Conard hosted New Britain in West Hartford Monday night in the first round of the Class LL girls basketball tournament.

Sports reporting is sponsored by Keating Agency Insurance

By Paul Palmer

Survive and advance; that’s what the post-season is all about now.

One loss and you are done, five wins and you are a champion. The Conard girls basketball team now needs just four more wins to claim the Class LL Tournament title. It will not be an easy road for the No. 4 seed, but nothing worth winning ever is. “We just have to play our game and worry about us,” said head coach Laurie Cersosimo after the 57-36 win at home over New Britain in the opener.

“We just have to get it done,” said junior Callie Cosgrove of the road ahead.

Two things have helped Conard to a 20-win season: leadership and team play. Monday night both were on full display as the Red Wolves did what had to be done to win. Junior Emily Knowles led all scorers with 25 points, teammate Callie Cosgrove had 19, and as usual Courtney McPhee controlled the tempo for Conard as the point guard. Behind them came a wave of players that did everything they could to ensure the win. Senior Kathryn Torla did all the things that don’t show up in the box score but need to be done to win. Sophomore Kate Colburn gave Conard inside strength and rebounding off the bench, pulling down eight boards in just the second half.

“Kate came in and outrebounded everybody on the court,” said Cersosimo.

Caroline Cersosimo was tough on defense and between her, McPhee and Cosgrove forced multiple turnovers. “This team is about everyone, from starters, to the players that come in, to the manager, and the people who film our practice.”

Conard started off slow and were trailing three minutes in before Cosgrove sank a 3 to put her team up 12-11. The Red Wolves pushed it to 18-11 and as the clock was winding down, showed just how dangerous they can be. Operating a patient passing game that kept the ball moving as the numbers on the clock got smaller, Knowles set a screen, McPhee made the pass, and Cosgrove sank a 3 with :02 remaining. After one, Knowles and Cosgrove each had nine points with Nicole Gorman’s three accounting for the other Conard points. “

Early in the second Cosgrove got the steal and was contacted going to the hoop, getting off an off-balance shot as she fell to the floor. Knowles was right there, grabbed the rebound, and put it back in to make it a 14-point lead. Both sides got into a shooting slump that ended with a bang. With 3:10 to go, Jae’lee Bryant hit a 3 for the Golden Hurricanes, then Cosgrove answered with a 3 off a McPhee steal. After a New Britain hoop, it was Cosgrove for 3, then McPhee with another steal.

Conard missed back-to-back chances but Colburn was there to grab both rebounds before McPhee finally scored on a drive to the hoop. Knowles would end things with her 13th and 15th points of the half to make it 36-17 at the break. “We just keep going,” said the junior Knowles. “We had good pressure and try to capitalize off that.”

Knowles had 15 in the first half and Cosgrove was right there with 14 points.

The third quarter was one that neither team is going to put on the yearly highlight reel. New Britain came out with back-to-back 3s, while Conard came out with turnovers on its first four possessions. That let New Britain get back to with 13 points when Julie Clavette hit a straight away. It took until 4:45 into the quarter for Conard to score via pair of free throws from Knowles with the Red Wolves scoring just six points in the third. “We were a little sloppy in the second half,” said Cosgrove after the win.

Conard would outscore New Britain 15-10 in the fourth in a quarter that saw a lot of physical play, especially on tie-ups. Cersosimo took a shot to the ribs when she was tossed to the floor and had a Hurricanes player crash down on her ribs. At the other end, Colburn was setting picks and allowing her teammates to get free for shots. One other thing players will need in the run to a title is rest, and Laurie Cersosimo took full advantage of the lead and the strength of her bench to pull both Knowles and Cosgrove with 2:20 to play and McPhee was not far behind.

The entire team got into the game and got experience playing at the post-season level, something that can only benefit the team as they move forward.

“It feels really good,” said Knowles of the opening victory. “The season is still going.” She also was quick to point out the team effort that helped her score 25 and her team get the win. “I’m just playing and every point I get in the paint is because of the good passes from my teammates.”

Game Notes:

• Up next for Conard (the No. 4 seed) is No. 13 E.O.Smith. The Red Wolves won the regular season contest 60-49 in January and also beat the Panthers in last year’s CCC Tourney. “It is gonn be a great game,” Cersosimo said. “They are a very good team and really well coached.”
• If the Red Wolves win that game, they will host a quarterfinals game on March 4 at 7 p.m. and would be looking for a big home crowd advantage against the winner of No. 5 Glastonbury vs. No. 12 Fairfield Warde.
• Monday’s game marked the 27th trip to states in team history, and the ninth straight year they have qualified. Conard is now 16-25 in its games and moved to 4-3 in the last three trips.
• The No. 4 seed is the highest since the then Chieftains, were a No. 2  seed in the 1985-86 tournament. The last time they were a 4 seed was 40 years ago.
• Conard improves to 7-4 at home in tournament games and has now won six of its last back to the 2015-16 Tournament.
• The Red Wolves have now beaten New Britain is each of their last three tournament matchups.
• Knowles passed former Hall start Amber Raisner for third place on the West Hartford Public School scoring list.
• Cosgrove reached the  300-point mark on the season on her first point Monday and later passed Tracey D’Apice for 15th place all-time single season.
• Cosgrove is also rapidly closing in on her own record for 3s in a single season (66) and she added to her record total of 3s in a single season.

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