Hillhouse Takes SCC Title

New England Recruiting Report | Tuesday, February 26th, 2013

Both Hillhouse and Fairfield Prep came into Tuesday night’s SWC final with identical records of 21-1, having only fallen to each other after splitting their two regular season match-ups.  

The rubber match was played at Quinnipiac University’s TD Bank Sports Center and lived up to the hype, with Hillhouse scoring a come from behind overtime victory, 53-47.  

This was Hillhouse's third SCC tournament championship in the last five years.  

The Academics seized control of the game early, but saw Prep play a very efficient second half to build a four point lead going into the final moments of regulation.  The Hillhouse defense would rise to the occasion, holding Prep scoreless for the final 2:58, capped by a big block by Chase Daniels to turn away a potential buzzer beater.  

Junior swingman Raiquan Clark was pivotal down the stretch for Hillhouse, scoring 15 of his team high 17 points in the fourth quarter and overtime, while also securing five rebounds and four steals.  Simply put, he came off the bench and did it on both ends for the victors, forcing turnovers with his defensive pressure and then utilizing his athleticism in the open floor.  

Senior guard Andre Anderson was equally pivotal, converting a huge three-point play down the stretch of the fourth quarter and playing through pain in the overtime period after crashing, back first, into the scorer’s table at the end of regulation.    

Thomas Nolan is a name to remember for Fairfield Prep.  The skilled sophomore guard scored a game high 19 points, showing a classic shooting stroke from downtown.  Freshman sensation Ryan Murphy, showed flashes of his talent just one night after dropping 25 points in the semifinals.   

Paschal Chukwu showed why his name is becoming a popular one among high-major coaches in the class of 2014.  He literally dominated the game without scoring a field goal, pulling down 20 rebounds (19 on the defensive end) and blocking 10 shots.  And while he’s obviously still a long way from being a finished product, he’s noticeably improved from a year ago and has some tremendous physical gifts for a player his size.  

Hillhouse and Fairfield Prep could very well end up seeing each other again before this season comes to an end, as they begin next week’s CIAC state tournament as the top two seeds in Class LL.