West Hartford’s Conard High School hosted – and won – the inaugural ‘C’ Classic Holiday girls basketball tournament.

By Paul Palmer

 Emily Knowles led all scorers with 24 points and Courtney McPhee chipped in 15 and a handful assists, as the Red Wolves beat East Hartford 54-40 Friday night in the championship game of the “C” Classic Holiday Tournament.

“It was our first tournament here and we just wanted to win it all,” said Knowles.

Coming off a lopsided win over Hall in Friday’s opener, Conard had to deal with a bigger, stronger, and more aggressive Hornets team. Unfortunately for East Hartford, their inside shooting let them down all game long and allowed the Red Wolves to build and maintain a lead throughout. The early play was sloppy and a bit tentative with each side missing on its first two possessions before Kathryn Torla dropped in a layup off a McPhee assist.

McPhee made several strong drives to the net for baskets, Knowles hit – and when Knowles hit a 3 with 5:00 gone in the first it was 10-2 Conard. The Hornets fought back to pull within four at 10-6, before Kate Colburn – making her first start – drained a 3 of her own and the hosts led 15-6 after one period.

“Our game plan is always to just focus on ourselves,” said Conard coach Laurie Cersosimo. “It stays the same if we are up or down in the score.”

When Conard is playing its game, there is a rhythm on both sides of the ball that lets them go on big runs almost at will. But when they are out of sync, it allows teams to hang around and forces the Red Wolves into unforced errors. Conard managed just 10 points in the second quarter, while East Hartford went for eight. If the Hornets had been able to score on half of the chances they were getting inside, they would have had the lead at intermission instead of trailing by 11.

Fortunately for Conard, Cersosimo knows what has to be done to get the team out of its funk. “They just need reset, so I’ll take a timeout,” or in this case get the break at the half . “I remind them to stay in control. They always work hard,” Cersosimo said.

The message got through at halftime. Knowles nailed a 3 off an inbounds pass to make it a 16-point lead early in the third, and when McPhee rebounded a missed shot and got the putback with just under 2:00 to go, Conard had built a 35-19 lead. The Red Wolves’ defense played a more focused, aggressive game, forcing turnovers and missed shots throughout the quarter.

Nicole Gorman put the emphatic exclamation point on the third with her block at the buzzer that left things at 39-19.

Conard has been without junior Callie Cosgrove who is almost ready to return from an injury. Her absence has allowed Colburn and freshman Caroline Cersosimo to get valuable playing time. Colburn was strong on defense and more than held her own against a bigger East Hartford front. She did get into foul trouble and had to sit out some minutes before returning later in the game.

Cersosimo’s passing game was on point, and the best came when she fired a bullet pass to Knowles, moving the ball around the arc, and Knowles drained a 3 from the right-hand side to make it a 45-28 game. “We knew it would be physical, but we just focus on ourselves and keep going,” Knowles said.

East Hartford did make a late run, with an assist by another chunk of cold shooting from Conard, to pull to within 10 with just over 1:00 to go. It was too little too late though, as Conard scored the game’s final four points and closed it out at 54-40.

After the game, Cersosimo spoke of the game that Knowles gives the Red Wolves day in and day out. “She finds space better than any player I have ever coached,” said the coach. “Courtney [McPhee] does a great job of finding her.”

The Conard players celebrated winning it all by getting the first-place plaque at center court and posing for deserved photos. It was fitting that every player was there for the photos because their coach knows they are all needed to find success. “ \Everybody plays a role on this team. Kate [Colburn] stepped into her role tonight, and Caroline [Cersosimo] stepped into her role.” That luxury, combined with a group of talented underclassmen who got valuable minutes in Friday night’s win, bode well for the rest of the season.

In the consolation game Friday, Leah Berey went for 24 of Hall’s 44 points, as the Titans fell to Manchester 71-44.

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