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WESTON, Conn. Weston Highs boys basketball team fought back from a slow start to get within three points Saturday against Notre Dame of Fairfield in the South-West Conference playoff game at Masuk High School.
The sixth-seeded Trojans could not get over the hump, however, and fell to the No. 3 Lancers, 64-45. Notre Dame (17-4) advances to Tuesdays semifinals. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for the Trojans (12-9), who wait to play in the Class M tournament.
We were right there, but we never should have been in that position to begin with, coach Mike Hvizdo said. We missed a lot of open shots early in the first quarter and missed seven free throws in the first half. That hurts against a good team like Notre Dame.
Evan Blitzer scored 13 points to lead the Trojans, while Max Molinsky added 11. Lyle Mitchell had seven points and 11 rebounds.
Weston trailed 35-32 after Blitzer scored with 1:55 left in the third quarter. Notre Dame led by as many as 15 in the first half before Weston rallied in the third quarter. Molinsky and Blitzer combined for 13 third-quarter points to spark the comeback.
Notre Dame slammed the brakes on the Trojans with a 7-0 run to end the third quarter. Westons offensive frustrations continued into the fourth quarter, when it managed just one field goal in the first 5:15.
The Trojans had a similar dry spell in the first quarter, when they missed their first seven shots. Weston had just one field goal in the first quarter and was five-for-20 from the field in the first half.
We have two guys who have been in the playoffs before, Hvizdo said. For the rest of them this was their first time. And we had good shots; they went in and out. Theres nothing you can do about that. When that happens, you have to stay positive and focus on playing good defense. I dont feel like we did that.
The loss capped a strong late-season run by Weston, which handed top-seeded Immaculate its only loss to start its winning streak. Im sure not many people thought Weston would even be in the playoffs, Hvizdo said.
Weston will now turn its attention to the Class M state tournament, where Hvizdo believes the Trojans could make their mark. The tournament is wide open, the first-year coach said. I think we have enough time to get back work and focus on that. Were looking forward to doing some damage.
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