Coach Nick Chaconis is now part of an elite group of high school coaches after cementing his 500th victory Tuesday night. The Portland girls' basketball team beat the Thunderbirds in North Branford, 42-33.
"I'm relieved that it's out of the way because I know what I went through and I can only imagine what the players are going through. I'm sure they are glad that we got it out of the way as well," Chaconis said.
Chaconis has had a lot around him over the years and a few chimed in on what Tuesday night was all about.
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"Nick was a little more pepped up for this game and the way that he has been acting around the house, I could tell that he wanted to get the win tonight," said his wife, Kerry Chaconis.
Said assistant coach Diane Moskey Coleman, who played at Portland in 1979-1982: "It's pretty cool to be a part of this both as a player and a coach. I'm very excited for him. He's a great guy and he hasn't changed in 36 years. He makes everyone laugh and keeps it very entertaining."
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However, the game, or its significance, wasn't the only thing on Chaconis' mind Tuesday.
"I talked to Nick [Tuesday] and all we talked about was the Red Sox and Yankees. Nick's a Yankee fan and I'm a Red Sox fan. We really didn't talk about the game," said Jim Regan, a longtime friend.
With seven lead changes, the game was a see-saw battle before Portland (3-0) pulled away in the fourth quarter.
His bench depleted because of the loss of sophomore Brianna Marconi (left knee injury) and senior co-captain Lindsey Dionne (nine points) picking up two quick fouls, Chaconis had his hands full on how to lead his team to victory.
"We wanted to be patient on the offensive end but pound the ball inside whenever possible," assistant coach Diane Coleman said. "We started to execute that philosophy better in the second half."
A proud contingent of Portland fans made the trip to North Branford and let the gym know they were there. They erupted when junior Meaghan Rodgers swished a three-point shot to tie the score at 4 early in the first quarter.
The Highlanders took their first lead at 9-8 with 2:10 left in the first quarter when Kelly Coleman (22 points) knocked down a three. The first quarter ended with Portland ahead, 11-8.
Both teams struggled to score in the second quarter and Portland saw its slim lead vanish by half time. They only scored four points as North Branford (0-3) took a 17-15 lead into the locker room at half time.
The second half began with North Branford's Jessica Sola (nine points) hitting a jumper from the right elbow to increase the lead to 19-15. The deficit didn't last long as the Lady Highlanders scored on their first two possessions by feeding the ball down low to junior Sarah Bierly (eight points) and Coleman, who tied the score once again at 19.
Strong defensive pressure and an up tempo offensive surge gave Portland a 29-25 lead at the end of the third quarter.
The momentum shifted in Portland's favor during the first minute of the fourth quarter as Dionne knocked down a jumper, Coleman hit a free throw and denial defense led to a five-second violation on North Branford trying to inbound. That turnover led to another Dionne basket off an assist from junior Alyssa Unikewicz for a 34-25 lead.
You could sense the team was feeling victory at this point but things got a little tenuous when Coleman picked up her fourth foul with 2:40 to go in the game and leading by eight. North Branford was able to cut the lead to 37-32 with 1:12 left but ran out of gas. Coleman and Dionne finished off the Thunderbirds by scoring the next five points to ice a historic victory.
"I have been coaching against Nick for 14 years now as members of the same conference, first the Charter Oak and now the Shoreline," East Hampton coach Shaun Russell said. "Two things to me come immediately to mind when looking at Nick's career accomplishments. First being able to coach at one high school for 36 years is an incredible feat in and of itself regardless of his win-loss record. He has been able to adjust to many different generations of players over that time period and has remained relevant to the players and been able to motivate them. Second, winning 500 games is simply incredible. He has had the fortune to have several great players during that time period but it also takes great commitment to put a program in place that helps the players succeed on the court. At smaller schools like ours, you coach who shows up and over the course of time the talent ebbs and flows but the one constant at Portland has been Nick. He has done a great job there and this accomplishment should be celebrated by all of those currently and historically involved in the Portland High School girls' basketball program. Nick has my utmost respect and congratulations on this coaching milestone."
