New Canaan’s 7th grade girls beat New Fairfield 30-24 on Sunday at New Fairfield Middle School in a FCBL league game.
New Canaan’s 7th grade girls basketball team beat New Fairfield on Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016. Contributed
Quinn McKiernan led all scorers with 13 points including 4 3-pointers, followed by Elizabeth St. George with 7 and Marlee Smith with 4.
New Canaan controlled the pace of the game right from the tipoff but New Fairfield kept the game close. Chloe Reidy scored the first basket of the game off of a pass by St. George. The teams exchanged baskets throughout the first quarter but by the second quarter, New Fairfield raced to a 5 point lead. Baskets by Olivia West and a buzzer-beating 3 pointer by McKiernan brought the teams to a 17-17 tie at the half.
The second half was all New Canaan. McKiernan started the half with another 3-pointer, followed by a fast break by Smith that that gave New Canaan 5 point lead they never relinquished. Strong defensive rebounding by Emma Gibbens and Julia Bazata and ball movement by
Sophia Karimnejad helped New Canaan keep possession of the ball for most of the half. Strong man-to-man defense by Tyler Towers resulted in multiple turnovers by New Fairfield, and point guard Cameron Murphy controlled the backcourt and the clock with her strong ball control skills. Although New Fairfield threatened during the last few minutes, a steal and fast break basket by Murphy sealed the win.