Sheehan girls basketball coach Mike Busillo knows at some point his team’s season will come to an end – and that will be it for him.
Busillo, who has been the Sheehan coach for 20 years, will retire from coaching when the season is over. His daughter Gabby is a senior on the team so the two will walk away together.
“It’s been fun, a heck of a ride with her,” Busillo said.
Last year, Busillo won his first state title with the team, when Sheehan defeated East Catholic for the Class MM championship. It was the program’s first title since 1976 when the late Cathy Inglese, who coached at Boston College and the University of Vermont, played there. He had been to the finals in 2019 and 2024 and lost twice.
This season, Sheehan (15-3) has been playing mostly without its senior point guard Jenna Wreisen, who was out with an ACL tear. But three games ago, Jenna came back, relieving her sister Megan of point guard duties.
“She worked her tail off after tearing her ACL nine months ago,” Busillo said. “It’s been a nice lift for us. We’re ecstatic she’s back.”
Megan is one of seven seniors and leading the team in scoring, averaging almost 21 points per game.
“She’s had an unbelievable year,” Busillo said.
Sheehan has lost to last year’s Class LL champion Sacred Heart (14-2) twice and dropped a 40-38 loss to North Haven (15-3) on Jan. 16. The Titans will face North Haven again Tuesday.
“What we’ve done is avoid the bad loss so far,” Busillo said. “We’ve won all the games we were expected to win on paper.
“That’s to our credit because Jenna’s a big part of what we’ve done. We’ve had great senior leadership.”
Here are some highlights from last week:
Payton Balducci, Hale Ray: Balducci had 16 points in a 41-34 win over Old Saybrook Friday.
DeMya Barrett, Comp Sci: Barrett scored 17 points to lead Comp Sci to a 48-39 win over East Windsor Friday.
Maya Betts, East Granby: For the fourth time this season, Betts, a senior, had five 3-pointers (and 19 points) in a 38-34 win over Rockville Wednesday.
Alyssa Diehl, Bolton: Diehl had 28 points in an 82-36 win over Putnam Monday and 25 points in a 53-32 win over Lyman Memorial Wednesday.
Amelia Faienza, New Britain: Faienza scored eight points in a 30-second span to help New Britain overcome a five-point deficit down the stretch in a 42-35 win over Berlin Saturday and had 16 points; she also scored 15 points and had nine rebounds in a 54-52 loss to Rocky Hill Monday and had 15 points and 13 rebounds in a 50-41 win over Plainville.
Kelsey LaMay, Rocky Hill: LaMay had 26 points in a 79-59 win over Bristol Eastern Saturday.
Hailey Mayo, Coventry: Mayo had 18 rebounds and 13 points in a 62-32 victory over Canton Tuesday.
Sadie Passante, Morgan: Passante made 12 of 14 free throws and had 26 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in a 55-46 win over Cromwell Wednesday.
Ainsley Sigersmith, Old Saybrook: Sigersmith had eight rebounds, four blocks and four points in a 46-35 win over St. Bernard Wednesday.
Emily Simmons, Lyman Hall: Simmons hit seven 3-pointers and had 23 points in a 44-39 loss to Cheshire Friday.
Ruby Theberge, Canton: Theberge scored 17 points in a 61-27 victory over East Windsor Wednesday.
Games to Watch
North Haven (15-3) at Sheehan (15-3), Tuesday, 6 p.m.: The last time the two SCC teams met on Jan. 16, North Haven won, 40-38.
Southington (14-4) at New Britain (17-1), Thursday, 6 p.m.: Southington will try to hand New Britain its second loss as both teams close out the regular season.
Enfield (15-3) at Windsor (13-5), Friday, 6 p.m.: Enfield has won eight straight, while Windsor has won six of its last seven games.