WINDSOR, Conn. — Tilton's Brooke Golden had spent recent stretches of practice working with coach Tara Brisson on finishing her shots around the basket. Brisson wanted Golden to use the higher part of the corner on the white square of the backboard as a target so her shots would fall easier.
In the biggest moment of the NEPSAC season, Golden learned the lesson. On Tilton's final possession, the center caught a pass from Bela Cucuta in the mid-post and flipped up a hook shot. It grazed high on the backboard and fell with exactly one second remaining and lifted Tilton to a 68-66 Class AAA championship triumph over Nobles.
"I was thinking, Bela just gave me the most interesting pass of my life, and I can hear everyone counting down," Golden said. "I honestly just threw it up."
The championship is the first in the new era of girls AAA basketball and Tilton's first as a member of NEPSAC's top class. The Rams had lost in last year's championship to Nobles, and many doubted they'd have the pieces to make it back, let alone win.
