MONROE, CT — Masuk High’s girls basketball team won its Class L State Tournament opener with a 52-46 victory over visiting and No. 25 seed Wilton on Saturday.
The No. 8 Panthers advance to take on No. 9 Bristol Eastern at home in the second round on Tuesday; game time is set for 6:30 p.m.
Masuk led 31-29 at the half and trailed 38-35 going to the fourth before rediscovering its offensive touch to come out on top.
Bailey Bajda led the way with 29 points and Maddie Farrer scored 10 as part of a strong all-around game. Both players recorded double-digit rebounds.
Emma and Abby Troesser had stellar defensive efforts as always and combined for seven points. Grace Sheppard distributed the ball well from the point guard position and scored four points. Peyton Webb added a key basket in the fourth quarter.
Bajda hit a pair of 3-pointers. She scored 18 points in the first half and, after being held scoreless in the third, racked up 11 in the fourth. Bajda was 7-for-9 from the foul line and Farrer hit all four of her free throw attempts.
Masuk Coach Dan Young was pleased with his team’s efforts, especially its resiliency.
“I think we responded well when things weren’t going well,” Young said. “We made some mistakes and bounced back. We showed some mental toughness.”
The winner of the Masuk-Bristol Eastern game advances to the March 6 quarterfinals.
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