Gallagher surpasses 1,000 points, helps No. 7 Simsbury top No. 8 Newington

Simsbury’s Amanda Gallagher (32) drives to the basket against Newington’s Bela Cucuta in Saturday night’s CCC game in Simsbury.

SIMSBURY, Feb. 3, 2024 – Simsbury High girls basketball coach Sam Zullo remembers when he was about to score 1,000 career points in high school in New York State.

“I remember the pressure I felt and it wasn’t nearly as big a game as this between two of the top 10 teams in the state,” he said.

Simsbury’s Amanda Gallagher needed just three points to become the fifth girl in school history to exceed 1,000 points when she and her Trojans teammates lined up against No. 8 Newington on Saturday night.

Gallagher scored the first two baskets of the game and finished with a game-high 24 points to lead No. 7 SImsbury to a 48-38 win over the Nor’easters. It was the second win over a top 10 team this week for Simsbury, who beat No. 5 Conard on Wednesday night, 58-46.

“For Amanda to come out and put us on her back and get those first two baskets the way she did, it was more about those 1,000 points. It gave our team a chance to feel comfortable and that we had a chance to win the game,” Zullo said.

It got Simsbury off to a good start while Newington (13-4) struggled to keep pace.

“We got a little flustered and we didn’t bounce back from that,” Newington coach Marc Tancredi said. ”(Simsbury) does a really good job of being disciplined and running their offense. With us, I thought it was an issue of maturity and discipline on both ends of the floor.”

While Newington has won 13 games, it is still a younger team with three juniors and a sophomore in the starting lineup on Saturday night.

Simsbury (16-1) had an eight-point lead at halftime, 20-12, but the Nor’easters hit a pair of jumpers early in the third quarter to cut the lead to two points.

“I was proud of execution,” Zullo said. We got what we wanted coming out of the locker room (at halftime) which was a positive. We had opportunities. Unfortunately, we didn’t make the first couple (of shots) and to their credit, they came back and made us pay, cutting the lead to two.”

Newington did a good job rebounding, limiting Simsbury to one shot on several offensive possessions. But the Nor’easters couldn’t convert at their end to pressure Simsbury.

Alexa Gallagher scored in the paint with 3:13 remaining in the quarter, Olivia Jarvis hit a free throw and then Jarvis scored over two Newington defenders with 2:05 left to extend the Trojan lead to seven points.

Newington cut the lead to three, 27-24 but Amanda Gallagher hit a three-pointer from the former with 15 seconds left to give Simsbury a six-point lead after three quarters.

The closest Newington would get was seven points late in the game when Nadjah Dolowba hit a corner jump shot.

Amanda Gallagher hit 11 of 12 foul shots in the fourth quarter to keep Simsbury one step ahead of the Nor’eastsers. Jarvis had 11 points for Simsbury while Alexa Gallagher added seven.

Newington was led by Bella Cucuta with 11 points and Ella Star with nine.

Not only was Amanda Gallagher celebrated for breaking the 1,000-point barrier but Zullo was recognized for being the all-time leader in girls basketball career wins at Simsbury. Zullo, who began coaching in the 2013-14 season, has a career mark of 169-70. Dan Franczek had a career record of 163-108 when he coached at Simsbury from 1982-95.

(7) Simsbury 48, (8) Newington 38
At Simsbury
Newington (38) Hope Romanello 1-0-2, Ella Stair 3-1-9, Bela Cucuta 3-5-11, Kendall Miller 3-1-8, Juju. Flores 2-0-4, Nadjah Dolowba 2-0-4. Totals 14-7-38
Simsbury (48) Charlie Reitz 2-0-4, Olivia Jarvis 5-1-11, Charlotte Diviney 0-0-0, Addison Girard 0-2-2, Amanda Gallagher 6-11-24, Alexa Gallagher 2-2-7. Totals 15-16-48
Newington (13-4)              8  6  10  14 – 38
Simsbury (16-1)               11  9  10  18 – 48
Three-point goals: Amanda Gallagher (S), Alexa Gallagher (S), Stair (N) 2, Miller (N)

1,000 point scorers

The following Simsbury High basketball players scored at least 1,000 points in their high school career.