The 1949-50 basketball team, under the guidance of Coach Nichols, was a decided success. Although the season started off with a losing streak of four games, the team pulled itself together and won the next six consecutive games.
The annual Alumni game, on Thanksgiving night, opened the season. This hard-fought battle ended in a 43-39 vicrory for the alumni. The Gilbert players, however, battled valiantly against a team of mainly college men.
The traditional tilt with Torrington, played in that city, resulted in a 54-34 victory for the "Big Red." During the first half, however, the Yellow jackets played inspiring ball and were a rival threat to the Torringtonites. In the remaining cantos the Yellow jackets lost their sting and Torringron forged ahead to win

Two other heartbreaking defeats were suffered at the hands of Wilby, 59-57; and Seymour, 47-34. Then
Gilbert got intro the win column and stayed there for six successive games. Terryville was defeated twice with scores of 37-35 and 45-21. Searles, Windsor, Farmingron and Lewis were successfully routed also by the storming Yellow jackets.
The rest of the season followed a won-lost, lost-won pattern with Gilbert dropping games to Torringron 44-35, Farmingron 42-41, Sacred Heart 45-44 and 43-31, and Lewis 40-37. However, a win against Watertown on February 10 sewed the tourney bid for Gilbert.
Gilbert traveled to the Yale's Payne-Whitney gym in New Haven with great hopes of winning their initial contest. Darien, which placed fifth in the tourney, was Gilbert's first. opponent; but having lost three key players in the midst of the season because of scholastic difficulties, Gilbert's chances of winning the battle were slight. The strong Darien team, paced by three six-footers, forged ahead to win a hard fought contest by a 49-34 score.
Gilbert, placed 16th and last in the tourney, has high hopes of a very successful season next year.