Killingly suffers heartbreaking loss in state tourney

WATERBURY - Killingly boys basketball coach Jim Crabtree emerged from the small locker room and you could see the realization in his eyes: the Yianni Baribeau Era at Killingly was over.

It ended in a heartbreaking fashion on a rainy night in Waterbury, an upset state tournament victory sitting on their fingertips, only to be thrown away in the final seconds.

“I never thought it was going to end this way,” Crabtree said. “I dreamed up a lot of ways and this wasn't the way it came through in any of them.”

Waterbury Career Academy scored two baskets in the last 11 seconds to upend Killingly, 64-63, Friday night in the CIAC Division III quarterfinals at Kennedy High School.

“We couldn't execute the simple thing right at the end,” Crabtree said. “Two inbounds plays cost us the game.”

Killingly led 63-60 after sophomore guard Johnny Kazantzis buried a pair of free throws with 27 seconds remaining.

WCA answered with a huge putback from Drew Williams to make it 63-62 with 11.6 seconds left. The Spartans applied pressure on the ensuing inbounds play and came away with a steal. The ball got to Sonny Pierce in the low post and Pierce banked in a layup for a 64-63 lead with just three seconds remaining.

After some confusion where WCA was whistled for a backcourt violation after another steal, Killingly had possession at midcourt with 1.4 seconds left. But the Spartans' pressure forced another turnover and Killingly never got the chance to shoot the game-winning basket at the end.

“We had to find a way to win at the very end,” WCA coach Ronan O’Leary said. “Killingly didn't deserve to lose that game tonight. They played well enough to win. It’s unfortunate there has to be a loser. I’m thankful we won but those Killingly kids have nothing to be ashamed of. They should keep their heads up.”

No. 7 Killingly (18-7) trailed just 18-13 after one quarter and 34-30 at halftime against the high-scoring, second-seeded Spartans (22-3).

WCA, which won the Naugatuck Valley League championship, scored 90 or more points in eight games during the regular season and were coming off an 84-55 dismantling of Darien in the second round.

After a bye, Killingly topped Hall, 61-49, on Wednesday to advance to their first state quarterfinal in nearly two decades.

“All credit to Killingly,” O’Leary said. “They were a very good, well-disciplined team. I knew they were going to play zone but their zone was very good. They are active and long. They sneak in and get deflections off passes and they did enough to get our kids off rhythm. And then our kids started doubting themselves a little bit.”

This was a game for the ages.

Baribeau, the only player in Killingly history to reach the 1,000 milestone in both points and rebounds, opened the third quarter with a pair of 3-point bombs.

“He came out in the third quarter and showed what he was,” Crabtree said.

Freshman guard Kolby Mills, who spearheaded Killingly’s late season surge, drained a key 3-pointer late in the third to keep Killingly within striking distance.

Baribeau buried a pull-up jumper to give Killingly a short-lived 45-44 lead with 1:13 left in the third. After Williams scored four straight points, Kazantzis, who had a sensational postseason, beat the buzzer with a top of the key 3-pointer to tie it at 48.

The see-saw fourth quarter featured seven lead changes and a number of clutch baskets.

After senior guard Jason Canady’s pull-up jumper gave the Spartans a 55-52 lead, Killingly went on a 7-0 spurt.

Kazanatzis converted a fastbreak layup off a terrific rebound and outlet pass from senior Logan Gagnon. Senior forward Thomas Dreibholz sank a short baseline jumper and Kazantzis followed with a 3-point dagger from the corner to give Killingly its biggest lead, 59-55, with 2:16 remaining.

Williams answered with a low post bucket and Canady’s 3-point bomb gave WCA a 60-59 edge with 1:28 left.

Killingly regained the lead on a pair of free throws from Baribeau with 1:19 to go. Kazantzis’ two free throws with 27 seconds left made it 63-60 and set the stage for a wild finish.

Canady led WCA with 23 points. Pierce finished with 16 points, while Williams added 13 points for the Spartans, who will meet No. 6 Platt in the semifinals.

“I’m just so proud of my kids,” O’Leary said. “They didn’t play well but they stayed in it and believed and fought and dug it out.That’s  agame they’ll probably remember for a long time.”

Kazantzis led all scorers with 28 points, while Baribeau added 18 points and 15 rebounds. Dreibholz finished with 13 points and 9 rebounds.

“There’s nothing to be mad about,” Crabtree said. “They gave me everything I asked for. They showed up everyday. It’s a great group of kids and here we are, two inbound plays away from going to the semis. I’m happy with everything, except for the way it ended. It’s going to hurt for a while.”

This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Killingly falls short 64-63 against Waterbury Career Academy