OLD LYME — In the words of their coach Don Bugbee, “The [Old Lyme] girls played their hearts out against a very talented and deep Immaculate team,” on Tuesday evening, but at the final buzzer of the the CIAC Class S Girls quarter-final game, the scoreboard read 53-43 in favor of Immaculate.
Playing at home, the girls put up a determined fight and were ahead 17-15 at the end of the first quarter. The battle then began in earnest and the ‘Cats were behind 27-25 at the half, and then 38-31 at the end of the third quarter.
Although Old Lyme was seeded #10 and Immaculate #15, the two teams are hardly evenly matched. According to Mike Mauro in an article published March 8 in The Day, “[Immaculate’s] school website lists that it attracts students from 26 towns and two states [and t]his season, Immaculate’s schedule allowed it to play nine different schools of Class L or LL designation. Old Lyme played one.”
Top Old Lyme scorers were freshman Kate Walsh with 14 points, four rebounds and three steals, junior Alexis Fenton with 14 points and senior Megan Loflin with 13 points, 15 rebounds and two steals.
Bugbee told LymeLine by email after the game, “We had an outstanding season overall when you step back and look at it.” Describing the team as an, “Outstanding group of girls,” he concluded proudly, “My thanks and appreciation for what they did all season goes out to each one of them. It was my privilege to coach them.”