The Simsbury High School girls' basketball team is onto the second round of the Class L state tournament after defeating Rockville in the first round Monday night.
The Trojans have added confidence after winning the Central Connecticut Conference championship over Conard last week. More impressive still, they’ve done it without their leading scorer: senior, Lauren Sabia.
Sabia reached the 1,000-point milestone in her junior season. She expected to hit even more highs her senior season. Unfortunately for Sabia and her team, she tore her ACL and MCL in her right knee just 10 games into the season.
Coach Sam Zullo said it's 20 points just sitting on the bench.
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“I'm not going to lie, when it first happened I was like 'this is it,'” said senior Faye Kaplinski. “We're not going to have a post season.”
But they stuck to their goals. Kaplinski scored a season high in the CCC championship game. All the while, Sabia cheered on her teammates from the bench.
“I've just tried to be a very calm presence on the bench,” Sabia said. “Obviously my voice is very loud, I can get very hyped up...I'm trying to be the person that people can go to.”
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It’s not the senior season the two best friends expected, but their basketball journey doesn’t end here.
Both are planning to play basketball at Rochester Institute of Technology in the fall. They’ll be rooming together, too.
“I'm just, I'm proud of her. It amazes me that all the stuff she's able to come and do this with a smile,” Kaplinski said. “I remember standing here with, I don't know how many minutes left, and I know she's behind me, I’m holding her hand. She had stepped up."
