Warde Upsets Trinity Catholic

In the loaded deck that is FCIAC boys basketball, the biggest wild card all year has been Fairfield Warde.

The Mustangs showed why again on Friday night.

Warde held Trinity Catholic scoreless over the final 3:12 of the game, stunning the league's second best team in the standings, 59-54 at home.

"There weren't a lot of people who thought we could win that game," senior captain Sal Siciliano said. "We knew that if we played our best, we'd win and it showed."

The Mustangs, who have lost games at Wilton and at home to crosstown rival Ludlowe, improved to 8-6, clinching their first state tournament berth under second-year head coach Ryan Swaller. Siciliano led Warde with 12 points and six rebounds.

"It was us against our eighth win," Swaller said. "Since that loss to Ludlowe, our intensity in practice has been great."

Schadrac Casimir led Trinity with 17 points and four steals. Jason Boswell had 12 points and Pascal Chukwu had 10 points and 11 blocks for the Crusaders, who had their six-game win streak snapped, falling for the first time since Jan. 10.

"I think we took them lightly and they played hard," Trinity Catholic coach Mike Walsh said. "They played well together and we didn't."

Walsh was critical of Trinity's efforts in spots, especially in loose-ball situations.

"I think Fairfield Warde wanted the game more than we did," he said. "In the 50-50 balls, there were eight of them, and they got seven of them."

The Crusaders dominated at times, including a 16-4 run to close the first half. Kevin Lemuene scored 10 of his 12 points in the first as Trinity led 34-30 at halftime.

Warde struggled to attack the hoop, especially in the first, due to Chukwu's wingspan and shot-blocking prowess. Warde did make the adjustment in the second half by drawing the 7-foot sophomore away from the basket, and executing on missed shots while he was defending outside shots.

"He did a great job going straight up," Swaller said of Chukwu. "We tried to get more mid-range shots and get second chance points with him away from the basket."

The Mustangs held Trinity's offense to just 20 points in the second half, controlling the tempo and playing a strong, 2-3, zone defense that seemed to fluster the Crusaders.

"We rushed it at times too much, especially when we had the lead," Walsh said. "We'll learn."

Trinity did not lead by more than four the entire game. When the Crusaders took that lead, a 52-48 advantage after a 7-0 run midway through the fourth, Warde answered. Matt McTague's 3-pointer cut the Crusaders' lead to one, then his free throw tied it.

After Lemuene's layup from Boswell gave the Crusaders another two-point advantage, Warde's Joe Black hit a key 3-pointer, starting a 7-0 run the Mustangs used to close the game.

"We have confidence that (Black) can step up and hit that shot," Swaller said.

Trinity had the opportunity to tie it, trailing by two with less than a minute left, but Boswell's 3-pointer hit the back iron and after a long rebound came back to Trinity, the junior's pass for Casimir sailed out of bounds.

Pat Pickens is the sports editor of the Fairfield Citizen. He can be reached at ppickens@bcnnew.com or (203) 522-8387. Follow him on Twitter at @pickensfcsports.