Simsbury Girls Make History, Win First State Hoops Title

UNCASVILLE, CT — The Simsbury High School Trojans rode a blistering start in Saturday's CIAC Class L girls basketball championship game and defeated Holy Cross of Waterbury for the program's history-making first state title.

En route to defeating the Crusaders, 55-40, Saturday, Simsbury utilized disciplined offense and relentless defense to upset the top-seed in the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville.

Trojans coach Sam Zulio said the 19-4 start was a byproduct of players exceeding their usual productivity and, in doing so, they built a lead they would never relinquish.

"The kids came out and performed," he said. "We had to do things we hadn't done all season to get out to that fast start."

Simsbury was led by senior Olivia Jarvis, the game's MVP who poured in 19 points and 8 rebounds, and Amanda Gallagher, a senior who scored 21 points with 7 rebounds.

The Crusaders were looking for their third state title, with the last one coming in 2022. Meanwhile, the second-ranked Trojans were making their CIAC title game debut.

The day started well for Simsbury as, before tipoff, junior Charlotte Reitz — a solid basketball player with a melodic singing voice —wowed the crowd with a perfect rendition of the National Anthem.

Simsbury then jumped out of the gate fast with tough defense and a balanced offense, going up 9-2 in the first quarter, prompting Holy Cross to settle things down with a time-out halfway through.

But the Trojans continued to dominate the first quarter, closing it out with a 16-4 lead.

Midway through the second quarter, the good times continued as Simsbury senior Olivia Jarvis scored her 1,000th point in her high school career.

Simsbury continued to fluster Holy Cross with a disciplined offense featuring back-door cuts and frenetic defense, forcing turnovers and rushed shots as their lead ballooned to 19-4.

On the verge of being blown out of the building, Holy Cross cut the lead to 19-9, then rallied at the end of the half to cut the lead further to seven, and were down only 24-17.

The run made the championship tilt a game again and gave the Crusaders a boost of momentum after an otherwise difficult first half.

There seemed to be a lid on the rim for Simsbury at the start of the second half, as they missed on their first three possessions.

But the Trojans righted the ship enough to pull ahead 31-21, but Holy Cross came right back with a three from junior Isabella Lombard, to pull to 31-24.

The Crusaders continued their charge and cut the lead to 31-28 Simsbury and then the battle was on.

Just as Holy Cross was about to slice further into the deficit, Reitz showed she could play as well as sing by stealing a cross-court pass and driving for a layup that extended the Trojans' lead to 37-30.

The play ended the third quarter and, though Simsbury struggled on offense for much of the half, their halftime lead was still intact at seven.

Reitz's steal and score ignited the Trojans and they quickly went up 42-30 early in the fourth quarter, prompting a Crusader time-out to avoid letting the game get further away.

Holy Cross cut the lead to seven after junior Shania Howard drove the lane and laid it in to make it a 45-38 game in favor of Simsbury.

This began a parade of free throws for Simsbury, who eventually went up 48-38 with 3 minutes left.

With the clock running down, Holy Cross was unable to overcome Simsbury as its squad sealed the game at the charity stripe and pulled away.

For Zulio, the championship was personally gratifying and for his team it was historic.

"It's as special as any moment I've had in coaching," Zulio said. "To take it all the way with this group? It's a big deal."

For the game statistics and recap, click on this link.