Boys Basketball Loses Physical Match Up to Trinity Catholic

By Will Pegler

On Tuesday, January 9th the boys varsity basketball team took on FCIAC powerhouse Trinity Catholic at the Darien High School main gym. Trinity's offense got off to a hot start, using their size and rebounding ability to their advantage. The Blue Wave were able to fight back, though, as junior Henry Williams came up with some big shots. Trinity continued to hold the lead throughout the first half as Darien was held back by the Crusader's strong defense and some questionable calls by the referees.

In the second half the Blue Wave turned up the aggressiveness on defense and were able to cut the Trinity lead to just five. The most shocking moment of the game came when junior Will Rolapp stepped to the line and missed his free throw. One of Trinity's towering forwards collected the rebound and was pressured by junior Ryan Darby. The Trinity player than flung his elbow into the side of Darby's head, stopping the game for about 15 minutes and leading to some pushing and shoving between both sides. The referees separated both sides and decided what fouls were going to be called and on who. Somehow, senior Arthur Xanthos was ejected for leaving the bench when he tried to protect his teammate, while the Trinity player who basically punched Ryan Darby in the face stayed in the game.

Senior Andrew Darby goes up for a shot in a game earlier this season. (Courtesy DAF) 

After all of this unfolded, Trinity was able to pull ahead and get a 10 point win. The story of this game in my opinion was one-sided calls and the mishandling of a clear flagrant foul. It was clear that the elbow to the face was no accident. Darien looks to bounce back against Brien McMahon at their gym this Friday night.