The St. Paul boys basketball team got off to a tough start this past Wednesday with a 67-57 season-opening loss at Seymour.
The Falcons had a chance to redeem themselves Saturday, but to do so, they would have to knock off defending NVL champion Naugatuck. Playing in front of no fans thanks to COVID, St. Paul summoned the energy it needed to play an inspired game and pulled off a 70-63 home upset of the state’s fifth-ranked team.
Naugatuck may be without two graduated senior captains, along with current senior Rob Sanders, who transferred to Florida, but they’re still a dangerous team. The Greyhounds are anchored by All-NVL and All-State juniors Ese Onakpoma and Avery Hinnant.
St. Paul got off to a quick start and wound up leading by 12 points, 23-11, after the opening eight minutes. Early in the second quarter, the Falcons extended that advantage to 15 points, 26-11. St. Paul led by 12 points, 38-26, at halftime.
The Greyhounds did get to within three points in the second half, but the Falcons were able to hold on for the victory. Both teams had 1-1 records after the game. St. Paul senior Will Barton, who is headed to Worcester Polytechnic Institute, had 22 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists in a terrific all-around effort. Senior Tommy Lorenzetti had 13 points while sophomore Jamie Leggett added 12 points. Sophomore Erik Suzio brought energy and strength off the bench.
On three separate occasions in the first half, St. Paul scored on three-point plays. The first came on the game’s opening possession when Barton threaded a pass to fellow senior Jackson Sullivan. The second time came off a Barton steal and pass to Suzio. On the third, Leggett beat his defender off the bounce, scored and was fouled.
In a short (12-game) season, it’s important to get back on track following a loss. St. Paul was able to do that, and it did so against one of the NVL’s top teams. Next up is a game at Watertown on Monday night at 7.
