BOYS BASKETBALL: Sheehan rolls past Shelton

WALLINGFORD, Jan 12, 2013 (New Haven Register - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- When Sheehan is at its best, the Titans have several small guards who can break opponents down on offense and create turnovers on defense.

It remains to be seen whether this edition will be a contender or not, but Sheehan's backcourt can make life miserable for opponents. Four guards reached double figures in scoring Friday night as the Titans beat Shelton 71-60 in a Southern Connecticut Conference Housatonic Division matchup.

"On any night I think we can beat anybody in our division, I really do," Sheehan coach Joe Gaetano said. "We are really just starting to put it together. I don't know if we are there yet." Shooting guard Justin MacDonald led the Titans with 17 points, completing a week where he scored 77 points in three games. On Friday, MacDonald scored all of his points in the second half after suffering a bump over his left eye early on.

"I think I was a little bit rattled after I got hit," MacDonald said. "After halftime, I settled down." Said Gaetano: "One of our main objectives out of halftime was to get Justin more shots. For us to be good, he has to get his share of points." PHOTOS: Sheehan gets past Shelton Point guard Brandon Rentas had 16 points, Garry Lancaster came off the bench to add 15 and Mike Tiedemann chipped in with 11. With guard play like that, the Titans are a team to watch in a wide-open division.

Lancaster missed the previous four games due to personal reasons, according to Gaetano. His return makes the Titans (5-5, 2-1) that much better.

Brandon is a bulldog. He's so tough and he's only a sophomore," Gaetano said. "He brings toughness and he knows how to put the ball in the basket. And he is a good defender." Said Shelton head coach Brian Gardiner: "Their guards are a lot quicker than our guards. They have three or four who are good. That team is going to be really tough now that Lancaster is back." The game remained close through the early minutes of the second half. A three-point play by Ben Malay (team-high 17 points) brought the Gaels (5-4, 1-1) to within one point at 34-33.

Then Sheehan went on a 19-4 run to close out the third quarter. Lancaster had 11 of those points on the strength of three 3-pointers.

Like Coach said, me, Garry, Brandon and Mike, you can't key on any one of us," MacDonald said. "All of us can hit shots and all of us are pretty good playmakers. We can take it to the basket." Shelton kept trying to get back into the game, but was only able to cut it to single digits in the final minute of the game. Mike Davis and Craig Packnick added 15 and 12 points, respectively, for the Gaels.

"We needed one more stop and one more basket and maybe we would have been on to something there," Gardiner said. "I'm really happy with the way we battled back. I just wish we weren't in that predicament." Contact Joe at 203-789-5651.

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