Tonight, February 23, the Darien High School Boys Basketball team fell in their final home game of the season to the visiting Ridgefield Tigers by a score of 56-39. In what was supposed to be senior night for the Blue Wave (a team with no seniors on the roster), DHS came out flat in the first half, and despite an admirable comeback in the second half, was unable to match the aggressive pace set by the opposition early on.
Darien was hindered by numerous turnovers in the first and second quarters, caused by the relentless Ridgefield man-to-man defense. Sophomore big man Alex Preston was not allowed to get into his groove during this part of the game, occasionally finding himself stranded out on the perimeter (subsequently leaving the Blue Wave with no post presence).
In the second half, Darien gained the momentum early on, and eventually cut the lead down to seven points in the third quarter. However, Ridgefield soon picked back up right where they left off, extending their lead back to double digits. A little bit later on, however, solid guard play from sophomore Jackson Ryan, impressive rebounding from junior captains Rock Stewart and Geoff Parnon, and all-around domination by Preston allowed the Blue Wave to decrease the deficit to only four points, following a clutch three-pointer by sophomore Zak Swetye. However, yet again, Ridgefield pulled away late, running out the clock, drawing fouls, and sinking free throws, in order to ultimately finish the game up by 17.
Regarding the team's performance, Parnon said, "I think once we learn to keep our composure, games like these are going to start turning into wins. At one point in the second half, we fought back and were only down four, and we have to maintain that same intensity level to keep closing the gap."
Come check out Darien's final game of the season against Norwalk on Wednesday at 7 PM, at Norwalk High School.
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| Sophomore Alex Preston shoots, and eventually sinks, a free throw during the loss to Ridgefield. |
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