Friday's boys basketball notebook: Bisack, Fairfield Warde hoping for state tournament spot

Fairfield Warde has battled back from a seven-game losing streak and won its last two. This should come as no surprise as these Mustangs know how to fight back, especially senior Tyler Bisack.

The guard-forward suffered two concussions and missed five months of school his sophomore year and four games this season because of personal reasons. However, Bisack has averaged 20.6 points in 12 games and can lead the Mustangs to a Class L playoff spot with a win over Darien tonight at 7.

"I've been playing pretty well," said Bisack, whose team is 7-8 overall and 6-7 in the FCIAC. "But it's mostly about my teammates around me. We practice hard every day, they're great guys. I just feed off them."

Although Fairfield Warde underwent its longest losing streak of the season after Bisack returned, his play gave the team more confidence.

"It gives (the team) confidence that we don't have to hold the other team to under 50 points to win," Mustangs coach Walter Fitzgerald said. "We still want to hold teams under 50 but, we know we can win now if we don't because we have (Ryan Swedberg, Mersim Markovic and Bisack) averaging double figures."

Bisack said he suffered one concussion playing for the Mustangs' football team. He also said he did not realize he was concussed until he had another concussion playing junior varsity basketball a few months later.

"I didn't know I had a concussion," Bisack said. "I got an elbow to my head (playing basketball) and then I was out with a bunch of symptoms, headaches, blurry vision and dizziness. It was crazy."

While out, Bisack underwent some medical tests and had to stay off his feet. He said he started feeling better five-to-six months after the second concussion.

Bisack was cleared to play again two weeks before his junior year and played all of last season for the Mustangs. He said he has not had any more concussions despite the fact that he still has been hit in the head. He also has not played football again.

However, Bisack was not in the clear just yet. The senior missed the first four games this season but was able to put a positive spin on it.

"It's tough watching and knowing you can't do anything about it," Bisack said. "But we were 3-1 without me, so that's good."

When Bisack returned, he led Fairfield Warde with 22 points in a 56-55 overtime win over Notre Dame-Fairfield on Dec. 30.

After Fairfield Warde improved to 5-1 on Jan. 5, it lost seven straight. During the losing streak the Mustangs lost three games by three points or less.

"Not only were we losing," Fitzgerald said, "but we were losing by two points and three points. We couldn't seem to get out of that rut. But we had a big win last Friday (63-57 over New Canaan), so hopefully we did get out of that rut."

The Mustangs have a chance to qualify for the Class L playoffs for the first time since the 2004-05 season.

"We just got to work hard in practice and focus," Bisack said.

"Take one game at a time. We had a couple tough losses but we've just got to bounce back."

FROM WAY DOWTOWN ... BANG! -- Greens Farms Academy junior Laurent Firlotte has played a major role on both ends of the floor for the Dragons. But the 6-foot-3 forward has made his biggest impact from beyond the arc.

"He's a shooter," Greens Farms coach Paul Groves said. "This past game he had five 3-pointers, against King he had seven 3s. So he's capable of putting it in from deep."

Firlotte, who lives in Stratford, is coming off a 21-point performance in a loss to King on Monday. The junior also had a season-high 37 in a win over Harvey School on Dec. 14 and then scored 34 in a loss to King on Jan. 4, in which he made seven 3-pointers.

"He can be streaky," Groves said. "But, for the most part he can shoot over anybody. He can come off a pick and he can create his own shot."

The Dragons are 8-12 heading into their game tonight against St. Luke's, which beat Greens Farms 67-64 on Dec. 9.

In that game, Firlotte flirted with a triple-double with 18 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks.

"His defense has also picked up this year," Groves said. "I think that his overall attention to defense has picked up tremendously. He's started utilizing the effect of being 6-3 and long."

Groves also said Firlotte has focused on other parts of his game, like rebounding and improving his ballhandling.

"He is becoming a more complete player," Groves said.

"He is playing defense and he is taking it to the hole more than just scoring from the outside."

PARKINS TO PLAY -- Central senior forward Jerome Parkins will play tonight against Norwalk at 7. According to Central coach Barry McLeod, Parkins missed the Hilltoppers' win over Darien on Tuesday because of headaches.

McLeod said the senior's headaches stemmed from a hard fall he took early in the game against Harding last Thursday in the Bridgeport Basketball Classic.

HUSTLE POINTS -- Central scored 100 points for the third time this season in a 101-64 win over Darien. The Hilltoppers scored 101 against Trinity Catholic and 100 on Danbury. ... St. Joseph can win its 11th straight tonight against Stamford at 7. It would be the Cadets' longest winning streak since a nine-game winning streak during the 2007-08 season.

Henry Chisholm can be reached at 330-6210.