EHHS JV basketball tops East Catholic

East Hartford blocks a shot attempt by East Catholic. Photos by Evan Pajer.

On Jan. 2, East Hartford High School's junior varsity basketball team proved why games at the junior varsity level are worth watching, coming out on top against East Catholic. For the majority of the game, the teams seemed to be almost evenly-matched, with East Hartford pulling a small lead in the beginning of the game.

ECHS stayed within five points of the Hornets throughout the first half of the game, except for a small window near the end of the first quarter where EHHS increased its lead to eight points. EHHS's offense during the first half of the game was played by ear. Rather than passing the ball around to get a clean shot, the team seemed content to fight for shot attempts off rebounds, as East Catholic's defense mobbed the basket. The same thing was true of ECHS, who made most of their baskets off second or third rebounds.

The game quickly fell into a pattern, with a focus on defense on both ends. Most of the scoring that occurred during the first half of the game came in bursts, when one team would find a hole and score three or four baskets at a time before losing possession.

The basket-trading game play of the first half looked to be taking its toll on East Hartford's offense. At the end of the second quarter, it looked as if ECHS had managed to turn the game around, scoring multiple three-pointers and making two successful free-throws to gain a three-point lead as the buzzer went off to end the first half, 31-28.

The second half of the game was almost a completely different game from the first half, with risky plays made by both sides that resulted in a high foul count. The Hornets had eight fouls during the second half, while East Catholic had 10. Four of ECHS's fouls were called on a single player, who fouled out early in the fourth quarter.

ECHS's high foul count, combined with East Hartford making a significant percentage of their free-throws, put the Hornets back in the lead midway through the third quarter. East Hartford's offense was also willing to take some risks, with four successful three-pointers during the second half of the game. The Hornets' offense seemed more focused on keeping the ball away from their opponents during the second half, using effective screens that left ECHS's defense scrambling to catch up and giving the Hornets clean shots on the basket.

The Hornets' effective offense turned the game around during the second half, overtaking ECHS's lead by the middle of the third quarter. The game remained close, but near the end of the third quarter, East Hartford scored three consecutive baskets, giving them a six-point lead to end the quarter. Their lead increased during the fourth, going up to 10 points before a comeback by ECHS that ended the game with EHHS ahead five points, 60-55.

Key to the Hornets offense in the second half were Alcea Wis, Tylon Washington and Avonde Murphy. The three players scored a combined total of 12 field goals and four three-pointers, accounting for over a third of the team's overall scoring.