WestieBlue
THE HOME OF WEST HAVEN SPORTS
BOYS BASKETBALL 2023-2024
State Champions - '87
All-State Players - Mike McMahon '85; Paul McMahon '87; Terry Rountree '91; Ivoree Stanley '95; Bruce Wesley '96; Matt Turner '98; Sly Williams '06; Quanell Straughter '19; Malcolm Duncanson '20, '21; Eli Blackwell '21
Retired Numbers - Michael McMahon (Class of 1985) #31; Jerry Gambardella (Class of 2000) #21
Opening Victory
Westies cruise past Prince Tech
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(December 15, 2023) - The season has started in impressive fashion for the West Haven boys basketball team as the Westies traveled to top Prince Tech 81-45 Friday evening.
Ten different players were in the scoring column for the Westies, with four hitting double digits. Michael Singleton led the way with 23 points, Bernett Scott and Ethan Griffin each had 12, and T.J. Ogletree finished with 10 in the win. Adam El Kharraz finished with nine points.
The Westies broke open a close game with 23 points in the second quarter and 30 more in the third to pull away in the road victory.Scott had nine points in the second quarter, while Singleton led the way in the third quarter with 11 points. Griffin and El Kharraz each had four points in the quarter.
Westies top Hamden
WH uses second quarter run in win
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(January 2, 2024) - The West Haven boys basketball team won its second straight contest and improved to 4-3 on the year with a 65-54 victory over Hamden at West Haven High Tuesday evening.
After trailing by two points through eight minutes of play, the Westies took control of the game with a 24-8 second quarter run for a 36-22 halftime lead. While the second half was evenly played on the scoreboard, West Haven’s second quarter run was the difference in the game.
Michael Singleton, who led the Westies with 25 points, was the difference in the second quarter with eight points, while Bryan Tillman scored seven, and Amare Brooks drained a pair of 3-pointers.
Singleton also had seven of his team’s 12 first quarter points, and he added six points in the fourth quarter.
Brooks finished with nine points, Tillman and Bernett Scott each added eight, and Isaiah Jackson scored seven in the win.
Westies run past Branford
Big second quarter leads WH
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(January 5, 2024) - The West Haven boys basketball team won its third game in a row and improved to 5-3 with a 102-50 over Branford at West Haven High Friday evening.
The Westies blew an 8-point game open with a 26-5 run in the second quarter for a 45-16 halftime lead. Ten different players were in the scoring column, and five players were in double digits for West Haven.
Michael Singleton led the way with 26 points, Bernett Scott had 23 points, Isaiah Jackson scored 16, Jayce Perry had 13, and Ethan Griffin scored 10. Singleton finished with three 3-pointers, while Jackson and Perry each finished with a pair of 3-pointers.
Behind eight points from Singleton and six from Griffin, West Haven led 19-11 after the first quarter. Scott led the 26-5 run in the second quarter with seven points, while Perry and Singleton each scored six.
Four Straight
Strong first half leads WH past Fairfield Prep
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(January 9, 2024) - The West Haven boys basketball team won its fourth game in a row and improved to 6-3 with a 55-41 victory over Fairfield Prep Tuesday evening at West Haven High.
The Westies were in control from the start as Michael Singleton scored the last five points of the opening quarter for a 15-1 West Haven lead.
Baskets by Jayce Perry and Isaiah Jackson increased the margin to 19-3 in the second quarter, before a pair of free throws by Bernett Scott had West Haven out in front 21-6. When Jackson hit one of two free throws late in the second quarter, West Haven led 24-12 at the half.
Fairfield Prep outscored West Haven 18-16 in the third quarter to get within 10 points at 40-30, but West Haven never let the Jesuits get closer as Singleton scored nine of his team’s 15 fourth quarter points.
Singleton led West Haven with 21 points, while Scott added 11, and Adam El Kharraz had seven. Perry and Amare Brooks each finished with six points in the win.
Six in a Row
Singleton leads WH past Amity
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(January 15, 2024) - The West Haven boys basketball team won its sixth straight contest with an 85-42 decision over Amity Monday evening at West Haven High. With the victory, the Westies improved to 8-3 on the year.
West Haven had eight different players in the scoring column, with four in double figures. Michael Singleton had four 3-pointers and finished with 26 points, while Bernett Scott had 16 points, Isaiah Jackson 15 points, and Adam El Kharraz finished with 10 points.
Singleton was on his game from the start as he hit a pair of 3-pointers and two more field goals for 10 first quarter points when West Haven took an 18-15 lead.
The Westies put the game away with a 23-11 second quarter run for a 41-26 halftime lead. Scott hit four field goals in the quarter for eight points, Jackson hit three field goals and finished with seven points in the quarter, while Singleton had five second quarter points.
Any chance of an Amity comeback in the second half ended when the Westies went on a 20-8 run for a 61-34 lead. Brian Tillman led West Haven in the third quarter with six points, Singleton had five, and Scott added four.
Streak Over
ND tops Westies 77-41
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(January 23, 2024) - The West Haven boys basketball team saw its seven-game win streak come to an end with a 77-41 loss against cross-town rival Notre Dame at West Haven High Tuesday evening. With the loss, the Westies fell to 9-4 on the year.
With West Haven trailing 12-9 and within striking distance, the Green Knights put the game away with a 46-16 run in the second and third quarters, including a 20-0 run to end the third quarter.
West Haven scored the first five points of the game, capped by an Ethan Griffin dunk, but the Green Knights closed the quarter on a 12-4 run. A 3-pointer by Adam El Kharraz got West Haven within three points.
Notre Dame used a 7-0 run for a 20-11 lead, before a dunk by Abdou Toure increased the Notre Dame lead to 31-16 with 1:08 left in the half.
The Westies got within 33-21 in the third quarter on a pair of free throws by Bernett Scott, but the Green Knights closed the third quarter on a 20-0 run, highlighted by dunks from Toure and Landon Krygier.
Toure led all scorers with 29 points. Isaiah Jackson led West Haven with 11 points, Griffin had six, and Scott, Jayce Perry, and Clifton Jones each scored five.
Senior Victory
Westies top North Haven on Senior Night
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(February 9, 2024) - In a hard-fought contest, the West Haven boys basketball team improved to 12-6 with a 58-45 victory over North Haven on Senior Night at West Haven High Friday evening.
Michael Singleton led the way for the Westies with 27 points and five assists, Bernett Scott added 19 points and five rebounds, and Jayce Perry had a big game with six points, 13 rebounds, four assists and two blocks.
The Westies trailed 15-13 after one quarter as Scott connected for eight points, hitting on four of the only five field goals West Haven drained in the opening eight minutes.
West Haven used the play of Singleton and Scott in the second quarter to take a 28-24 lead as Singleton had 10 points and Scott finished with five.
Singleton scored 10 of his team’s 15 third quarter points for a 43-36 lead, before the Westies sealed the game with seven free throws in the final minutes.
Opening Victory
Westies top Career in SCC first round
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(February 22, 2024) - The West Haven boys basketball team started its postseason run in impressive fashion. With a stifling defense, the Westies topped Career 57-41 in the opening round of the Southern Connecticut Conference tournament at West Haven High Thursday evening.
Michael Singleton led the way with 17 points and six assists, Ethan Griffin had 12 points, 10 rebounds, and four blocks, Bernett Scott had 12 points and five rebounds, and Isaiah Jackson added 12 rebounds and four points in the win.
The Westies led only 7-5 after one quarter on two field goals by Scott and a 3-pointer by Jackson, but a 19-10 second quarter run led the Westies to a 26-15 halftime lead. Singleton led the way in the quarter with 12 points.
West Haven extended the margin to 40-23 in the third quarter as seven different players scored, led by five from Aaron Johnson.
Moving On
Westies top Norwalk in CIAC first round
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(March 4, 2024) - The West Haven boys basketball team opened the CIAC Division II state tournament in impressive fashion.
Led by Michael Singleton’s 24 points, No. 12 West Haven topped No. 21 Norwalk 75-49 in the opening round at West Haven High Monday evening.
With Norwalk still in the contest, Singleton continually came up with big shots, including a 3-pointer late in the first quarter for a 15-6 West Haven advantage. A dunk by Ethan Griffin with 50 seconds remaining in the quarter gave West Haven a 17-6 lead.
A pair of Singleton buckets opened the second quarter for a 21-8 West Haven advantage, before Bernett Scott and Singleton extended the West Haven lead to 25-10.
Griffin’s second dunk with 2:10 remaining in the half extended the margin to 32-17, before a 3-pointer by Loshon Roman gave West Haven a 35-20 lead at the half.
A 9-0 West Haven run on baskets by Singleton and Griffin, before a 3-pointer by Isaiah Jackson and another basket by Singleton had West Haven on top 44-23. Singleton added seven more points in the third quarter to extend West Haven’s lead to 53-26.
While the Westies were solid offensively, they were just as good on defense, holding FCIAC Player of the Year Jaylen Brown to 17 points.
On to the Semifinals
Westies top New Britain in CIAC quarterfinals
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(March 8, 2024) - The West Haven boys basketball team advanced to the Division II semifinals with a 63-62 quarterfinal victory over New Britain in the quarterfinals at New Britain.
In a thrilling contest, there were 16 lead changes, including six in the final eight minutes. It was the final minute which left those in the gym nervous throughout.
New Britain erased a nine-point West Haven lead to open the second half, but Bernett Scott gave the Westies a 59-58 lead with a 3-pointer, and Michael Singleton drained four free throws for a 3-point lead in the final 15 seconds.
The Hurricanes got within one point with three seconds remaining, but the Westies ran out the clock without being fouled to secure the victory.
West Haven used an 8-4 run to close the first quarter, and four straight points by Jayce Perry gave the Westies an 18-15 lead.
The Westies then used a 9-2 run to take a 29-22 lead. A 3-pointer by the Westies gave them a one-point lead entering the fourth quarter.
A 3-pointer by Singleton gave West Haven a 50-48 advantage.
Championship Bound
Westies to play Windsor after defeating Stamford in state semifinals
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(March 12, 2024) - The West Haven boys basketball team will be playing for its first state championship game since 1987. Behind a 14-point effort from Bernett Scott, and a physical defensive effort, the No. 12 Westies topped No. 8 Stamford 46-32 in the CIAC Division II semifinals at the University of Hartford’s Chase Family Arena.
West Haven will face second-seeded Windsor in the title game at Mohegan Sun Arena this weekend.
The Westies did not allow a single Stamford player to reach double digits in the scoring column. On the flip side, Ethan Griffin joined Scott with 10 points.
Leading 19-17 at the half, West Haven held Stamford to six points in the third quarter and extended its lead to 35-23.
After Stamford got on the board first to even the game in the third quarter, West Haven scored 16 of the next 20 points to take a 12-point lead.
A 9-1 fourth quarter run by Stamford cut West Haven’s lead to four, but the Westies closed the game with a 10-0 run of its own to return to its first state title game when West Haven defeated Hillhouse 37 years ago.
The Black Knights were just 4-of-11 from the free throw line, while West Haven connected on 14-of-21 shots from the free throw line. Michael Singleton added nine points in the win for West Haven.
So Close
Westies fall to Windsor in state final
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(March 16, 2024) - Looking for its first state title since 1987, the West Haven boys basketball team was right where it needed to be. With a double-digit lead in the second quarter, West Haven had second-seeded Windsor on the ropes.
Unfortunately for the Westies, the will of Windsor prevailed.
Going on a 16-0 run, Windsor topped No. 12 West Haven 59-57 in overtime in the Division II final Saturday evening at Mohegan Sun Arena.
In foul trouble, the Westies could not muster any offense in the third quarter after leading 37-23, and the Warriors rallied to take the lead.
The 16-0 run by Windsor produced a 39-37 lead, its first of the contest with six minutes remaining in regulation. Four more lead changes ensued before West Haven had another opportunity.
After West Haven failed in its final attempt of regulation to win the game, Windsor ran off the first seven points of overtime, before West Haven got going. The Westies rallied back, but a last second shot was denied as were West Haven’s championship hopes.
West Haven led 19-7 after one quarter and 28-22 at the half.
Bernett Scott had 21 points and Aaron Johnson had 15 points for West Haven, while Ethan Griffin scored 10, and Isaiah Jackson added nine.
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