Woodland boys basketball uses 4th-quarter run to topple Holy Cross and stay unbeaten

BEACON FALLS - The Woodland High boys basketball team went into Friday night's Naugatuck Valley League showdown with Holy Cross with something to prove, and thanks to a seven-minute run in the fourth quarter, the Hawks emphatically accomplished what they hoped to do.

The undefeated Hawks wanted to validate all their success to this point in the season, and the Crusaders provided the opportunity for them to do so. Holy Cross had won nine games in a row and is one of established programs in the league. A win over the Crusaders would truly mean something.

Woodland showed that it is a legitimate contender for championships this season with a 79-59 victory in front of a packed house of over 800 fans at Woodland High School.

"I am feeling very excited, because this was a very good team win," said senior Aiden Pringle, who led the Hawks with 19 points. "Holy Cross is one of the best teams in the Naugatuck Valley League, and I'm glad we got to prove we are not just beating teams that aren't as good, or getting lucky. We showed that we can stay in games against good teams and then beat them.

"We have a very deep bench, and all the guys are unselfish and willing to pass the ball off. We are very skilled and all team players."

It was a very tight game for three quarters, with the Crusaders' athleticism keeping pressure on the Hawks.

Then with seven minutes to play and Woodland (13-0) holding onto a 56-55 lead, the unselfish team play, depth, defensive intensity and confidence of the Hawks took over.

They went on a 23-4 run to end the game, as Pringle scored three of the first four baskets of the run on transition baskets.

"We always talk about pace, pace, pace," Woodland coach Ryan Sullivan said. "We want to push pace. That is how we play. To get a guy like Aiden, who can go from under the boards when we secure the rebound to getting out in front of everyone making layups on the other end.

"He is a tremendous asset. Him and his brothers (Justin and Ean) are great additions to our team."

The Pringle brothers, who grew up in town, attended Xavier High School initially, but decided to return to their hometown school this year.

They joined a team already loaded with talent and experience, led by James Scampolino and John Napiello.

Friday night, all that talent was showcased. Scampolino was outstanding and scored 18 points, and although it took Napiello a while to get going, he finished with 18 as well, and scored seven points in that deciding run.

Evan Mastropietro chipped in eight points and Ean Pringle six for the Hawks, but mostly, the game was about the team's intelligent, offensive play and energy.

"Our unselfishness is 80-90 sometimes 100% of our game," Scampolino said. "Some teams struggle, but we don't because we all watch out for each other. It really came down to that at the end is we made unselfish plays for each other.

"A lot was expected of us, so we came out and played hard as a team with so much energy to start the game. Some games, we come out and have a rough quarter or a half, but the whole game today, we had energy. That is what I love about this team. We will die for each other out there on the court."

The Hawks really turned up the intensity in the fourth quarter. After wearing down Holy Cross a little bit with their depth, everything kind of snowballed. Woodland would either sprint upcourt and finish with transition baskets or settle into a halfcourt offense and make a lot of good decisions.

"All I am thinking about is trying to do what is best for the team and go up as much as we can," Pringle said. "We were trying to bring the energy up every time we scored, because the more energy we play with, Holy Cross has less energy, (and) it gets easier for us to score even more. You could see it. Once we started scoring, they started to slow down, and we got even more energy."

Holy Cross played very well for three quarters, but the Crusaders played more individual basketball and it showed. The Crusaders spent the first three quarters keeping pace with the Hawks, but where Woodland would make the next pass for an easier bucket, Holy Cross often settled for one-on-one drives to the basket.

"I think the moment got to us a little bit," Crusaders coach Mike Wilson said. "It was a good learning moment for us. Things can change so quickly in a big game, and momentum is a real thing. They grabbed a hold of the momentum, made a few shots and took it away from us. Credit Woodland, they played well.

"I am not really too upset, to be honest with you," he added. "Sometimes losses are good for resetting and getting things under control. I think we have some things to rip up a little bit, and this will motivate us to improve."

Holy Cross was led by Al Davis with a game-high 25 points. They also got 15 from Ethen Clements and 12 from Julian Jones.

Davis was impressive.

"He is a big, strong kid, and he can get up and down the court," Wilson said. "He is a little raw skill-wise, but once he figures out his skill, he is going to be a really good ballplayer, because he plays hard. He played awesome tonight. The big guy is a force for us."

In the end, however, the game was all about Woodland proving itself. The Hawks believed all along that they could be this good, but now others are going to have to take notice.

With Scampolino and Aiden Pringle leading the way, they showed just how dynamic and good they are.

"We talked at halftime about the fact we weren't shooting the ball particularly well, we weren't rebounding particularly well, but our defense was pretty good and we had a six-point lead," Sullivan said. "I trust these guys to play hard. They may make bad decisions, but for every bad decision they make, they are going to make 10 better plays.

"James has been in these situations for four years now," Sullivan said. "He has been on both sides of these pressure-packed games, and now that he is a senior, there is a calmness about him, and it is great to have his leadership out there."

Woodland, which has never won an NVL title, is back in action Saturday against visiting WCA at 1:30 p.m. The Hawks are currently ranked No. 1 in Division IV. 

Player of the Game

James Scampolino, Woodland: The senior guard scored 18 points, including four threes, and played with the confidence the Hawks needed to remain undefeated.

Quotable

"Right now, I am thinking about the pizza. We are going to get Rocco's down the street. I love the guys. We are going to celebrate and have a good time, and when that half-hour is over that coach told us we could take to celebrate, we are going to lock in on (Waterbury) Career." - James Scampolino, Woodland senior guard.

Woodland 79, Holy Cross 59

HOLY CROSS   13 16 21   9-59
WOODLAND    13 22 21 23-79

Holy Cross: Jakori Kinsey 1 0-0 3, Ethen Clements 5 4-6 15, Julian Jones 4 3-4 12, Daylen Roscoe 0 0-0 0, Al Davis 9 7-9 25, Tylon Lott 1 0-0 2, Brandon Brooks 1 0-0 2. Totals: 21 14-19 59.
Woodland: Markell Brown 2 0-0 5, John Napiello 6 3-6 17, James Scampolino 6 2-2 18, Allen Quayson 1 0-0 2, Ean Pringle 1 3-4 6, Evan Mastropietro 4 0-0 8, Aiden Pringle 7 5-6 19, Justin Pringle 2 0-0 4. Totals: 29 13-18 79.
3-point field goals: HC-Kinsey, Clements, Jones. W-Scampolino 4, Napiello 2, E. Pringle, Brown.

This article originally published at Woodland boys basketball uses 4th-quarter run to topple Holy Cross and stay unbeaten.