LEDYARD, March 13 – Avon hasn’t faced too many tall players and they certainly haven’t faced two taller players in one game. But against the Ledyard High girls basketball team in Thursday’s Class L quarterfinals, Avon faced two formidable players.
The Colonels have 6-foot-4 senior Hannah Hutchins and 6-foot-3 junior Michelle Klinikowski to clog up the middle and dominate in the paint. Hutchins had a game-high 21 points while Klinikowski finished with 17 points, including 13 in the first half, to lead No. 4 Ledyard to a 62-46 victory over the Falcons.
Ledyard (22-3) advances to the Class L semifinals against top-seeded Capital Prep in Hartford, the high-scoring team that won the Class S championship a year ago. No. 5 Avon finishes with a record of 23-3.
The Falcons led by one after one period, 19-18. But they scored just 13 points in the next two periods as the Colonels scored 24 to take command of the contest. Ledyard led by five at halftime but opened the third quarter with a 12-2 run to seize control of the game.
Michaela Marcus led Avon with 18 points and five three-point shots while Abby Laszewski added 10 points.
Ledyard’s win snaps a 21-game winning streak by Avon, which won the NCCC championship this winter and the NCCC Tournament. The run to the quarterfinals was Avon’s best CIAC appearance since 2009 when they went to the Class L semifinals.
Ledyard 62, Avon 46
At Ledyard
Avon (46) Anna Schrecengost 3-0-7, Michaela Marcus 6-1-18, Abby Laszewski 4-1-10, Oliva Welter 2-0-4, Shannon Curry 2-1-5, Alex Benedict 1-0-2. Totals 18-4-46
Ledyard (62) Olivia DelGrosso 5-1-12, Arianna Fustini 5-2-12, Bianca Matria 0-0-0, Hannah Hutchins 8-5-21, Michelle Klinikowski 6-5-17. Totals 24-13-62
Avon (23-3) 19 8 5 16 – 46
Ledyard (22-3) 18 12 12 20 – 62
Three-point goals: Schrecengost (A), Marcus (A) 5, Laszewski (A), DelGrosso (L)
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