No. 1 Holy Cross pulls away from Farmington in Class L semifinal

Farmington sophomore Leah McKenzie tries to get past Holy Cross’ Shania Howard during Saturday night’s Class L semifinal at New Britain. Holy Cross won, 69-63.

NEW BRITAIN, March 9, 2024 – Playing against tough defensive teams is nothing new to the Farmington High girls basketball team – especially when one plays in the CCC West with Simsbury and Conard.

So, it was no surprise to the River Hawks or their faithful fans that they were hanging tough with top seeded Holy Cross in Saturday night’s Class L semifinal at New Britain High.

The River Hawks led by as many as five points in the second quarter and had a two-point lead with 5:10 left in the third quarter.

But Holy Cross (24-2) loves to get in your face and apply full-court pressure. The Crusaders used a 14-4 run in the final five minutes of the third quarter to create some space and beat No. 12 Farmington, 69-63 to advance to the championship game next weekend at the Mohegan Sun Arena.

Holy Cross also outscored Farmington, 11-4, in the first three minutes of the fourth quarter to take a 13-point lead, 61-48.

“We pride ourselves on pressure full-court, man-to-man defense,” Holy Cross coach Frank Lombardo said. “We work really hard every day on conditioning and getting into people’s space. I think from the middle of the third quarter through early in the fourth quarter, I think they began to get a little tired. You could see it with their passes.”

Holy Cross’ Corinne Lomax led all scorers with 22 points, with much of per production in the low post and under the basket. Shania Howard added 20 points for the Crusaders, who return to the final after a one-year absence. Holy Cross beat Bacon Academy in the 2022 Class M championship game.

Farmington’s Emily Sanchez (5), left, led the River Hawks with 14 points in Saturday night’s loss to No. 1 Holy Cross.

Farmington (15-10) was looking to return to the state finals for the first time since 2018.

The River Hawks beat No. 21 Hillhouse, 66-48, upset No. 5 Middletown, 72-45, and whipped No. 13 Bethel, 68-25 to earn a spot in the semifinals.

“They played their best basketball in the postseason, which is what we build to,” first-year head coach Jeff Manaresi said. (Playing in) the CCC West and CCC overall prepares you for the postseason. We felt we could make a good run.

“We weren’t surprised at hall how close the game was,” he said. “There is nothing to be ashamed of. We have the No. 1 seed all they could handle.”

The River Hawks stayed in the game by sinking eight shots from three-point range, led by Emily Sanchez, with 14 points and four shots from three-point range. Sarah Bertolette had 13 hard-earned points in the paint while Abigail Bertolette scored 12. Leah McKenzie added 10 with a pair of three-point shots.

Tied at 17-17 after one quarter, Farmington took a 22-17 thanks to a fast break basket from Syndie Smith after a Holy Cross turnover and a three-point shot from Sanchez.

Farmington led 27-25 with 2:25 remaining in the second quarter thanks to a three-pointer from the corner from Karishma Palanivel. But Holy Cross closed out the quarter with a 7-2 run to take a 32-29 lead at halftime.

The River Hawks scored seven of the first nine points of the third quarter to take a slim 36-34 lead thanks to a three-point shot from Leah McKenzie, Abigail Bertolette scoring in the paint and Sarah Bertolette hitting a jump shot.

Holy Cross will face No. 2 Simsbury in next weekend’s title game at the Mohegan Sun Arena.

Holy Cross 69, Farmington 63
At New Britain
Farmington (63) Karishma Palanivel 3-0-8, Emily Sanchez 5-0-14, Abigail Bertolette 6-0-12, Brooke Jones 1-0-2, Elise Albert 0-0-0, Sarah Bertolette 6-1-13, Leah McKenzie 4-1-10, Amelia Clark 0-0-0, Sydnie Smith 2-0-4. Totals 27 1-3 63
Holy Cross (69) Shania Howard 7-5-20, Madelyn Neibel 0-0-0, Isabella Oliver 1-2-5, Julia Benvegnu 0-0-0, Mia Mattaboni 1-0-2, Quinn Barry 0-0-0, Rachel Healey 1-7-9, Corinne Lomax 11-0-22. Totals 24 18-21 60
Farmington (15-10)          17  12  15  19  — 63
Holy Cross (24-2)             17  15  18  19  — 69
Three-point goals: Palanivel (F) 2, Sanchez (F) 4, McKenzie (F) 2, Howard (HC), Lombardo (HC), Oliver (HC)