John Frieders, Sports Editor
@john_frieders
NCHS High School Gym – – Last night, the boys basketball team defeated Norwalk High School 40-30, picking up their first FCIAC win of the season and moving to 3-1 overall. Norwalk, on the other hand, falls to 0-2 in conference play.
The Rams came out victorious last night thanks to an all-around team effort. Senior Captain Simon Tchakarov led the team in scoring, with 10 points, including an and-one layup to shut the door on the Bears with 22.8 seconds left. Sophomore Blue Vertin contributed 8 points on 2-6 shooting.
Although the Rams put up 40 points it was their defense that stole the show, holding Norwalk to just 14 points in the first half and 16 in the second. This season the Rams defense is allowing 39 PPG through the first four games of the year. The team has struggled offensively, though, possibly due to the quick turnaround from football to basketball season. Three of the six Senior Captains were also captains of the football team (Luke Robinson, Michael Smith, and Simon Tchakarov). One thing is for sure – they bring championship mindsets and pedigrees after capturing the program’s 15 CIAC State Championship on December 13th at Central Connecticut State University.
The win against Norwalk is a great rebound following a tough 47-37 loss to the FCIAC favorite, Staples High School. Although the team couldn’t defeat Staples, Head Coach Danny Melzer and Assistant Coach Michael Tiscia were both extremely “impressed” with the defensive aggressiveness and overall performance.
The Rams’ first two wins of the season were at the Holiday Tournament at Bethel High School over winter break. The Rams beat Bethel 61- 46 in the Championship led by junior Henry Chandra, who scored 28 points. Henry was the Tournament MVP and Luke Robinson made the all-tournament team. This was the boys’ fourth consecutive year winning the Holiday Tournament Championship.
The Rams play the second game of a back-to-back at Bassick High School tonight at 7 PM. They then return home for a matchup against 6-1 Fairfield Ludlowe on Friday night. Don’t worry if you can’t make it to the gym to support the boys because the game will be broadcasted on NCTV’s YouTube channel at NCTV78. Tip-off is at 7PM.
Photos by John Frieders
