Wolcott’s LeDuc, Derby’s Gray Light Up Girls Basketball Scoreboard with 93 Combined Points

Wolcott High School – Monday night’s girls basketball clash between Wolcott and Derby will be remembered as a personal showcase for two of the Naugatuck Valley League’s brightest stars, as Eagles senior Maddie LeDuc and Raiders junior Shea Gray poured in a combined 93 points—72 percent of the game’s 128-point total—in a 81-47 Wolcott victory.

LeDuc set a new Wolcott single-game record with 51 points, knocking down eight 3-pointers and finishing 9-of-11 from the field in the second half alone. Gray countered with 42 points, moving past Jamie Bartone to become Derby’s all-time leading scorer with 1,296 career points.

The tone was set early. LeDuc outscored Gray 14-11 in the opening quarter and Wolcott led 21-11. Derby trimmed the deficit to seven on Ryleigh Boyles’ triple, but Wolcott’s supporting cast responded: Shaylee Shaw scored inside, Gianna Lucarelli added a bank shot, and Kali Geddes buried three treys on her way to nine points. By halftime the Eagles were up 41-24, LeDuc holding a 28-21 edge in their personal duel.

“We knew Shea was a star, but we felt our supporting cast was better, so we tried to pressure them, which helped get Maddie in the open court,” Wolcott coach Powell Chodos said. “In space, there’s no one better. Once a few layups went in, she got in a groove and everything seemed to drop.”

Gray refused to relent, scoring 21 of Derby’s 23 second-half points while shooting a perfect 18-for-18 from the foul line. LeDuc added 23 more in the half, closing the night with the record-breaking 51.

“I can’t recall being involved in a game that had two players score that many points,” Derby coach Chevarella said.

Nine Eagles scored in the contest, with London Parker adding six and Tatiana Hage five. The win lifts Wolcott to 5-14, setting up a must-win visit to Crosby on Thursday if the Eagles are to reach the 30-percent victory threshold required for CIAC tournament qualification. Derby falls to 3-14.