Patience, discipline help Lewis Mills overcome Plainville in OT

Lewis Mills’ Layla Ljubuncic eyes a foul shot in overtime against Plainville. (Photo courtesy Steve Barlow)

By STEVE BARLOW
Special to The Collinsville Press

BURLINGTON, Jan. 6, 2025  – More than likely, no one on the Lewis Mills High School girls basketball team knows much about the late Dean Smith and his innovative strategies as coach of the University of North Carolina men’s basketball team in the Tar Heels’ heyday 50 years ago.

Veteran Spartans coach Al Ciarlo is a Dean disciple, though, and a small dose of Smith’s tactics helped Mills pull out a 57-54 overtime victory over Plainville on Tuesday afternoon at the Thunderdome.

With the win, the Spartans (4-1) are off to their best start in seven seasons in the Central Connecticut Conference.

Clinging to a 52-51 lead with under a minute left in overtime, Mills spread their offense and ran off some time before junior guard Layla Ljubuncic found senior center Brooke Martineau alone under the basket for two points.

Plainville’s Audra Pearson tied the score at 54-54 with a three-pointer for the Blue Devils (3-3), but Ljubuncic answered by sinking a foul shot and then, from the spread again, feeding a wide-open Martineau for another layup with 14 seconds left.

“In our delay, we hit her twice for layups. That was beautiful,” said Ciarlo, adding with a chuckle. “That’s our little Carolina Dean Smith Four Corners.”

The Spartans began their season with a 48-37 upset of Bristol Central, the 10th ranked team in the state. It was their first win over the Rams in six seasons. Central was without injured All-State guard Kamaria Bowens, but has since run off five straight wins.

“Bristol Central definitely was a special one because they got us last year,” said Ljubuncic. “We came out very hungry in the first game of the season and were ready at home. That definitely meant a lot.”

The next contest was the only loss, 50-48 to Simsbury, in a game that saw the Spartans rally from 15 points down to tie the score in the final minute before Simsbury put in the final two points.

Ljubuncic led the way against Plainville with 23 points, hitting four 3-pointers. She scored 14 in the second period alone as Mills built a 33-27 halftime lead. Martineau finished with 13 points and senior guard Jillian Tiso had 10.

The Spartans start two seniors (Martineau, Tiso), two juniors (Ljubuncic, Liza Putnam) and a freshman (Caitlyn Putnam), and also count on two more freshmen off the bench in Megan Jones and Kendall Buthe. Sophomore Sophie Valigorsky and junior Maddie Day also provide depth.

“We have very good freshmen who came in this year and were very prepared,” said Ljubuncic. “Everyone on the team has a winning mindset. The goal at practice is to focus on everything we need to do, so when we get into the game, we’re prepared.”
The unquestioned leader is Ljubuncic.

“She’s everything,” said Ciarlo. “With her 3-point shot and that little move she’s worked on, that little step-back shot – she just works, works, works. She’s amazing.”

Last season, Mills qualified for the CCC tournament for the first time ever and even won a Class M state tournament game for the first time in nine years. This year, Ciarlo thinks the Spartans, now in the new Division III tournament, can improve on that showing.

And then there’s the matter of the state poll. Although Central is ranked 10^th, Mills isn’t even receiving any votes from voters in the girls basketball top 10 poll. Ljubuncic, though, is unfazed.

“I’m not too worried,” she said. “I think that will come if we keep performing well.”

Lewis Mills 57, Plainville 54, OT
At Burlington
Plainville (54): Yzabella Colon 5 0 14, Soleil Vasquez 2 2 6, Issys Vasquez 5 4 16, Audra Pearson 3 0 7, Cyriah Bernard 4 3 11, Jayleene Torres 0 0 0, Presley Labbe-Flood 0 0 0. Totals 19 9 54
Lewis Mills (57): Jillian Tiso 4 1 10, Megan Jones 0 0 0, Caitlyn Putnam 2 3 7, Brooke Martineau 6 0 13, Liza Putnam 0 2 2, Layla Ljubuncic 7 5 23, Sophie Valigorsky 0 0 0, Maddie Day 1 0 2. Totals 20 11 57
Plainville (3-3)                 9  18  16  6  5  — 54
Lewis Mills (4-1)           10  23    8  8  8  – 57
Three-point goals: Colon (P) 4, I. Vasquez (P) 2, Pearson (P); Ljubuncic (LM) 4, Martineau (LM), Tiso (LM)