Wilton knocks off St. Joseph

Posted on January 18, 2016 by kgeriak13

WILTON — James Maloney is not playing like someone who had been away from varsity basketball for more than two years.

The 6-foot-4 senior recorded a double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds on Friday to help lead Wilton to a 64-55 victory over St. Joseph at the Zeoli Fieldhouse.

It was the sixth straight win for the Warriors following a season-opening loss to Pomperaug.

“It becomes really easy when your teammates are finding you for open layups,” said Maloney, who played recreation basketball during his sophomore and junior years at Wilton. “It’s simple. You just have to finish, work and focus. That’s all it takes.”

After being cut from the varsity as a sophomore, Maloney didn’t try out for the team last year as he was looking to win a recreation league championship which didn’t happen.

However, he wanted tougher competition before he graduated and opted to return to the Warriors, a decision that greatly pleased Wilton coach Joel Geriak.

“Tonight was attack inside and James Maloney came through with everything he did tonight. James played a great game. It’s the best I’ve ever seen him play to be honest with you.”

After a back-and-forth first quarter that featured five lead changes, the Warriors grabbed a 17-15 lead on Jack Williams’ runner in the lane with 10 seconds left in the quarter.

Wilton then took control in the second quarter, building a 30-17 lead on Maloney’s layup with 3:55 remaining in the half.

The one-two punch of Maloney and Williams, who led the Warriors with 21 points, six rebounds and three assists, was too much for the Cadets (2-4) to handle.

The Warriors placed three players in double figures as Drew Connolly chipped in with 13 points, six rebounds and two assists.

Wilton kept St. Joseph off balance with strong ball movement and shot better than 50 percent from the field through three quarters while continuing to find the open man, often for layups inside.

“Every practice, we get better,” Maloney added. “We’re starting to gel as a team. It’s really coming together. It’s starting to look nice. It’s starting to look pretty, is what it looks like.”

The Warriors also played a tight zone on defense, keeping St. Joseph mostly on the perimeter.

The Cadets hit nine three-pointers to stay within striking distance but they only attempted two free throws in the entire game.

Omar Telfer hit two wide-open three-pointers from the top of they key in the first quarter but was held to only two points over the final three quarters and finished with 10.

After Telfer’s second three-pointer tied the game at 15-15 with 38 seconds left in the first, the Warriors responded with a 15-2 run.

“We wanted to pack it in,” Geriak said. “A couple times we lost assignments, that’s when they got into the lane, but other than that the game plan worked to perfection tonight.”

St. Joseph sliced Wilton’s lead to 34-27 at the half, then pulled within 34-31 early in the third quarter on a layup by Cameron Menefee, who paced the Cadets with 14 points.

However, Connolly’s three-pointer ignited a 13-0 spurt that allowed the Warriors to built a 47-31 cushion with 2:52 left in the third quarter and essentially put away the contest.

The Cadets finally ended the Warriors’ run on Tim Dineen’s two free throws with 2:18 remaining in the third quarter.

Maloney contributed six points during the burst before his final layup gave Wilton its biggest lead at 58-41 with 4:48 remaining.

“He’s been a gigantic lift for this team,” Geriak added. “I think that’s why we are where we are this year, because we have that big presence.”

The Cadets did cut the deficit to 60-51 on Menefee’s follow with 1:21 left but got no closer.

Connolly and Matt Kronenberg each hit two free throws in the final minute to account for Wilton’s final four points.

Dineen brought the margin back under double figures with a layup in the final seconds.

The Warriors are back in action on Tuesday when they face Fairfield Warde (7 p.m.), the first of consecutive games against the Fairfield schools as they play at Ludlowe on Friday.

Wilton boys basketball team edges Greenwich

Posted on January 13, 2016 by kgeriak13

Wilton boys basketball team edges Greenwich

By David Fierro

Updated 10:42 pm, Tuesday, January 12, 201

Photo: Bob Luckey Jr. / Hearst Connecticut Media

Drew Connolly (#22) of Wilton, center, has his shot blocked by Joe Lanni (#2) of Greenwich, at right, during the boys high school basketball game between Greenwich High School and Wilton High School at … more

Strong perimeter shooting and solid defensive play have been the Wilton High School boys basketball team’s trademarks for quite some time under coach Joel Geriak.

Tuesday, both aspects helped propel the Warriors past host Greenwich in a key early-season FCIAC game.

Junior forward Jack Williams scored a team-high 16 points and Wilton relied on its effective man-to-man defense to edge Greenwich 55-51.

“Our defense, especially in the second half, was good,” Geriak said. “We knew this was going to be a tough game for us. It’s always hard to play here and Greenwich is a very good team. We’re not as big as most teams, so we have to rely on our defense and overall scrappy play, each game.”

Junior guard Matt Kronenberg scored 11 points, junior guard Drew Connolly added nine and junior forward Josh Wood effectively face-guarded Cardinals leading scorer Conor Harkins most of the game for the Warriors (5-1, 2-0 FCIAC).

Greenwich (3-3, 1-2) received a game-high 18 points from senior forward Mike Gianopoulos, who was a difficult matchup for Wilton throughout. Behind a 12-0 run, the Cardinals opened a 42-36 lead early in the fourth quarter. But the Warriors soon found their rhythm offensively.

“Defensively, we played well, holding them to 55 points,” GHS coach Patrick Heaton said. “We just have to hit our shots and score more. They did a good job of taking Conor out of the game with what they did defensively.”

Senior center James Maloney (10 points) scored on consecutive putbacks, putting the Warriors ahead for good at 48-44 with 3:07 left in the final quarter. Trailing 36-34 after three quarters, the Cards seized the momentum with 12 straight points. Hitting the boards hard, 6-foot-5 senior Kieran Carroll scored on a pair of putbacks during Greenwich’s run.

The home team jumped out to a 7-1 first-quarter lead, but the Warriors closed to within 13-10 heading into the second quarter. Guard Robert Clark’s 3-pointer from the left corner gave Greenwich an 18-11 advantage early in the second quarter, but Wilton finished the second stanza strong, getting six straight points from Williams against the Cards’ man-to-man defense.

“This is a huge FCIAC win for us,” Williams said. “Defensively, we were able to slow down their best player and Drew (Connolly) hit some big shots for us down the stretch. Hopefully, we can keep our momentum going.”

Clark had 11 points, senior point guard Henry Golden scored eight and Kieran Carroll contributed eight for Greenwich, which hosts Ridgefield on Friday.

“It was a close game between two good shooting teams,” Gianopoulos said. “With them focusing on stopping Conor (Harkins) we had to step up offensively.”

david.fierro@scni.com; 203-625-4423

WILTON 55, GREENWICH 51

WILTON (55)

Matt Kronenberg 4 3-4 11; Jack Williams 8 1-2 18; Drew Connolly 3 3-4 9; Sean Breslin 2 2-2 8; James Maloney 5 0-0 10; Kyle Shifrin 0 0-0 0.

GREENWICH (51)

Mike Gianopoulos 9 0-4 18; Henry Golden 2 3-4 8; Robert Clark 5 0-0 11; Kieran Carroll 4 0-0 8; Joey Lanni 1 0-0 2; Quinlan Carroll 1 0-0 2; Conor Harkins 0 2-2 2.

WILTON 10 16 10 19 — 55

GREENWICH 13 11 10 17 — 51

3-pointers: W — Williams, Breslin; G — Golden, Clark.

Wilton drives its way to 93-60 rout of Central

Posted on January 12, 2016 by kgeriak13

The Wilton High boys basketball team was wise to follow head coach Joel Geriak’s pre-game advice Friday night.

“I told my team to attack the rim,”said Geriak, “and that gave us early easy baskets and opened up a lead.”

Taking advantage of Bridgeport Central’s weak interior defense, Wilton romped to a 93-60 win over the visiting Hilltoppers at the Zeoli Field House.

Geriak knew that Central had surrendered 91 points in each of its first two losses this season, so pushing the ball up the court and getting the ball down low was the game plan — and one that his team executed perfectly. When the Wilton guards penetrated the lane they found themselves getting to the rim for baskets or dishing off to James Maloney and Jack Williams for more baskets.

The Warriors (4-1) opened the game with a 5-0 run, but Central got within 7-4. That’s when the Wilton offense and defense went into high gear, leading to a 24-0 run that produced a 31-4 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Eight Warriors found the bottom of the net in the first eight minutes of play, capitalizing on 11 Central turnovers. Williams and Jack Wood (two three-pointers) led the way with six points and Maloney added five points.

Wilton began the second quarter on a 5-0 run to go ahead 36-4 before the Hilltoppers finally broke through with a basket at the 6:18 mark of the period. The Warriors kept on driving the ball into the lane with success, giving the home team a 52-23 advantage at the half.

Wilton kept up its intensity in the second half, even with Geriak shuffling players in and out. The Warriors’ 33-point margin of victory came with Central scoring the game’s final 13 points.

“We played to our strength tonight and it paid off with a win,” said Geriak, whose team has now won four straight. “We are a better team when we push the ball up the floor.”

In his fifth year as Wilton’s head coach, Geriak always seems to get the most out of his under-sized squad.

“This team is another bunch of blue-collar workers who come to practice and work hard, knowing if they don’t they’re not going to get playing time,” said Geriak. “The coaching staff pushes them hard and they expect nothing less.

“The players know the team has had success over the last few years and they drive themselves to continue that success,” added Geriak. “The team is still learning, but they are gaining confidence each time out and they believe in themselves.”

Williams led all scorers with 16 points, followed by Matt Kronenberg and freshman Nick Kronenberg (four three-pointers) with 14 points apiece. Drew Connolly had 11 points, while Maloney finished with 10 points and Michael Brown, Sean Breslin, Kyle Shifrin and Wood all added six points.

Wilton beats Kolbe Cathedral, defends Hoops for Heroes Holiday title

Posted on January 4, 2016 by kgeriak13

NEWTOWN — If one player epitomized the Wilton High School boys basketball team on Wednesday night it was Matt Kronenberg.

The junior guard was struggling with turnovers against a more athletic Kolbe Cathedral squad in the championship game of the Hoops for Heroes Holiday Classic at the Hawks’ Nest at Newtown High School.

Instead of getting down and hanging his head, though, Kronenberg kept battling back, scoring 19 points, grabbing eight rebounds and helping fuel a defensive effort that led Wilton to a 69-53 win over the Cougars.

It was Wilton’s second straight Hoops for Heroes title after winning the tournament last winter, as well.

“This was one of our goals,” said Wilton head coach Joel Geriak. “Our three goals are to win the holiday tournament, qualify for states and try to qualify for FCIACs. We pulled out (a first-round win) against Staples and pulled away in the second half to win this one.”

Jack Williams added 21 points, five steals, four assists and three rebounds for the Warriors, who improved to 3-1 with their third straight win. Drew Connolly added 18 points and five assists.

If Kronenberg could brush off his rough night, though, there was no reason why the rest of the Warriors couldn’t do the same.

After jumping out to a 9-0 lead to open game, Wilton was down 29-26 at the half.

After Kronenberg hit a leaner to cut the lead to one, Kolbe went on a 9-1 spurt to take a 38-29 lead with 5:45 to play in the third.

Geriak then decided to mix things up and switched to a 1-3-1 extended zone on defense.

“It gives us energy, to be honest with you,” said Geriak. “We were hoping the 3-2 we were playing would give them fits, but they hit some shots and we didn’t box out and they got up by nine. We went to the 1-3-1, got out in transition and we do well when we run, so it worked.”

An offensive rebound putback by James Maloney (9 points, 11 rebounds) ignited a big Wilton run.

Kronenberg finished a driving lay-up and Connolly sank two foul shots to make it 38-35 in favor of the Cougars.

After Victor Billups scored for Kolbe (40-35), Maloney converted an old-fashioned three-point play to cut the lead to two points.

On Wilton’s next trip down the floor, Williams swished a three-point shot, putting Wilton in the lead at 41-40.

A Connolly lay-in was answered by Kolbe’s Tahj Brown draining a three-pointer, tying he game at 43-all with 2:15 to play in the third.

The Cougars would only scored two more field goals over the final 10:15 of the game while Wilton’s offense continued to roll.

A Williams trifecta off an inbounds play gave Wilton the lead for good.

After Connolly answered Kolbe turnover with a fast-break layup, Williams went to a conventional three-point play to push the lead to 51-43 with 1:39 left in the third.

Two more Cougar miscues turned into a Connolly trey and a Williams layup as Wilton took a 56-43 advantage into the fourth quarter.

“Defensively, it just amped us up and got us going and that got our offense going,” said Williams. “It allows us to run and play our game, which is more of attack. The three (pointer) is a big part of our game, but I wouldn’t say we live and die by it because we attack well, too. It’s just what we do.”

Kronenberg knew he couldn’t let his struggles bring down his team, especially when the Warriors were down nine.

“I had a lot (of turnovers) but you can’t be down the entire game,” he said. “You have to have energy and move on to the next play. If you stay behind, you’re just going to lose. I had to get my head straight. It worked out really well for the team.”

It worked so well that it carried over into the fourth quarter, too.

Kyle Shifrin scored to open the fourth off a feed from Sean Breslin and Kronenberg sank two foul shots.

That capped off a 31-5 run by the Warriors, pushing the lead to as high as 17 points.

Williams and Kronenberg were honored as members of the All-Tournament team, as well.

Wilton has a bye next week and doesn’t play again until Jan. 8 when it hosts Bridgeport Central at the Zeoli Field House.

Kolbe, which slipped to 1-3, was led by Billups’ 19 points while Marvin Francois added 13.

Williams leads Wilton past Masuk

Posted on December 24, 2015 by kgeriak13

WILTON — The all-around play of Jack Williams and the clutch shooting of Nick Kronenberg helped carry the Wilton High boys basketball team to its first win of the season.

Williams, a junior captain, finished with 30 points, seven steals, five rebounds and three assists while Kronenberg, a freshman sharpshooter, buried three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter as the Warriors pulled away from Masuk on their way to a 67-54 non-conference victory over the Panthers in Wednesday’s home opener at the Zeoli Field House.

“We played nine-to-10 deep and our freshman (Kronenberg) kid, who isn’t one of our top players, came in and had a good game,” Wilton head coach Joel Geriak said. “Offensively, Jack Williams carried us tonight and he’s a special player. I’ve been trying to keep it a secret but it’s going to be out there now.

“I’m very happy after this game how we fared,” he added.

Kronenberg racked up 15 points, all off 3-pointers, and with Wilton (1-1) clinging to a 43-42 lead midway through the fourth quarter, he drilled a 3-pointer off an assist from Williams to make the score 46-42 (5:34). After a putback by Masuk’s Michael Slattery pulled the Panthers to within two, 46-44 (5:20), Kronenberg buried another trey from his brother Matt Kronenberg for a 49-44 lead (5:05), which keyed a 7-0 run that put the Warriors ahead.

“The kid has ice water in his veins,” Geriak said of his 5-foot-5 rookie guard. “He shoots the ball very well and he makes teams respect him, which opens up the entire offense. That’s the difference. When he did that we started to get to the basket, just because he was on the floor.”

Nick Kronenberg said he gained a lot of confidence when he hit two first-half 3-pointers.

“My job on varsity is to play defense and stay in the corner and if a ball gets to me, let it fly,” said the freshman, who scored his first varsity points on a 3-pointer in the season opener against Pomperaug. “I felt really good I could help the team in any way and I’m glad we got the win.”

Williams had four points during the run and capped it with a drive to the basket for a 53-44 lead (2:55).

“We kept attacking, hit our shoots and that made a difference in the game,” the junior captain said. “I always try to attack and dish off to my teammates. It’s definitely a big win and to get the win at home in front of our home fans is big.”

Williams added that Nick Kronenberg gave juice to the team’s run down the stretch and his brother Matt Kronenberg (13 points, five rebounds, four assists and a steal) helped salt away the victory by going 7-of-8 from the free throw line in the final minutes. Williams also went 4-for-4 from the charity stripe.

Masuk (1-1) gave the Warriors all they could handle through three quarters but were susceptible to the Warriors’ pressure defense (13 steals).

Wilton had a 10-7 lead after the first quarter but in the second, Williams got into foul trouble and was forced to sit. The Panthers took advantage and closed the gap to 26-23 at intermission.

“We knew coming in that they liked to bomb away from 3-point range,” Masuk head coach Peter Szklarz said. “I think we got a little fatigued (in the fourth quarter) and we were short a couple of guys so that opened things up for them. We were hanging right there with them (through three quarters) but we were careless with the ball. We need to take care of the ball better and cut down on the turnovers.”

In the third quarter, Wilton led by as many as seven and carried a 43-38 advantage into the fourth. Williams had nine points in the third to pace the Warriors.

A basket by Cameron Kovachik, a senior center who led the Panthers with 23 points and made his presence felt on the glass, pulled Masuk to within one at 43-42 (7:15) but after that Nick Kronenberg made his presence felt and the rest is history.

“It’s win No. 1 and it helps getting the monkey off your back,” Geriak said. “We didn’t rebound as well as we’d like but we’ll work on it.”

Wilton will be back in action in the Newtown Holiday Tournament against Staples in a non-conference encounter on Monday, Dec. 28.

Wilton Boys Hoop Team Loses Opener

Posted on December 23, 2015 by kgeriak13

The Wilton High boys basketball team’s 2015-16 campaign opened with a 71-58 road loss to non-conference opponent Pomperaug on Monday night in Southbury.

“They’re a very talented team and should be at the top of their conference battling for that title,” said Wilton head coach Joel Geriak about Pomperaug.

The final score was somewhat deceiving as the Warriors were within five points with two minutes to play before Pomperaug made its fouls shots in the closing minutes to pull away.

Pomperaug led by as many as 12 points with five minutes left in the game, but Wilton went on a run to cut its deficit to five points.

Pomperaug held a 28-24 lead at halftime.

Senior co-captain Jack Williams filled up the stat sheet for the Warriors, leading the team with 19 points while adding seven rebounds and five assists.

Matt Kronenberg chipped in with 12 points, and Drew Connolly had 10 points and Sean Breslin added nine points.

Five Pomperaug players finished in double figures, with Chase Belden (18 points) and Noah Miree (16 points) leading the way.

Notes: Wilton drained 10 three-pointers, while Pomperaug hit for eight treys.

The Warriors play their home opener on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. against Masuk.

Boys basketball: Wilton hopes to continue momentum, despite losses

Posted on December 23, 2015 by kgeriak13

Eight seniors are gone from a year ago, and while the Wilton High boys basketball team won’t exactly be starting from scratch, the team has some work to do.

The Warriors open the season on Monday at Pomperaug (7 p.m.).

Only one key contributor from last year is back, junior captain Jack Williams, and the roster has only two seniors, with the rest being five juniors, three sophomores and a freshman.

“We are very, very young,” said head coach Joel Geriak, whose team finished 16-8 last season, making it to the FCIAC semifinals and second round of the Class L state tournament.

Last year’s eight seniors — Matt Shifrin, Richie Williams, Scott Shouvlin, Mike Bingaman, Lucas Savoie, T.J. Savvaides, Miles Elmasry, and Ryan Curtis — combined for more than 60 points per game last season.

Shifrin, the all-time scoring leader for the WHS boys team, led the way with an average of 20.7 points per game, while Shouvlin hit for 10.5 points per game. The two sharpshooters combined for 109 of the team’s 175 three-pointers.

Richie Williams (9.1 ppg, 3.4 assists per game) and Bingaman (9.6 ppg, 6.3 rebounds per game) were also top scoring threats last year. Williams was third on the team with 21 treys and Bingaman had 19 treys.

Jack Williams, a 6’0” small forward, is coming off a season in which he averaged 4.4 points and 2.7 rebounds per game, with 19 three-pointers.

Junior Matt Kronenberg will take over at point guard. He saw action in 12 games last season, averaged nearly three points per game, and was 38% from beyond the arc.

At shooting guard, the Warriors will start Drew Connolly, who saw limited varsity action a year ago, while the front line will have two other newcomers in power forward Jack Wood, a 6’1” junior, and center James Maloney, a 6’4” senior.

Two sophomores expected to make an impact off the bench are 6’0” forward Kyle Shifrin and guard Kyle Maatallah. Senior Max Brown provides defense off the bench, and junior Sean Breslin provides depth at shooting guard.

Sophomore Robbie Hermann, a 6’3” forward/center, will bolster the frontline, while 6’9” sophomore Scott Volmer is another player to look for under the basket.

Rounding out the lineup are junior guard Joe Pozzi and freshman guard Chris Kronenberg.

Geriak said the younger players will have to learn the system, and lack of varsity experience will be an issue early in the season.

That said, he feels the Warriors have enough talent and depth for them to play 10 to 11 players per game. On defense, Wilton will 1-3-1 trap to bottle up opposing offenses. When players have the ball, they will run.

“We want to get out and push the ball as fast as we can,” he said.

According to Geriak, the FCIAC looks to be fairly even this year.

“The league is open. A lot of teams that made FCIACs lost a lot of people. It should be wide open.”

The Warriors’ goals are to keep their streak of FCIAC playoff appearances going, in addition to getting back into the state playoffs and winning their holiday tournament.

Geriak said the team, despite its inexperience, has the potential to continue the momentum that Wilton’s built the last several years.

“Once they get used to the speed of the game, and what other teams are trying to take away from, and what they’re trying to take away from other teams, I think they’ll be very good,” he said. “They want to build off what (last year’s seniors) did and build their own legacy.”

WHS hoops coaches take programs to new heights

Posted on April 14, 2015 by kgeriak13

The Wilton High girls basketball team reached the pinnacle this season by winning a state championship for the first time in school history, and the Wilton High boys basketball team has qualified for state tournament play for four consecutive years.

But the wheels to get those programs where they are now were put in motion several years ago, when new head coaches were hired.

Wilton eliminated by Naugautck

Posted on March 16, 2015 by kgeriak13

NAUGATUCK — This time of year, with state tournament basketball games scattered in gyms far and wide, there are no second chances, not for the losing teams on the scoreboard.

That is why a cruel twist of fate hurt the Wilton boys basketball team so badly on Thursday night. Read More….

Wilton cruises past East Haven

Posted on March 11, 2015 by kgeriak13

WILTON — The Wilton High boys basketball team played its game to perfection.

The Warriors’ up-tempo style and deadly 3-point shooting was too much for East Haven as Wilton dispatched the Yellowjackets 87-49 in a first round CIAC Class L state tournament contest on Tuesday night at the Zeoli Field House. Read More…