Windham whips past Morgan to quarterfinals

Taylor McBride goes up for a shot during a game against Morgan. Photos by Melanie Savage.

The first period of the round two Division M state tourney game between the Windham High School Whippets and the Morgan High School (Clinton) Huskies had some in the stands wondering about a mercy rule for high school basketball. Morgan, coming in with a number 18 seed and a 13-6 record, just couldn’t seem to make any shots. And Windham, a number two seed with a 16-3 record, just couldn’t seem to miss. The first period ended with a score of 34-3.

Morgan managed to pick up the pace a little bit during period two, after Windham Coach Ken Valliere sent in his second string. Two Windham fouls within a matter of seconds helped Morgan to rack up some points when all four free throws went into the basket. By the end of period two, the Huskies had double digits up on the board, with a score of 44-19 Windham.

But there was never any real pressure on Windham, and they took away an easy win with a final score of 67-44. Ali Risley was high scorer for the Whips with 21 points, followed by Carlee Smith with 19 and Haley Mather with 11.

Windham was scheduled to take on number 10 seed Woodland Regional High School (Beacon Falls) on Thursday, March 10 at home, beginning at 7 p.m.  The winner of the game advances to the semifinal round of the Division M state championship.