Coggins, Suffield overcome first "challenge" of season

Dec. 17—ELLINGTON — Mike Coggins' basketball career at Suffield High started a year ago in arguably the most unorthodox season in state history.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused schedules to be shortened, state tournaments to be canceled, opponents to be restricted based on geography, and crowd sizes to be limited in 2020-21.

So when he stepped onto the court against NCCC foe Ellington Thursday night, a team Suffield couldn't play last year, it was like he was a freshman all over again.

"It's really different," Coggins said. "I think it's definitely a challenge."

But the 6-foot-3 guard didn't let that challenge bother him, scoring a team-high 13 points as the Wildcats came back to top the Knights 48-45 in a NCCC game to open the season.

"One of the good things about Mike is he sort of feeds off the energy of everyone else," Suffield coach Dan Gatto said. "We have this sort of calmness about us most of the time. I think it filters through the team a little bit. I thought Mike did a good job of that."

Coggins first started playing basketball after being introduced to the sport by his dad John when he was 6 years old. He said he always dreamed of making an impact on the Wildcats' varsity team.

"I always planned for success," Coggins said. "I wished that I was here every moment since I was in sixth grade. I wished I was always starting on varsity and playing the most varsity ball that I could."

That dream became a reality last season when Coggins was named a varsity starter as a freshman.

Having that varsity experience was crucial to him handling the pressure as Thursday's game came down to the wire.

"One hundred percent," Coggins said. "The thing that changed it all was the fans. They were screaming, yelling. The tempo was amazing. I missed this a lot."

Coggins showed his ability to take over the Wildcats' (1-0) offense throughout the game. He scored six points during a 7-0 run that put the Wildcats up 19-14 late in the first half.

"It's more of a mentality for me," Coggins said. "Sometimes I can get in my own head. That's one thing I've got to work on. Just making sure I'm in my own game."

In the fourth quarter, he provided the biggest basket of the night for the visitors.

Suffield entered the quarter down 38-32. Senior Josh Woodbury cut the deficit to one, 45-44, with a three with 1:59 to play.

A couple of possessions later, there was a scramble for the ball near mid-court. Suffield came up with it, and Coggins made a layup to put his team up for good with 1:07 to go.

"I just remember putting the ball in the basket and sprinting right back up on my defender," he said of the sequence. "Making sure I'm not distracting myself and just playing my game."

Coggins said he's been working on both his driving and finishing abilities every day.

"He does a lot of good things," Gatto said. "He drives it well, he handles the ball really well. In the fourth quarter, he handled the ball a lot for us. Made some good decisions."

Coggins grabbed the rebound after teammate Will Crozier missed a free throw with 33.4 left. His putback missed, and Ellington (0-1) got the ball back.

But the Knights stepped out of bounds with just over 30 seconds to play.

Woodbury was then fouled and made one of two free throws to extend Suffield's lead to 47-45 with 27.8 left. Sophomore Tyler Lewis grabbed the rebound following a missed Ellington three and was fouled.

Lewis missed both free throws, but got the rebound and was fouled again. He made the first, and missed the second. Ellington's Elijah Miller grabbed the rebound and heaved a three-quarter court shot at the buzzer that was off the mark.

"You've got to win close games somehow," Gatto said. "You've got to figure out a win and execute down the stretch."

Woodbury finished with 12 points in the win while Crozier had 11, including nine in the third quarter.

Senior Mike Bontempo scored a game-high 15 for the Knights. Eric Thibert added eight and sophomore Darren Zahner had six, including a three-pointer at the buzzer to put his team up 22-21 at the half.

"Our kids gave effort, and we played defense. That's good defense, 48 points," Ellington coach Bob Freitas said. "Our shots just didn't fall tonight. That happens and we'll get better and move onto the next game. That's all you can do."

Both teams return to action Saturday at Suffield High. The Knights host Rockville at 1 p.m. while the Wildcats welcome Granby at 3 p.m.

SUFFIELD (48): Donovan Koukal-Kollie 0 0-0 0; Tyler Lewis 0 1-4 1; Nick Van Cott 0 0-0 0; Ryan Levis 1 2-3 4; Mike Coggins 6 0-0 13; Josh Woodbury 4 3-5 12; Jack Pixton 0 1-2 1; Quinn Lynam 0 0-0 0; Will Crozier 5 1-3 11; Nick Sattan 2 2-4 6. Totals: 18 10-21 48.

Three-point goals: Coggins, Woodbury.

ELLINGTON (45): Mike Bontempo 6 2-3 15; Darren Zahner 1 3-4 6; Eric Thibert 3 1-2 8; Nate Miller 2 0-0 6; Louis Gosselin 0 0-0 0; Elijah Miller 2 0-0 6; Cody Murphy 0 0-0 0; Phil Vrakas 2 0-0 4. Totals: 16 6-9 45.

Three-point goals: N. Miller (2), E. Miller (2), Bontempo, Zahner, Thibert.

SUFFIELD 8 13 11 16 — 48

ELLINGTON 10 12 16 7 — 45

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