MILFORD, Conn. — Two teams from the Monroe Red Storm basketball program won championships in the Milford Knights Basketball League’s Silver Division this past Sunday, the eighth grade girls team and the fourth grade girls team.
In another highlight for the program, Monroe’s eight grade girls and seventh grade boys teams have been invited to compete in the New England Regional Championships in March. Last year, the eighth grade girls finished in second place in the Silver Division, according to Red Storm Coach Sean Garrity.
Last Saturday, the eighth grade girls team, which has four seventh graders, beat Westport PAL White Rogers 45-26 to advance to the championship game against Fairfield FBA Sunday, a contest the Red Storm won 37 to 25.
Garrity said the eighth grade team previously won the Mohegan Sun Vertical Hoops Winter Championship at the casino in January.
“They’re a very good group that plays together as a team,” he said during a phone interview Tuesday. “They’re very scrappy. They never give up. They were down by 10 in the Mohegan Sun Championship with five minutes left and Mia Clark and Gabby Ely took charge, though it was a team effort. Gabby hit two foul shots with 1.8 seconds left, which gave us a 1 point lead and we hung on.”
In addition to Ely and Clark, the eighth grade team includes Catherine Fulchino, Averie Sepelak, Anna Convertito, Aphrodite Sbirakis, Maddie Giraldo, Sarah Beckett and Molly Boyle.
Rising stars
The Red Storm’s fourth grade girls team beat Triple Double Red Storm 14-5 to advance to Sunday’s championship game, when they beat the Milford Knights 11-4.
Prior to that, the Red Storm made it to the championship game of the Mohegan Sun Vertical Hoops Winter tournament in January, though the girls did not come away with the victory.
“The fourth grade girls are a young team that’s succeeding, playing well and learning the fundamentals of the game,” Garrity said.
The Red Storm’s fourth grade girls roster includes Ava Cascella, Alex Convertito, Chloe Thomas, McKenna Barre, Kiley Egan, Brooklyn Komaromi and Eva Bittman.
The coach said players on both the girls’ and boys’ fourth grade teams are experiencing their first year of high level competition in a travel basketball league.
“Both teams have come together and played extremely well,” Garrity said. “The future is bright for the fourth graders.”
A family affair
Garrity’s youth coaching career began at St. Augustine Cathedral Grammar School in Bridgeport when his former coach asked him to help out. This was during Garrity’s freshman year at Notre Dame Catholic High School in Fairfield.
“The rest is history,” he said.
Garrity founded the Red Storm travel basketball program, when his daughter, Olivia, and her friends, who he coached in Parks and Recreation leagues, wanted to play travel basketball as third and fourth graders.
“We are currently in our 10th year and have become a premier program in the area,” he said. “Our players work hard and compete in every game from tip to finish, never giving up no matter what the score is. I couldn’t do what I do without the support of my wife and family and the trust of the parents.”
Garrity’s younger daughter, Abby, and son, Keegan, also played basketball for the Red Storm, among hundreds of players over the years, many who went on to play for Masuk and other area high schools.
“I love teaching the kids and seeing them have success in high school and beyond,” he said.
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