Denis Mulcahy wasn’t a name most FCIAC coaches were familiar with coming into 2021. The New Canaan senior didn’t log too many minutes last season and has mainly been content this year to be a role player – setting bone crushing screens, dominating the glass at both ends of the court, taking charges and diving for loose balls.
New Canaan’s Denis Mulcahy (#22) drives against Staples’ Ryan Thompson (#14). Credit: Mike Wilson
After Tuesday night’s performance against Staples, Mulcahy’s anonymity will be a thing of the past.
The 6’5” forward was left open for most of the first half and he made the Wreckers pay, scoring 10 of his team-high 18 points on the night and leading New Canaan to a 59-50 road win.
“Denis played with such confidence,” New Canaan head coach Danny Melzer said. “He didn’t hesitate and believed in himself. He works so hard on his shot. He came back to the bench and people were surprised and he said, ‘I take that shot every single day in practice.’ It translates to the games. That’s why we work on the things we do.”
“Denis has been grinding all year,” senior co-captain Christian Sweeney told NewCanaanite.com. “They weren’t respecting him. I was so happy he went off had a great game. I’ve been on a lot of varsity teams throughout my high school career and this is the most tight-knight group that I’ve been a part of.”
As has been the case multiple times this season the Rams got off to a fast start against Staples, setting the tone with their defensive play. Less than a week removed from a game against Danbury in which the Rams pitched a shutout in the first quarter, New Canaan held the previously-undefeated Wreckers scoreless for the first 7:59 of the contest. A 30-foot heave at the buzzer by Staples senior Lucas Basich was the only score for the Wreckers in the opening stanza.
To its credit, Staples did not go down quietly, pulling to with four points in the second quarter and again with a little more than two minutes left in the game before New Canaan put the game away by converting 12 of 14 foul shots in the home stretch to close things out.
“The first half we were in a rut offensively, defensively and you have to credit Danny and New Canaan for that,” Staples head coach Colin Devine said. “I thought we played a great second half and there’s a lot to be proud of. We have to fix some mistakes and we will be OK.”
“We had a couple of lapses and Staples made a good run at us,” Melzer said. “I was proud of the way we responded. A few years ago we might have found a way to lose that game. This is a senior-laden team and they found a way to right the ship, get some stops when we needed to and make free throws down the stretch. This is a team that doesn’t rely on just one guy. Tonight different guys carried us and I hope that’s a sign of things to come.”
New Canaan’s Blake Wilson (#13) maneuvers past Christopher Zajac (#31).
Credit: Mike Wilson
Sophomore Blake Wilson had a career-high 14 points and was a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line. Senior co-captain Will Bozzella added 12 points and senior co-captain Leo Magnus scored 9 for the Rams who won their third straight game while improving to 6-1 on the season. Staples fell to 7-1.
After New Canaan jumped out to an 11-0 lead, Staples went on an 11-4 run from the end of the first quarter into the second and trailed the Rams 15-11 with 4:50 left in the half. Mulcahy scored the next six points of the game to extend the Rams’ lead to 21-11 with 3:15 remaining in the second.
A three from Wilson gave the Rams their biggest lead of the game at 24-11. Staples’ Derek Sale countered with a three of his own to send the teams into the intermission with New Canaan leading 24-14.
New Canaan appeared to put the game away in the third, starting the half on a 10-4 run to go up 34-18. Once again, the Wreckers fought back, outscoring the Rams 9-2 over the next three minutes to pull within nine points. Magnus hit a buzzer-beating three to put New Canaan up 39-27 entering the fourth.
New Canaan co-captain Will Bozzella (#14). Credit: Mike Wilson
The Wreckers turned up the tempo in the final quarter and after forcing several New Canaan turnovers suddenly found themselves back in the game, trailing 47-43 with 2:18 left to play. From there, it became a free throw shooting contest and New Canaan responded. Expert personnel management by Melzer and clutch foul shooting from Magnus, Sweeney, Wilson, Bozzella and sophomore Jack Hladick carried the Rams over the final minutes to an impressive win over a top-quality conference foe.
The win gives New Canaan some much needed momentum as they will take on defending FCIAC champs Ridgefield Wednesday followed by a game against the always-tough Wilton Warriors on Friday.
“We still need to get better and work on a lot of things,” Melzer said. “At the same time, normally I would say, ‘Move on, we’re on to Ridgefield.’ Not this year. We are going to enjoy every moment. So we are going to enjoy a good victory against a very good Staples team at their house. And after we’re done enjoying it we will turn the page and focus on Ridgefield.”
NEW CANAAN 59, STAPLES 50
New Canaan 11 13 15 20-59
Staples 3 11 13 23-50
NC: Christian Sweeney 0 2-2 2, Leo Magnus 3 2-5 9, Denis Mulcahy 9 0-0 18, Will Bozzella 4 3-4 12, Blake Wilson 3 6-6 14, Jack Hladick 0 2-2 2, Steven Panzano 1 0-0 2. Totals: 20 15-19 59
S: Lucas Basich 2 0-0 6, Derek Sale 5 1-1 13, Thompson 2 0-1 5, Caleb Tobias 3 3-4 11, Ethan Cukier 1 0-0 2, Christopher Zajac 1 2-2 4, Cody Sale 3 0-0 9. Totals: 16 6-8 50
3 pointers:
NC – Wilson 2, Magnus, Bozzella
S – C. Sale 3, D. Sale 2, Basich 2, Tobias 2 Thompson
Records:
NC – 6-1
S – 7-1