Weekend Finals Set in CT & NH

NewEnglandRecruitingReport.com | Wednesday, March 18th, 2009

CIAC Class LL – Windsor vs. Crosby
Saturday 8:30pm at Mohegan Sun Arena
Windsor High School led for all 32 minutes of Tuesday night’s semi-final against Bridgeport Central before finalizing a 78-72 win.  Tyrus Weaver was the star as he knocked down five three-pointers for 28 points.  But the senior poise and experience of Steven Samuels, Doug Soutar, and Adrian Satchell was also pivotal throughout the game.  On Saturday, Windsor will face Crosby High School from Waterbury fresh off win in the quarter-finals over top seeded Hillhouse and in Tuesday’s semi’s against FCIAC champion Stamford.  Anthony Ireland has been the hero knocking down the game winner on Friday and coming up with a triple double in Friday’s semi’s with 28 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists.   

CIAC Class L – Torrington vs. Bulkeley
Saturday 6:30pm at Mohegan Sun Arena
DeShawn Hamlett has been on a tear for Bulkeley as he led them to a quarter-final upset over top seed Trinity Catholic and then scored 29 in the semi’s against Northwest Catholic.  But it remains to be seen if Bulkeley will have an answer for Torrington’s Jordan Williams who has been absolutely dominant throughout the entire season with multiple 40 and 50 points games.  But in Wednesday’s semi-final win it was his little brother, Desmond Williams, who hit the game winner to push Torrington into the final with a 39-38 victory.   

CIAC Class M – Sacred Heart vs. Bloomfield
Saturday 4:30pm at Mohegan Sun Arena
Sacred Heart and Bloomfield will meet in Saturday’s final as both teams walked away with convincing wins in the semi’s.  The top seeded Sacred Heart has used a balanced attack throughout the tournament as Josh Turner, Cory Andrews, Joe Bozzuto, and Effrin Ellison have all taken turns putting up big numbers, while the junior duo of Rashad Moore and Denzel Jones has anchored the Bloomfield team.  The Warhawks have plenty of depth as they like to press and run but can also bring some sharp-shooters off the bench as they did against Sheehan in the quarters. 

CIAC Class S – Hyde Leadership vs. Cromwell
Saturday 11:00am at Mohegan Sun Arena
This will be the fourth time that these two teams have met this season.  They split their two regular season match-ups as both contests came down to the final possession, while Cromwell picked up a win in the Shoreline Conference Tournament finals.  For Hyde to even the season series and earn a state championship they’ll need to contain Cromwell’s three headed monster of Isaiah Salafia, Tyler Burkhart, and Shawn Holley.  Hyde will be led by 6’3” junior guard Kendall Groom, Joe Lambert, and Damian Gay. 

NHIAA Class L – Trinity vs. Manchester Memorial
Saturday 3:00pm at University of New Hampshire
Top seeded Trinity advanced to the finals with a 65-59 win over Alvirne in the semi’s behind 24 points from Jordan Laguerre.  Richard Madol, younger brother David Madol, and Cormac Fitzpatrick help to make this a well balanced offensive attack.  Meanwhile, Manchester Memorial knocked off defending champions Salem in the other semi-final 49-41 behind 27 points from Jason Chevrefils.  Trinity and Manchester Memorial played earlier this season when Trinity scored a 61-48 decision.  Manchester will likely look to slow the tempo down of Saturday’s final while Trinity will no doubt be looking to push it and use their speed and athleticism. 

NHIAA Class M – Prospect Mountain vs. Conant
Friday 7:00pm
Fourth seeded Prospect Mountain scored a bit of an upset in the semi-finals as they claimed a thrilling 54-43 overtime win over top seeded Stevens behind 23 points from Jack Lafreniere.  Conant, on the other hand, had no difficulties at all as they handled Mascoma 63-44.  In fact, Conant’s only loss of the season came in the first week of January to Stevens.