Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Girls Basketball Wins a Nail-biter, Earns Last Spot in FCIACS


by Jessica DeMaio


                The Darien High School Girls Basketball team defeated Fairfield Warde 49-42 in a game that went all the way down to the wire on the Monday night (2/13) as the Blue Wave was celebrating its seniors in the final regular season home game. Not only was this the last regular season game to be played by the girls in their home gym for the 2012 season, it was also a contest to decide who earned the 8th and final bid to the FCIAC playoffs, and the Blue Wave showed no mercy. Seniors and captains Leslie Yuen, Amy Biggart, and Susan Biggart were all honored with flowers, posters, decorations, and a high-spirited crowd, and each of them equally contributed to Darien’s big win. Amy had five points and three steals, Susan had two assists and one steal, and Yuen had six points, 2 assists, and three steals. Junior Meg Marren led the team with 16 points and junior Kate Bushell took the crown in rebounds with nine as well as eight points. Many of Darien’s points came from much needed foul shots, which Marren and sophomore Emily Stein especially excelled at and gave Wave the lead at the cost of Warde’s overaggressive 4th quarter playing that resulted in more fouls than they could afford. Adding to Darien’s offensive power was Stein with four points, freshman Daly Naughton with five points, freshman Lane Davis with six points, and sophomore Kelly Karczewski with five points. The game held the intensity all the way to the finish, and going into the 4th quarter it was tied at 32. Much of the Wave’s success came from the team’s ability to play effective defense without fouling, an aspect in which Warde was lacking, as two of its players had fouled out by the middle of the 4th quarter. Darien seemed in control of the ball all night, especially when it counted most. The team was effective in its combination of passing and dribbling to run out the clock when there was less than 2 minutes left. All around, it was a stellar performance by the Blue Wave and a well-deserved bid into the playoffs. The team’s next game will be Wednesday (2/15) at Bassick at 5:15 and it will be the last regular season game of the 2012 season.


Pictured: Wave basketball honors its senior captains Susan Biggart, Leslie Yuen, and Amy Biggart.

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