Conard overwhelmed crosstown rival Hall in the opening game of the ‘C’ tournament Thursday night.

Emily Knowles battles though the Hall defense. Conard vs. Hall girls basketball. ‘C’ Tournament. Dec. 28, 2023. Photo credit: Paul Palmer

By Paul Palmer

 The Conard girls basketball team started fast and never gave Hall a chance to get their game on as the Red Wolves won their opener in the “C” Classic Holiday Tournament 56-7.

Conard boasts a starting lineup that has four juniors that last year made it to the CCC finals and into the state quarterfinals. Hall  has just three seniors on the roster and has just one win this season – over Hartford Public (0-4).

Courtney McPhee led the Conard attack from the opening whistle. She hit three consecutive driving layups and it was 8-0 just 2:41 into the first, and the Titans took a time out. It would get to 10-0 before Leah Berey scored Hall’s first and only  points of the opening period.

Leah Berey of Hall moves around the pick from her teammate. Conard vs. Hall girls basketball. ‘C’ Tournament. Dec. 28, 2023. Photo credit: Paul Palmer

With 3:00 to go, McPhee had a steal and drive in basket, before freshman Caroline Cersosimo nailed a 3 to push things to 17-2. McPhee matched her jersey number with 10 of the Red Wolves’ 21 points in the first period.

Conard not only had the better of the offense, but their rebounding and defensive pressure simply overwhelmed Hall. For Conard, it was just sticking to the plan that they are asked to execute. “We want to play our game,” McPhee said. “We stay composed and don’t let other teams change our game.”

Hall may have been trailing, but it wasn’t for a lack of effort or desire. The Titans hustled and looked for good shots but the tenacious Conard defense forced bad passes, turnovers, and shot clock violations. In the second it would be 27-2 with 3:00 to play and Conard coach Laurie Cersosimo pulled her team’s defense back from full court pressure to half court pressure. On offense, McPhee hit a deep, side 3 to make it a 30-2 game and then Emily Knowles ran off five straight points. Conard then forced three consecutive turnovers by Hall to get to 39-2. Just before the horn sounded, McPhee, fittingly enough, got the block on a Hall shot.

Nicole Gorman of Conard marks Hall’s Livia Bush. Conard vs. Hall girls basketball. ‘C’ Tournament. Dec. 28, 2023. Photo credit: Paul Palmer

Starting in the third, Conard began working on fundamentals and ball movement. Passing around the arc, passing into and out of the arc, and working the clock down before taking a shot. With 2:07 to play and having a 41-point lead, Cersosimo took all her starters out for the remainder of the game and gave her younger players some valuable minutes.

“It is always fun to play in the rivalry game with Hall, and to have the younger players get that experience was incredible,” Cersosimo said. On the bench, the starters stayed engaged, leading the cheering, and supporting their teammates. “I love watching our freshman play,” said McPhee, who finished with 16 points. “They are really helping us a lot this year.”

Kate Colburn (left) and Brooklyn Knowles (right) get the block against Hall. Conard vs. Hall girls basketball. ‘C’ Tournament. Dec. 28, 2023. Photo credit: Paul Palmer

On the court, sophomore Kate Colburn was dominant on the boards and freshman Brie Wilmes got the home crowd on its feet when she drained three, 3-point shots from the same spot on the court. At the buzzer it was 56-7, with Knowles putting up 13 points for Conard. Hall got two points each from Laziah Quinones, Minna Ahmed, and Samantha Shifrin.

The now 1-4 Titans were forced to play without starting senior forward Heaven Smith for all but about 90 seconds of the game. She suffered an ankle injury in a collision with a Conard player and had to be helped to the Hall bench.

In Friday night’s “C” Classic Holiday Tournament at Conard, the Red Wolves will meet East Harford, a 76-49 winner over Manchester in the other opener. “They are fast, big, and aggressive, so it should be a really good matchup,” Cersosimo said of the 6 p.m. showdown at Conard.

Brie Wilmes (22) of Conard works the defense against Hall. Wilmes hit three straight 3s in the fourth quarter. Conard vs. Hall girls basketball. ‘C’ Tournament. Dec. 28, 2023. Photo credit: Paul Palmer

Hall senior guard Sophia Ruffo looks for options against Conard. Conard vs. Hall girls basketball. ‘C’ Tournament. Dec. 28, 2023. Photo credit: Paul Palmer

Laziah Quinonez of Hall tries to stop Nicole Gorman of Conard. Conard vs. Hall girls basketball. ‘C’ Tournament. Dec. 28, 2023. Photo credit: Paul Palmer

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