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| WCA head coach Stephen Barbieri yells out instructions as Armani Weaver (left) and Alyssa Chouinard wait to check back into Friday’s Class M qualifying round game. The Spartans claimed the first postseason win in program history. |
The Waterbury Career Academy girls basketball team has made incredible strides between its first and second seasons at the varsity level.
After going 2-18 last season, the Spartans went 8-12 in 2016-17. WCA earned a state tournament berth and the No. 32 seed in the Class M bracket.
The six-win improvement is impressive enough, but the Spartans took it one step further on Friday night inside the tight confines of their home gymnasium.
WCA used a balanced attack and plenty of pressure defense to overwhelm No. 33 Goodwin Tech of New Britain 53-23 in a qualifying round game. The postseason win is the first in the history of the young Spartan program.
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| WCA junior captain Shyra Fisher calls out a play before inbouding the ball. |
“It means a lot,” junior captain Shyra Fisher said after the victory. “I’m glad our team has come as far as we did.”
There were plenty of leaders on the floor for WCA. For scoring, juniors Armani Weaver (13 points) and Kendra McPherson (10) found their way into double figures. Fisher was not only the leading rebounder with seven, but she was also the top thief for the Spartans with five steals. Junior Alyssa Chouinard dished out the most assists with five.
For point totals, it went like this: Weaver 13, McPherson 10, Chouinard 7, Shynia Moore 6, Leila Lazaro 5, Fisher 4, Dianna Samaroo 3, Tiana Wright 3, Myrta Ortiz 2.
WCA head coach Stephen Barbieri described it as “me becoming we.”
“The kids have been putting in a tremendous amount of work, and they are reaping the benefits,” Barbieri said.
The Spartans scored a quick knockdown of the Gladiators, claiming a 10-0 lead just over six minutes into the game. Goodwin did trim it back to 14-5 by the end of the first quarter, but WCA lowered the boom on its younger, overwhelmed opponent in the second quarter.
The Spartans turned up the defensive pressure and ran out to a 26-4 second quarter and a 40-9 halftime lead. It was academic from there.
“I told my staff we got to go,” Barbieri said. “Get the pressing team in and crank it up a little bit.”
WCA certainly cranked it up, led by the efforts of Fisher, Moore and Lazaro. Fisher is all over the floor with her constant hustle.
“She’s our spark plug,” Barbieri said. “We have our scorers, but Shyra gets after it.”
Fisher said she too is working on her offense. That’s coming along, much the same way her team has this season.
“I think my team has improved a lot from last year,” Fisher said.
Barbieri goes to Moore and Lazaro when he wants to turn up the heat defensively.
Of course, it helped that others did their part as well. Weaver had all three of her steals in the second quarter.
“I thought she made tremendous passes, I thought she played much better defense,” Barbieri said.
In addition to her three 3-pointers, Weaver also pulled down five rebounds. Backcourt mate Chouinard ran the offense smoothly, dishing out five assists. She also had five rebounds.
Barbieri said coaches come up with the plan, but the players have to execute. The WCA did execute on Friday.
“They won tonight,” Barbieri said of his players. “We (coaches) just try to prepare them for what they’re going to see.”
The Spartans were prepared Friday, and they came away with the first postseason win in program history.
Next Tuesday’s game at top-seeded Suffield will be much, much tougher, but WCA already put a big notch in its belt by winning its first postseason game.
“We’re going to go up there and compete,” Barbieri said.
No matter what happens next Tuesday in Suffield, the Spartans have improved so much since last season. Even more promising, WCA loses just one senior, Tiana Wright, for next season. The Spartans will be back, and they will be experienced. And chances are, they will show even more improvement next season.
