tri-captain), and Ashley Suzio (tri-captain).
