BY MARK JAFFEE
Right from the outset of the season, Pomperaug High senior guard Maggie Lee appears to be in midseason form.
Lee scored a game-high 25 points with 10 rebounds in the Panthers’ season-opening 53-35 win over St. Joseph on Monday and followed up with 12 points Wednesday in a 46-31 win over Danbury.
A three-year starting guard for the Panthers’ girls basketball team, she’s also the only senior on the roster and the only captain.
“Maggie has always been a key contributor for us,” Pomperaug coach Joe Fortier said. “Being the only senior, she is taking that responsibility very seriously. Maggie is constantly working with all her teammates to help them in anyway she can. On the court she has stepped up her game to another level and is our No. 1 option on offense and opposing defenses will treat her accordingly.”
Danbury posed a box-and-one strategy against her, but “Maggie didn’t get frustrated,” Fortier said. “She kept working, she stayed calm and got her teammates involved. She only took the shots when they were there. That led to a balance attack of three players with double digits and another with eight.”
In the opener against the Cadets, Lee hit six baskets, including four 3-pointers, and converted 9-of-11 free throws.
From the foul line, Lee is hitting at a torrid pace, 14-of-18 (78 percent) and coming off a season where she shot 70-of-95 (74 percent) from the line.
Before this season, Lee has averaged 11.5 points per game with 199 rebounds (4 pg), 101 assists (2 pg.), and 97 steals (1.9 pg). Maggie has made 80 3-pointers and 158 free throws over the course of her career.
Her postseason accolades include All-SWC Colonial Division as a sophomore and junior. Proving that she is a top scholar-athlete, Lee also was named to the All-SWC All-Academic Team for the past three years.
Lee will lead the Panthers at Wilton in a non-league game Monday night at 7.
Dynamic debut: Wolcott Tech 5-foot-11 freshman center Abigail Williams, of Terryville, had a terrific debut with game-highs of 14 points, 18 rebounds and five steals in the Wildcats’ 33-27 win over Whitney Tech of Hamden in Torrington.
The 14-year-old Williams compiled that in only 25 minutes as the first substitute off the bench.
After the game, coach Jennifer (Stango) Garzone said “I received an early Christmas present,” of the incoming freshman.
“Abigail’s skill-set is like having a point guard and center all in one,” Garzone said. “Her work ethic is also very good. She is probably the fastest player by far. The best compliment I gave her after the game was when one of our players missed a layup. Whitney got the rebound, Abigail was underneath the basket, but outran the nine other girls three-quarters of the way down the court to prevent the fast break. She then stole the ball.”
Garzone said that Williams will likely study either culinary arts or hairdressing at the vocational school and that will be determined next week.
In the meantime, Williams will continue to acclimate herself off the bench for the Wildcats. She also played soccer in the fall.
“Abigail has a very good handle and a nice soft touch from the outside although we haven’t explored her 3-point shooting yet,” Garzone said. “She’s a very unselfish kid. Right now, she’s getting minutes on the junior varsity to get into a rhythm, but I see that continuing only through December.”
Wolcott Tech plays at Platt Tech in Milford tonight at 7.
Understanding coach: Gilbert coach Gerry Hicks said that in his team’s 51-3 win over Achievement First in Hartford on Wednesday, he used 13 players in the first half alone and his starters played sparingly in the game.
The Yellowjackets led 14-3 after one period — Alicia Tigens’ 3-pointer was the only basket — and 24-3 at halftime.
“From about four into the game, everyone started getting into the game,” Hicks said. “I give Achievement credit. They never gave up and played a hard-fought game. I did everything that I could to keep the score down and refused to run up the score. It had been done to me in the past when teams would press, press and press and we had no chance to do anything.”
Gilbert (2-0, 1-1 in BL) plays at Nonnewaug (1-0) F.riday.