THE HOME OF WEST HAVEN SPORTS
Westies hold on against Rams
Steinman helps WH top Cheshire in season opener
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(December 18, 2017) - The West Haven boys basketball team was looking to get off to a quick start in the 2017-2018 season. While the Westies jumped out to a big lead, they had to hold on in a 69-63 opening day victory over Cheshire Monday evening at West Haven High.
Josiah Steinman helped lead West Haven to a season-opening victory over Cheshire, December 18, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.
Josiah Steinman led the Westies with 15 points, with 12- of-15 coming in the fourth quarter. Marquel Bookert also had 15 points on five 3-pointers, while Toma Brown added 13 for the Westies.
The Rams came back from 16 point down, before the Westies rallied again to hold on for the season-opening win.
West Haven held on for a season-opening victory over Cheshire, December 18, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.
Matt Rosadino and Aidan Godfrey each scored 13 for Cheshire in the loss.
Steinman also had one 3-pointer, five rebounds, and 10 assists. Brown connected on three 3-pointers and had four rebounds, Josh Moncrieffe had six rebounds, four points, and two blocks, while Mufee Cooper added eight points, three rebounds, five assists, and one steal.
Westies fall to Amity
Spartans drop WH 78-51
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(December 27, 2017) - The West Haven boys basketball team dropped its second straight game with a 78-51 decision against Amity in Woodbridge Wednesday evening. With the loss, West Haven fell to 1-2 on the year.
Westies go over game strategy against Amity, December 27, 2017. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.
Josiah Steinman led the West Haven offense with 19 points, while Jordan Berrios added 10. Both players each drained a pair of 3-pointers in the loss. Josh Moncrieffe and Toma Brown each scored seven for the Westies.
West Haven fell behind early in the contest and never recovered. Amity took a 22-11 lead after one quarter of play, and extended the margin to 45-24 at the half.
Amity had three players in double figures and was led by Tyler Thomas with 25 points.
Cheshire rallies past WH
Rams use late run to top Westies
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(December 29, 2017) - The West Haven boys basketball team started the season on a positive note with a win over Cheshire. Since then, the Westies have lost three straight contests.
The latest loss came Friday evening on the road as the Westies fell to Cheshire 43-37 at Cheshire High. With the loss, West Haven fell to 1-3 on the year.
Read about the contest from GameTimeCT here
Hamden tops WH
Westies fall to 1-4 on year
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(January 2, 2018) - The West Haven boys basketball team is looking for answers. After a season-opening win, the Westies have dropped four straight contests.
Tuesday evening saw West Haven drop its fourth in a row with a 72-55 loss against Hamden at Hamden High.
The Westies trailed from the start, falling behind by six points after one quarter of play. Trailing by eight points at the half, Hamden pushed the Westies back with another run to take a 59-46 lead.
Josh Moncrieffe led the Westies with 22 points. Josiah Steinman added 15 points, and Marquel Bookert had nine in the loss. The Westies shot just 67% from the free throw line.
Ronnie Ellis led Hamden with 20 points, while Victor Rosario and Jaylen Ricks each scored 13 for the Green Dragons.
Steinman leads Westies
WH tops Branford 71-43
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(January 8, 2018) - The losing skid has ended. After four straight losses, the West Haven boys basketball team got back on the winning side with a 71-43 victory over Branford at Branford High Monday evening.
Trailing by seven points after one quarter of play and having allowed 23 points, the West Haven defense tightened up the rest of the way, allowing just 22 points in the final three quarters.
Trailing 30-27 at the half, the Westies took control with a 20-4 run in the third quarter for a 47-34 lead. West Haven outscored Branford 44-13 in the second half to pull away for its second win of the season.
Josiah Steinman led West Haven with 27 points, seven rebounds and six assists, while Josh Moncrieffe added 13 points. Saban Richardson and Jordan Berrios chipped in eight and seven points, respectively.
Bookert leads Westies
WH tops Foran 72-58
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(January 10, 2018) - The West Haven boys basketball team won its second straight contest with a 72-58 decision over Foran Wednesday evening. In the home victory, the Westies improved to 2-4 on the year.
With the game even at 15 after one quarter of play, West Haven used a 10-point burst in the second quarter to take a 40-30 advantage. The lead increased to 13 points in the third quarter and the Westies never looked back in the victory.
Marquel Bookert led three Westies in double figures with 21 points, including six 3-pointers. Toma Brown scored 13 points, including three 3-pointers, and Josiah Steinman had 11 points.
Josh Moncrieffe had nine points, Saban Richardson scored eight, and Jamal Pate six in the win.
Green Knights top Westies
Sharp second half leads Notre Dame
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(January 12, 2018) - The two-game winning streak has come to an end for the West Haven boys basketball team. In a close contest throughout, West Haven was never able to pull away and suffered a 66-53 loss to cross-town rival Notre Dame Friday evening at West Haven High.
With the loss, the Westies fell to 3-5 on the season.
West Haven fell to Notre Dame, January 12, 2018. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.
West Haven had three players in double figures, but it was not enough in the loss. Josh Moncrieffe led the way for West Haven with 15 points, Josiah Steinman scored 13, and Toma Brown had 11.
Connor Raines led the Green Knights with 24 points, Mike Brooks added 17, and Alec Kinder scored 12. Kinder also added three rebounds in the win for Notre Dame.
Westies fall in OT
Career tops West Haven 63-56
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(January 19, 2018) - The West Haven boys basketball team has been playing better of late. Unfortunately for the Westies, it has not translated into wins. Blanked in overtime, West Haven fell to Career 63-56 in New Haven Friday evening. With the loss, West Haven dropped to 3-6 on the year.
West Haven had leads of four points after one quarter and 32-27 at the half. With the Westies holding a 44-39 lead after three quarters, Career rallied to even the game in the fourth quarter, then outscored West Haven 7-0 in the overtime session to pull out the victory.
Josiah Steinman led West Haven with 22 points, including three 3-pointers. Jordan Berrios scored nine points, and Toma Brown and Josh Moncrieffe each scored seven.
West Haven was hurt at the free throw line where it connected on just 15-of-21 shots.
Hamden thumps Westies
Green Dragons post 90-60 victory over WH
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(January 22, 2018) - The West Haven boys basketball team was well aware it was in for a challenge when it played host to Hamden Monday evening. With the Green Dragons fresh off their first loss of the season against Hillhouse, the Westies had to figure the Green Dragons would come out firing on all cylinders.
Such was the case as Hamden scored early and often, and never let up in a 90-60 victory over the Westies at West Haven High. The loss was West Haven's third in a row and dropped them to 3-7 on the year.
West Haven fell to Hamden, January 22, 2018. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.
Josh Moncrieffe led three Westies in double figures with 16 points, while Josiah Steinman and Jordan Berrios each scored 12 apiece.
Hamden jumped out of the gates quickly, taking a 10-point lead in the first quarter, before extending the margin to 48-26 at the half. The Westies cut the deficit to 16 points in the third quarter, but Hamden responded in emphatic fashion in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Westies 24-10, to seal the victory.
Victor Rosario led four Hamden players in double digits with 21 points.
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Westies snap Skid
Steinman,Moncrieffe lead way in win over Law
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(January 24, 2018) - The West Haven boys basketball team knows it will take a stronger second half of the season if it intends on playing in the postseason.
Looking to snap a three-game skid, the Westies started the second half of the campaign on the right foot with a 70-63 victory over Jonathan Law in Milford Wednesday evening. With the victory, West Haven improved to 4-7 on the year.
Josiah Steinman and Josh Moncrieffe led the way for the Westies as Steinman scored 26 points, and Moncrieffe added 14. Marquel Bookert also chipped in nine points, Jamal Pate added eight, and Saban Richardson scored seven.
Trailing early, the Westies won the game with a convincing effort in the second half. After a 28-8 run by Law in the second quarter put West Haven in a 41-25 hole, the Westies rallied and chipped away in the third quarter.
West Haven's defense held Law to 10 points in the third quarter, and just 22 points in the second half, to get within five points after three quarters of play.
The Westies then won the game in the final eight minutes, using a 24-12 run to take home the victory. West Haven helped itself from the free throw line, draining 15-of-19 attempts.
Bookert led West Haven with three 3-pointers, while Steinman drained a pair. Conor Creane led law with 20 points, Sam Nassar scored 13, and Diontae Eady had 10 in the loss for Law.
Xavier rolls past Westies
Falcons post 69-49 win
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(January 26, 2018) - After snapping a three-game losing streak against Jonathan Law, the West Haven boys basketball team knew it was in for a challenge. Xavier proved to be more than that.
Jumping out to a 20-point lead at the half, Xavier cruised to a 69-49 victory over West Haven in Middletown Friday evening. With the loss, the Westies fell to 4-8 on the season.
Jamal Pate and Jordan Berrios led the Westies with 12 points each, Josh Moncrieffe added nine points and Marquel Bookert had six.
The Westies trailed from the star, falling behind by seven points after one quarter, and watching a 21-8 Xavier run put them in a 37-17 hole.
The Westies shot just 11-of-20 from the free throw line.
Cross tops Westies
Governors post Falcons post 85-62 win
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(January 26, 2018) - The West Haven boys basketball team fell to 4-9 on the season with an 85-62 defeat at the hands of Wilbur Cross Saturday afternoon. Looking to build a winning streak, the Westies could not do so and fell to the Governors at West Haven High.
Josiah Steinman looks to convert against Wilbur Cross, January 27, 2018. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.
Westies snap Skid
WH defeats Branford 78-64
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(January 29, 2018) - The West Haven boys basketball team inched closer to the postseason. With a 78-64 victory over Branford Monday evening, the Westies improved to 5-9 on the season.
Check back later for the rest of this article.
Two in a Row
Westies top Foran to inch closer to postseason
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(January 31, 2018) - The West Haven boys basketball team is inching closer to the postseason. With a handful of games remaining in the regular season, the Westies need to win two contests to play in the postseason.
With two straight victories, the Westies have improved to 6-9 on the year. The latest victory came Wednesday evening in Milford as the Westies held Foran to just two points in the second quarter and defeated the Lions 48-37 at Foran High.
West Haven;s defense was on display in the first half as it held the Lions to just 12 points in 16 minutes, and led by 13 points at the half.
The 13-point advantage proved to be enough as Foran and the Westies played evenly in the second half.
The Westies had a balanced scoring attack with three players in double figures. Marquel Bookert and Josiah Steinman led the way with 12 points apiece, while Jamal Pate added 10 points.
Bookert connected on four 3-pointers and Steinman drained a pair. The Westies also helped themselves at the free throw line, missing just two on the night.
Green Knights top Westies
West Haven falls 74-57
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(February 2, 2018) - Connor Raines and his Notre Dame teammates were looking forward to playing cross-town rival West Haven. Having already defeated the Westies earlier in the season, the Green Knights were looking for a regular season sweep and more importantly, looking to get better in all phases of the game as the postseason approaches.
The Green Knights can say they accomplished both. Scoring the first nine points of the game, Notre Dame never trailed in a 74-57 Southern Connecticut Conference interdivision victory over the Westies at Notre Dame Friday evening.
“Our mentality all season against every team has been to come out, play our game and go home happy with the win,” Raines said. “We started the game very strong and ended strong. We have come very far as a team.”
The Green Knights (12-5) won their third game in a row since a brief two-game skid and made sure they used their size advantage over the Westies. Controlling the boards and not allowing West Haven to establish an inside presence, West Haven became one-dimensional, forced to shoot from the outside.
“We are a smaller team than they are,” West Haven interim coach Stanley Chambers said. “We had to rely on the long ball. That didn’t work in our favor and it became tough to come back.”
Raines and his teammates set the tone from the start as the Green Knights led by nine early, then used a dunk by Raines and a 3-pointer by Zach Laput to open with a 14-4 advantage. When Raines, who finished the game with 19 points, drained a 3-pointer, followed with a bucket, and watched Alec Kinder follow suit, Notre Dame held a 23-12 advantage after eight minutes of play.
The Green Knights had balanced scoring throughout the game as Laput finished with 13 points, Kinder had 12, and Jaiden Kimbro scored 10. Nine different Green Knights scored in the contest.
“We make it very difficult for teams when they try to take one player out of the game,” Notre Dame coach Jason Shea said. “At any time, we have eight guys who we can rotate in and they can all score. All of them can shoot. We are able to run our offense, so it is very important for us to be able to have that depth.”
The Westies (6-10) had to battle back from the start, but were unable to cut the deficit to single digits in the opening half. The closest the Westies would get came when Josh Moncrieffe’s bucket cut the margin to 25-14 early in the second quarter.
When Moncrieffe hit a 3-pointer later in the quarter to get the Westies within 11 points, Notre Dame again responded, using baskets by Kimbro and Raines to extend the margin to 36-21.
“That shows maturity in our team,” Shea said. “We showed great focus tonight and did not let down. The players all came ready to play and it showed.”
Kimbro drained a 3-pointer with 37 seconds remaining in the first half to give the Green Knights an 18-point advantage, and another 3-pointer by Laput increased the margin to 49-28.
The Green Knights did a nice job underneath, forcing the West Haven offense to the outside, and limiting West Haven sharp shooter Josiah Steinman to 13 points.
Moncrieffe was the top scorer for the Westies with 20 points, with nine coming in the second quarter as the Westies tried to get back in the game.
Marquel Bookert (12 points) tried to get his team back in the game, draining a pair of 3-pointers in the third quarter, the latter bringing the Westies within 53-39 with 1:29 left in the quarter. The Westies never got closer as the Green Knights scored the final four points of the third quarter, including a bucket by Kinder with four seconds to go.
“I have to give credit to the players,” Shea said. “They took it upon themselves to get ready to play and they continued to find the open man.”The Green Knights helped themselves at the free throw line, converting 16-of-19 on the night.
On the Edge
West Haven falls 74-57
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(February 6, 2018) - The West Haven boys basketball team is not making things easy. Needing two wins to qualify for the postseason, the Westies have made it come down to the final three games of the regular season.
The Westies faced Jonathan Law Monday evening with Law also fighting for a postseason bid. With plenty on the line for both teams, Law used a dominant third quarter to top the Westies 61-54 at West Haven High Tuesday evening.
With the loss, West Haven fell to 6-11 on the year and now needs two wins in its last three games to play in the postseason. Law inched to within a game of the postseason, picking up its seventh win of the year.
In a closely contested opening half, West Haven led 26-23, before Law took over to erase a three-point deficit. West Haven was able to score 13 points in the quarter, but Law used a 25-13 run to take a 48-39 lead it never relinquished.
Josiah Steinman led the Westies with 18 points, while Saban Richardson scored 11. Jamal Pate added nine in the loss, Josh Moncrieffe had seven, and the Westies were just 9-of-17 from the free throw line.
Diontae Eady led law with 16 points, and Conor Creane added 13.
Postseason Hopes Fade
Four straight losses hurt Westies
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(February 12, 2018) - After falling at home to Career Friday evening, the West Haven boys basketball team knew the deal. The Westies needed to win their final two games of the regular season if they had hopes of playing in the postseason.
That run did not start exactly the way the Westies had hoped as they fell in New Haven Monday evening against the Governors 85-52. The loss dropped the Westies to 6-13 on the season.
West Haven was hurt in the second and fourth quarters where it was outscored 45-21. The Westies trailed by four after eight minutes of play, but the Governors quickly pulled away with an 18-8 run in the second quarter to take a 37-23 lead.
Josiah Steinman led West Haven with 18 points, while LaRon Holmes added 10. Marquel Bookert and Saban Richardson each scored six in the loss for the Westies. William Antrum led three Governors in double figures with 22 points, and Kwane Taylor finished with 12 points and 13 assists.
The Westies fell against Career Friday evening, dropping a 62-47 decision at West Haven High. West Haven was again hurt in a specific time frame as Career used a 23-5 run in the second quarter to take control of the contest.
Steinman and Bookert each scored 15 points in the loss for West Haven, while Richardson scored six points. Jordan Williams led Career with 20 points.
Season Over
Five straight losses close season
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(February 16, 2018) - As the final two weeks of the regular season approached, the West Haven boys basketball team was in position to play for a postseason berth. That position never solidified.
Closing the season with five straight losses, West Haven failed to qualify for the postseason. As a result, the Westies finished the year at 6-14 after a 71-49 loss to Amity on Senior Night at West Haven High Friday evening.
The Westies fell against Amity, February 16, 2018. Photo courtesy of Todd Dandelske.
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