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A few minutes seemed like an eternity.
Ludlow’s men’s basketball team had the ball and led Darien by seven with 2:30 remaining, but time didn’t go fast enough for coach John Daly.
“The last two-and-a-half minutes with Darien were the longest two-and-a-half minutes I’ve ever coached,” Daly said.
And for good reason. The previous week, the Falcons played his three games, all in overtime. This is due to the numerous occurrences of his OT contests on his FCIAC schedule this season.
So even though his Falcons won 67-55 against Darien, there was tension in the moment of decline.
“We went up 10, but it felt like we went up 1,” Daley said. “When you go through it three times in a row, it feels like there is no safe lead.”
Daly’s fellow FCIAC coaches would probably agree.
The league has 10 games of overtime this season, with 4 of them doubling OT.
From January 6th to 17th, the FCIAC team played 35 games, 8 of which (23%) went into overtime. Ten of the league’s 16 teams have participated in at least one overtime contest, and five have participated in at least two overtime contests.
Casey Bock, coach of No. 5 Danbury, who have won two overtime games against Ridgefield and New Canaan, said: “New Canaan and Ridgefield are well-coached teams, and there are a lot of solid teams in the FCIAC.
“I think there will be some games in overtime.”
FCIAC Commissioner Dave Schulz said, “The league is a little more balanced and having more overtime means there aren’t a lot of unbalanced games.” It’s pretty remarkable that there was a battle.”
Ludlow’s three-game OT streak included Greenwich 47-43, Norwalk 46-42 and 64-59 wins over Maloney.
This isn’t even the longest overtime.
New Canaan won four in a row, defeating Southington 54-51 in December, losing 60-57 to Danbury in double OT, 68-67 to Staples in OT, and 59-56 over Wilton in two OTs. broke.
Danbury, Greenwich and Norwalk all have two games of extra time with Staples, Wilton, Ward, Ridgefield and St. Joseph, one each.
New Canaan coach Danny Meltzer eschewed the word “equality” instead of focusing on competitiveness.
“This is competitive,” Meltzer said. “We have a lot of teams that are competitive, well-balanced and well-coached, and we see that coming to fruition.
“It’s great for our league, players and spectators. We’re seeing it across the league.”
Meltzer also pointed to the league’s performance against other conferences, which resulted in a 41-15 record and a .732 winning percentage against non-FCIAC teams.
Danbury lead the FCIAC with a 9-0 overall record and a 4-0 league record, but the Hatters’ three wins, including two in double overtime, were decided by three points or less. and needed a fourth quarter rally. Beat Staples last week.
“I hope our kids will understand how deep the league is and it’s going to be a tough game every night,” Bock said. “I’m trying to get the message out to them that we are undefeated and all the teams will do their best.”
As an example of how close the league is, Danbury are followed by Staples, Ridgefield and Greenwich with the FCIAC mark of 3-1, while half the league’s eight teams are 2-2 in the conference.
New Canaan and Ludlowe had similar experiences in overtime after losing back-to-back with coveted wins.
“It was big,” Meltzer said of the Rams’ win over Wilton. “Our kids were pretty upbeat and energized by our play, but at the same time they wanted to win. It was really important for us. It helped us in our next game against St. Joe’s (58-51 win).”
Ludlow overcame Maloney’s last-second buzzer beater to tie the game and win OT.
“They were pretty excited in the locker room after that game,” Daly said. I think it helped me beat Maloney.”
According to Dailey, win or lose, OT experience will pay off in the long run.
“Learning how to win doesn’t happen overnight,” Daly said. “It can take months, it can take a year. will make you better.
“In practice you can simulate those situations at will, but you never know how hard it will be to win until you experience it in the game.”
[email protected]; @dstewartsports
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