In a dramatic finish, the Democrats defeated the Republicans, 25 to 23, in the annual Capitol basketball game Monday night at the former Hartford Civic Center.
State Senator Eric Coleman, a Bloomfield Democrat, was the hero of the night as he got the ball with the Democrats losing by 23 to 22 with only three seconds to play. Coleman not only scored a basket, but he also got fouled. He hit the shot to put the Democrats ahead by two points and seal the victory.
The other big development is that no one got hurt. That was unusual, compared to previous years when players suffered from a variety of ailments.
The number of players has also been dwindling in recent years – with the Republicans showing up Monday night with only five players, while the Democrats had 10.
“We’re running out of people because we’re getting too old,” said state Rep. Stephen Dargan, a longtime player who had a hip replacement in recent years. “All of these legislators think they’re 18 again” and sometimes end up getting injured.
The game has traditionally been held on the same night as a home game for the University of Connecticut men’s team. That was the case Monday night as UConn defeated West Virginia in an upset.