A wild win, great shootahs, and other thoughts
Just thought I’d empty out my reporter’s notebook while wondering where the greatest quarterback of all time is going to be playing next season. My guess is Tom Brady would look good in the silver and black of the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Norwich Free Academy girls basketball team avenged an early season two-point loss against Robert E. Fitch High School with a thrilling 71-68 double-overtime victory over the Falcons on Thursday night in Groton.
“It was a wild night,” NFA coach Courtney Gomez said.
The Wildcats, who have won five of their last seven games, had a 10-point lead before the Falcons rallied. NFA also battled back after trailing by five points in the first overtime. Nevaeh Yorke (21 points), Emily Orcutt (18 points, 10 rebounds) and Aislinn Richmond (14 points) paced the Wildcats offense.
“It was one of the best high school games I've ever coached,” Gomez said. “I'm so happy for my girls. They earned it.”
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Putnam's Espinosa brothers won basketball state titles in free throw shooting
Another weekend of free throw shooting, another pair of championships for the Espinosa boys.
Putnam brothers TJ and Bryce Espinosa, the sons of Putnam Science Academy coach Tom Espinosa, who has guided the Mustangs to two National Prep Championships, both won state titles at the Elks annual free three shooting contest.
Fresh off their district championships two weeks ago, TJ claimed the 12-13-year-old division for the second straight year by sinking all 25 of his foul shots, while Bryce went 18-of-25 to take the title in the 10-11-year-old division. TJ, who finished second at regionals last year, made 24-of-25 in the local competition and 22-of-25 in the districts.
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The boys will represent Putnam Elks Lodge 574 at the regional championships at the University of Southern Maine in Portland. Should either take the top spot there, it would be on to the national championship in Chicago.
The Espinosas are poised to crack the Top 10 list of my favorite shootahs of all-time. The list includes sharpshooters Pat Bradley, Chris Mullin, Ronnie Perry, Joey Hassett, Paul Faison, Jim McCaffrey, Larry Bird and my brother, Eddie.
Son of former NBA and collegiate coach P.J. Carlesimo playing Eastern Illinois
Speaking of shooters, St. Thomas More standout Kyle Carlesimo, the son of former NBA and collegiate coach P.J. Carlesimo, is playing at Eastern Illinois. Carlesimo is averaging about 12 minutes per game and scoring 4.2 points a game for the Panthers. He buried his first collegiate 3-pointer in the Panthers’ season-opener against Illinois.
“Kyle Carlesimo is a great kid from a great family with an awareness of what it takes to be successful in the world of basketball,” St. Thomas More head coach Jere Quinn told Jared Exler for “The Upside with Adam Finkelstein. “He’s cerebral, an elite shooter, and he was one of the players in New England who quickly made a name for himself for his competitiveness, toughness and grit.”
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Norwich Hockey Club returns to Rose Garden Ice Arena and RIP Boston Celtic Chris Ford
The Norwich Hockey Club returns to the Rose Garden Ice Arena on Jan. 28 for a contest against the Connecticut Chiefs. Face-off is at 5:15 p.m. The 18U AAA team, which is composed of Norwich Free Academy students, including 15 student-athletes from Canada, is currently 23-10-0 and ranked No. 10 in the state.
RIP Chris Ford. The former Boston Celtic died on Jan. 17 at a hospital in Philadelphia from complications of a heart attack he had earlier in the month. He was 74 years old. Ford, who made the first ever NBA three-point shot on Oct. 12, 1979, was a member of the Celtics’ 1981 championship team. He also earned rings as a Celtics assistant coach in 1984 and 1986.
When I heard of Ford’s passing this week, I was reminded once again of the time around 1982 or 1983 when my brother Eddie challenged Ford to a 3-point shooting contest after Ford gave an ROTC speech at Everett High School. Eddie, who died in a car accident at age 24, was the captain of two Greater Boston League championship basketball teams at Everett. And yes, he edged Ford by one shot on that legendary day.
STUCK IN THE ‘70s: On Jan. 22, 1972, Boston’s mighty J. Geils Band tore the roof off Duke University’s Indoor Stadium during their “The Morning After” Tour. The band’s second studio album, which was released on Oct. 2, 1971, featured such Geils' classics as “Looking for a Love,” “Whammer Jammer,” “So Sharp” and “Cry One More Time.”
Jimmy Zanor can be reached at jzanor@norwichbulletin.com.
This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Column: A wild win, great shootahs, and other thoughts
