Darnall '08 Lifts Alumnae to Victory
Friday, January 8th marked a special night on the Hilltop as several alums returned to KUA to participate in the 5th Annual Alumnae Basketball Game. The game was a back and forth battle for several minutes of the first half. Kathleen Nicholson '04 and Emily Hoar '06 netted multiple buckets to help the alums keep pace with the current squad which received balanced scoring from 8 of its 10 members. The score at the break was 27-23 in favor of the young Wildcats.
The second half was more of the same back and forth action, but the alums got some additional support from Colleen Norgang, Class of 2003 and MVP of the 2003 NEPSAC Championship game, and Kelly Champagne, also a NEPSAC champion from the class of 2007, who arrived just in time for the second stanza. The current squad extended their lead to as much as 10 points with 11 minutes left to play but a questionable substitution of Charlie Williams (who now stands at 6'4") for the alums wreaked havoc with the younger players. He blocked a few shots and pulled down a handful of rebounds which otherwise would have gone to the young guns. Gabby Diaz drained 3 treys in the contest but Lauren Darnall '08 hit a total of 5 (4 in the second half) to push the alums ahead with just over a minute to play. Diaz hit a long two to cut the deficit to 3 but time ran out and the alums walked away with a hard fought victory.
Darnall finished with a game high 15 points while Nicholson chipped in with 12 for the alums. Gabby Diaz was the leading scorer for the current squad with 13 points while sister Greydy netted 8.
It was wonderful to see so many familiar faces on campus. Many thanks to Meredith Forbes '05 who stepped back in to her role as manager and kept the scorebook for us despite the fact that she was jetlagged from her long travels back to Meriden from Portugal just the night before. Special thanks to the parents of the 2009-'10 squad who provided food and drinks at the post-game reception. Everyone had a wonderful time and we hope to see many more Lady Wildcats, both past and present, at next year's game!
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The second half was more of the same back and forth action, but the alums got some additional support from Colleen Norgang, Class of 2003 and MVP of the 2003 NEPSAC Championship game, and Kelly Champagne, also a NEPSAC champion from the class of 2007, who arrived just in time for the second stanza. The current squad extended their lead to as much as 10 points with 11 minutes left to play but a questionable substitution of Charlie Williams (who now stands at 6'4") for the alums wreaked havoc with the younger players. He blocked a few shots and pulled down a handful of rebounds which otherwise would have gone to the young guns. Gabby Diaz drained 3 treys in the contest but Lauren Darnall '08 hit a total of 5 (4 in the second half) to push the alums ahead with just over a minute to play. Diaz hit a long two to cut the deficit to 3 but time ran out and the alums walked away with a hard fought victory.
Darnall finished with a game high 15 points while Nicholson chipped in with 12 for the alums. Gabby Diaz was the leading scorer for the current squad with 13 points while sister Greydy netted 8.
It was wonderful to see so many familiar faces on campus. Many thanks to Meredith Forbes '05 who stepped back in to her role as manager and kept the scorebook for us despite the fact that she was jetlagged from her long travels back to Meriden from Portugal just the night before. Special thanks to the parents of the 2009-'10 squad who provided food and drinks at the post-game reception. Everyone had a wonderful time and we hope to see many more Lady Wildcats, both past and present, at next year's game!
