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ter with strong defense and even stronger rebounding, smart passing and steady foul shooting. And the Crusaders did it, save for the final minute, with just five girls. Carly Fabbri, who will be playing for her mom Tricia at Quinnipiac University next year, steered the ship. She recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. S e n i o r ce n te r E m m a McCarthy had even bigger numbers. She scored a gamehigh 26 points and used her long 6-foot frame to corral 17
rebounds. Overall, Lauralton out-rebounded South Windsor (234) 45-25. The Crusaders had 19 offensive boards alone and they invariably made good on all those second chances. That’s where this game was won. McCarthy credited Forcucci, a one-time player at Southington High and SCSU who is in her third year as head coach at Lauralton, with maximizing the assets of players whose experience with one another goes back nearly a full decade. “She really utilizes how we work and our best fit — Carly with her shots, Emily [Melendez] and I inside,
Maggie [Salandra] off the dribble, Mo [Connolly] on defense,” McCarthy said. “She knows where we succeed the best.” Lauralton Hall trailed for much of the first half, never by much — South Windsor’s biggest lead was 8-2 about four minutes in — but the Bobcats were making things rough with defensive pressure and frequent substitutions to keep legs fresh. Laurelton gained its sea legs as the half wore on. With the gifted and hard-nosed Fabbri leading the way, the Crusaders battled back the old-school way: getting to loose balls and getting to rebounds.
They also found the range from beyond the arc, and 3’s by Melendez (9 points) and Salandra (14) catapulted the Crusaders to a 26-23 lead at the break. LH carried the momentum into the second half, stretching the margin to 30-23 getting the ball inside to inside to McCarthy. Olivia Bolden, who had seven of her team-high 17 points in the third quarter, did her best to keep the Bobcats close, slashing and popping a trey, but Lauralton Hall continued to rebound well, which limited South Windsor damage. The Crusaders also stepped up attacking the basket, getting to the line with regularity and then taking care of business. For the quarter, they were 9-for-9 at the stripe and would finish 29-for-41 for the game. One key sequence came with just under two minutes to go in the third
frame. South Windsor senior guard Christina Rozie whistled through the lane, but her layup wouldn’t fall. LH quickly out-letted and got a transition layup from Salandra. Instead for a five-point game, the lead was nine, and still stood that way, 44-35, by quarter’s end. South Windsor did pull to within three, 49-46, when Rozie banked home a pull-up in the paint with 4 1/2 minutes to play. Fabbri fended that off with her own lane drive and then by muscling down a loose ball and sending McCarthy away on a fast break that ended with McCarthy hitting two free throws. Foul shooting sealed it. So did good ball-handling, a team-wide skill. Even the 6-foot McCarthy has a mighty good handle. No doubt, the Crusaders were not about to let another get away. It was a gut feeling.
Football and cheerleading Southington Knights travel football and cheerleading will open its online registration for the 2014 season on Tuesday, April 15. Boys and girls in kinder-
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garten through grade 8 are eligible to participate. Fees vary by program. For more information, visit www.southingtonmfl. com.
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