Ellington Rolls by Ledyard in Class M Opener

There’s no doubt guard Kelly Conley and center Julie Gage are the duo that make the Ellington girls basketball team click.

But any opponent that takes them away will still pay just as dearly as if they were unguarded.

Just ask Ledyard.

With the Colonels clogging the inside and the Knights hesitant to drive in the early going, some long range sharpshooting by Karlee Alves and Claudia Perez helped Ellington control the game and emerge with a 68-42 win in the opening round of the Class M state tournament at Ellington High School Tuesday night.

“We knew from scouting them that they that were bigger then us,” Ellington head coach Lauren Beeler said. “We anticipated them taking the inside game away.”

Despite looking tentative to test the interior early on, the Knights still coasted to a 31-15 halftime lead, thanks to Alves (11 points) and Perez (14 points). The duo combined for a trio of three-point field goals in the first half.

“It’s nice everyone wants to step up, especially when Julie and I get talked about the most,” Conley said. “We don’t want the other girls to feel like they aren’t important. That’s why we are such a great team; when one person is shutdown everyone else isn’t afraid to come out.”

And once Conley and the Knights dug in and started testing the inside, it was game over.

“In the first half we were scared of their height. They had some tall girls and we’re not used to seeing that,” said Conley, who weaved through the Ledyard defense for a game-high 20 points. “Coach said we were lucky to hitting [sic] our threes, but you never know when your shot is going to go cold. She said we need to drive it in and not be afraid of them.”

And Ellington did just that, as Conley whirled though Ledyard defenders, either taking it to the hoop or finding Gage in the paint. The senior center only had four points from the floor, but racked up seven on the free throw line.

The Knights escaped potential foul trouble with Conley, who picked up two in the early going. But despite playing restricted at times, Conley rewarded Beeler’s faith by keeping her in and wasn't whistled for the rest of the game.

“We were worried about Conley because of her ability to distribute the ball, and not as much about her scoring” Ledyard head coach Adam Baber said. “Obviously she can score, but she does a lot of little things well that you have to worry about. The problem was everyone else caught fire.”

Seeing an opponent trying to shut down Conley is nothing new for Beeler. Neither is watching the junior rip through whatever scheme is sent against her.

“A lot of teams try to take Kelly out of it, but I’m not sure a lot of them are successful,” Beeler said. “She’s such a multidimensional player that it’s hard to take her out of the game. But they definitely try.”

Gage finished with 21 rebounds, while Conley had six boards and five assists. Kylie Fustini had 12 points for Ledyard, while Bianca Matira finished with nine.

With the win, fourth-seeded Ellington (17-3) will host 13th-seeded Nonnewaug Friday at 7 p.m. Ledyard, the 36th seed, ends the year with a 9-13 record.