A deep-rooted rivalry between two towns can make a regular-season game feel more important than the rest. With years of heated games, wins and losses, Waterford-East Lyme matchups are always intense.
Maintaining healthy rivalry is important for keeping these two communities connected. A game between the Lancers and the Vikings brings together student sections; family members; past players and most importantly, high school athletes.
Waterford, led by Bill Basset, will head to East Lyme High School for their first 2024 matchup. This game will be at East Lyme on 1/30 at 7 p.m.
Following that, the Lancers will defend their home court against the Vikings on 2/7 at 7 p.m.
Waterford’s past record includes 10 ECC championship wins, Class M State Champions (2012), Division L State Champions (2018), and Division L State Champions (2019).
East Lyme is led by head coach Dan Scheyder; this will be his first season as head coach.
Although Waterford has a strong basketball past, the most recent football loss to the Vikings on Thanksgiving could be the motivation Waterford needs to win these games.
Players express the effects of maintaining a good mindset before and during a game. According to Gabe Lombardi (WHS), “A good, solid nap before practices and games” helps. Not only does this allow him to rest his body, but also his mind in order to be focused on the event ahead of him.
Jordi Cassar (WHS) says, “I like to stretch and meditate; it’s become my routine.”
Another factor that makes a rivalry game so huge is the fans it brings along. The student section can have over 100 fans in attendance. Quinn Speller (WHS) explains, “When the student section is loud, I feel like it gives the players an extra boost to win the game.”
The energy brought by the crowd can have a huge impact on everyone in the gym. Jordi Cassar (WHS) says, “When the crowd goes crazy, I kind of live for that.”
The Vikings also appreciate a solid fan-base. Jaylen Hannans of East Lyme said, “The satisfaction of knowing you have that many people coming to support you and having them by your side helps you perform with the most amount of effort and passion you can put into a game.” Co-Captain, Brendan Osso of East Lyme also added, “To see fans supporting their team and allowing the players to represent their town competitively adds a layer of meaning to the game.”
The relationships between the players on both sides of the bridge creates strong competition.
Nick Petrini went to Waterford and played basketball as a Lancer until he transferred to East Lyme his junior year. He will be playing against his old teammates, which will surely create a rise in tension.
Brendan Osso (ELHS) commented, “In a way, you’ll always want to protect your home court, but players also love to steal a win at their rivals’ place.”
Gabe Lombardi expressed, “For me, I like playing at home. It’s that home court advantage.” Luckily, these teams will have a chance at both gyms.
Jordi Cassar said, “The team this year has a lot of individual skills, and as the season goes on, we’ve been gathering those skills into one. As a team, we all have each other’s backs, whether it’s in school, a game, or even a pasta dinner.”
Jaylen Hannans (ELHS) says, “Our team is a really big group of friends that just so happen to play basketball with each other. For us, it’s more than just the sport, which is why we have built up a strong chemistry with each other.” Brendan Osso (ELHS) adds, “We push one another to be better and strive for class, success, and excellency.
Games Updates:
On January 30th, Waterford fell short, 71-56, and again on February 7th, 61-57 to the Vikings.
A month later, on March 6th, Waterford won their first round of the Division III boys’ basketball state tournament against East Lyme, 60-56.
The third times a charm for the Lancers.
