On Dec. 13, the Portland boys basketball team lost to Old Lyme, last year’s Division V runner-up, 92-34. Last Tuesday, Portland (6-9) beat Old Lyme, 68-64, in overtime.
“It has to be one of the crazier stats in high school basketball this year – a 62-point turnaround,” Portland coach Frankie Lee said. “We lost by 58 and won by four.”
Portland didn’t take the lead in the game until overtime. Sophomore Mason Walsh hit a 3 to cut Old Lyme’s lead to three points with a little over a minute left in regulation and senior Aaron Ciarleglio had another 3-pointer to send the game into overtime.
Ciarleglio had 35 points for Portland.
“We had a lot of guys with not a lot of varsity experience early in the year and they returned their whole team,” Lee said. “They’re the class of the Shoreline. We played them early and they played great and we didn’t play very well.
“It’s never easy being on the losing end of one of those. It definitely humbled our guys. We’ve still struggled at times but we’re playing a little bit better. They’ve been working hard and we’ve lost three games by a total of 10 points.”
Against Old Lyme, Lee said, “everything went our way.
“Their two best players were in foul trouble and they fouled out,” he added. “Our best player played great and everyone else played great, did everything they needed to do.”
Walsh wasn’t in the rotation earlier in the season and Lee said the addition of the sophomore forward has changed the way teams have to play Portland.
“It was one of those things, as difficult as the year has been, it’s always nice to see the kids that happy, that their hard work has come to fruition,” Lee said.
Last week’s top performers
Missoni Brown, Windsor: Brown had 25 points, nine rebounds and six steals in an 86-49 win over RHAM Thursday.
Tommy Dinunzio, Lewis Mills: Dinunzio had a double-double – 19 points and 17 rebounds – in 47-43 loss to Bristol Eastern Friday and 19 points and 12 rebounds in a 54-40 win over Avon Tuesday.
Eddie Fiske, Old Lyme: Fiske scored 25 points in an 87-51 victory over Valley Regional Wednesday.
Sincere Folk, East Catholic: Folk had 24 points in an 86-46 win over E.O, Smith Monday.
Wilbur Franco, Innovation: Franco had 18 points, nine rebounds and nine assists in a 65-44 win over International Monday.
Ryan Gaity, Bristol Eastern: Gaity scored 20 points in a 47-43 win over Lewis Mills Friday.
Nyqwuan Jefferson, Comp Sci: Jefferson had 25 points and four steals in a 78-56 win over Capital Prep Friday.
Troy Johnson, Bacon Academy: Johnson scored 28 points in a 73-40 victory over Tourtellotte Tuesday.
Camden Mazarolle, E.O. Smith: Mazarolle had 27 points and 19 rebounds in a 56-45 win over South Windsor Thursday.
Mello Moore, Xavier: Moore had 24 points in a 65-64 victory over Career Friday and 22 points in a 57-53 win over Shelton Tuesday.
Declan Moriarty, Haddam-Killingworth: Moriarty hit five 3-pointers and had 19 points in a 63-55 loss to North Branford Tuesday.
Games to Watch
Weaver (9-7) at Hartford Public (12-3), Tuesday, 6:45 p.m.: These two rivals, who have been playing each other since 1925, will face off for the 200th time. Hartford Public beat Weaver in the first meeting on Dec. 19, 82-57 but Weaver leads the series, 100-99.
East Catholic (13-2) at Windsor (15-0), Friday, 6:45 p.m.: Windsor took the first game 87-81 behind 35 points from junior Missoni Brown and handed East Catholic its first loss.