The Hall boys basketball team hosted Norwich Free Academy on Saturday evening in West Hartford.

Sports reporting is sponsored by Keating Agency Insurance

By Paul Palmer

Hall boys basketball saw its 9-point halftime lead disappear as the Titans dropped a Senior Night game to Norwich Free Academy (NFA), 73-68, on Saturday.

Hall senior Eli Kramer led his team with 30 points, but the Titans had no answer for NFA’s Joshua Lavoie who led all scorers with 36 points. “We couldn’t stop number ‘0’ (Lavoie),” said Hall coach Bryan Moretti, who saw his team’s three-game win streak snapped.

Before the game, the team’s five seniors – Kramer, Aiden Delaney, Dalin Fotache, Zach Debin, and Maxwell St. Arromand – were honored for their contributions to the program.

The Titans got off to a slow start missing four 3-pointers tried, and going down 6-0 just 2:30 into the game. Kramer hit one of his five 3s in the game to get Hall on the board. Delaney and Isaiah Gaston worked a perfect give-and-go to cut the deficit to one at 8-7, and St. Arromand made a big block at the other end before Fotache hit one of two free throws with 2:56 to play.

Kramer would put his team in front for the first time at 11-8 when he hit another 3. Fotache had a nice tip-in off a miss and Tim O’Brien move, and fed Delaney for the basket to end things at 17-14 after the opening eight minutes.

Early in the second Debin found St. Arromand with a nice bounce pass in the lane and the big man converted with two defenders on him, to make it for 2. Hall’s offense got hot with Kramer hitting a driving shot, Gaston calling a clear out and driving for the basket, and Lincoln Bush draining a deep corner 3 to make it 30-21 for Hall. O’Brien would find Kramer open for a 3 on an inbound play before O’Brien nailed a 3 from the top to make it a 36-24 game.

Lavoie would have NFA’s last points of the half with his 3 with :15 to go. It was answered by O’Brien’s basket with :02 to play to make it 39-30 Hall at the break.

“We made everything in the first half,” Moretti said. “We made contested 3s.”

The Wildcats came out on fire in the third quarter and outscored Hall 22-10 to take a 7-point lead heading into the fourth. NFA used a strong 3-point game and Lavoie couldn’t miss from the floor. He had help from teammate Carter Stringer who added 19 as the visitors made Hall pay for its missed shots and for not getting out to stop the shots.

It was a 3-point game in favor of the Wildcats entering the fourth quarter. Both teams dialed up the offense as Lavoie’s free throws made it a 56-51 game before Kramer had a 3-point play after being fouled. Rusean Clahar‘s 3-point play opened the lead for NFA, but Delaney hit three of four from the charity stripe with 5:30 to play and it was once again a 1-point deficit for the Titans.

Kramer hit a pair of free throws for Hall – he was the only consistent Hall player from the line – to give Hall the 62-61 lead at 3:48. Hall had a chance to extend the lead but Gaston missed two free throws and Lavoie gave his team the lead at 2:55 with a jumper.

Leading 64-63 with under two minutes to play, NFA put the ball in Lavoie’s hands and he froze the clock before hitting the running layup and getting fouled with 1:01 left to play. Kramer hit a pair of foul shots to bring Hall within 67-65, but Lavoie scored his team’s next six points, all from the foul line, and Kramer had Hall’s only points with his final 3, but it was not enough and the Titans fell.

“In the second half we couldn’t stop No. 0 and we didn’t finish the easy looks we got,” Moretti said.

The fourth quarter, especially down the stretch, saw the game won and lost at the foul line. While Lavoie was going 9-for-9 from the stripe, Hall missed four of its chances. Hall also had issues committing fouls, forcing players to sit for long stretches of the game. “You lose your rhythm when you get into foul trouble,” the Hall coach said.

Things don’t get any easier for the Titans (11-5) as they return to the hardwood on Tuesday against 21-2 and No. 4-ranked Northwest Catholic, which has not lost since Jan. 16.

Game notes

• O’Brien finished the game with 14 points, including four 3-pointers.
• Delaney had 11 points but fouled out late in the fourth quarter.
• Northwest Catholic – the next opponent – has averaged more than 78 points a game in its last five games, all wins. That includes putting up 100 against Cheney Tech.

Like what you see here? Click here to subscribe to We-Ha’s newsletter so you’ll always be in the know about what’s happening in West Hartford! Click the blue button below to become a supporter of We-Ha.com and our efforts to continue producing quality journalism.