Some notes from Monday's CHSCA All-Star games...

Windsor's Shannon Samuels netted a 3-point basket at the buzzer as Class L-LL East defeated Class L-LL West, 84-83.

Northwest Catholic's Jenniqua Bailey scored 17 points and was named East MVP.

Branford's Courtney Schissler (19 points) was the West MVP.

Lauralton Hall's Keylantra Langley (13 points) tied the game at 81-81 with 37 seconds left.

After an East miss, Schissler was fouled with 9.2 seconds to go. Schissler made both free throws for an 83-81 lead.

But Samuels (14 points) beat the buzzer with a top of the key trey.

Career's J'Voni Hilton scored nine points, while Lyman Hall's Lyndsey Karle and Hamden's Cara Deroy each had eight points for the West.

Class S-M West defeated Class S-M East 102-69 in the first game.

Law's Casey Dulin was the West MVP with 23 points. She capped her night with a 3-point basket that gave the West a 100-62 lead with 1:46 left

Putnam's Katelyn Tarr (20 points) was the East MVP. Sheehan's Bre Butler scored five points for the East. Old Lyme's Catherine Logan also scored five points for the East.

Here's the top five. For the rest of the poll click here.

1. Norwich Free Academy (12 first-place votes): Class LL champs

2. Hillhouse (six first-place votes): Class L champs

3. Wethersfield: Class L runner-up

4. Mercy: Class LL runner-up

5. Northwest Catholic: Class L quarterfinalist. Lost to Hillhouse. Finished 25-1.

For final area scoring leaders, click here.

Final
Hillhouse wins its second straight Class L title with a 47-45 win over Wethersfield. Abigail Corning hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer, but it was too little too late for Wethersfield. It was neck and neck for the majority of the game. Bria Holmes led Hillhouse with 21 points. Andreana Thomas added 13. Coring led all scorers with 25 points.

Third quarter

Hillhouse leads 30-29 heading into the final quarter. It was a back and forth battle in the third. The Academics held Abigail Corning to just a basket in the third quarter.

Halftime

Andreana Thomas hit a runner at the buzzer to cut Hillhouse's deficit to 20-19 entering halftime.
Bria Holmes capped an 11-0 Hillhouse run early in the second quarter to go up 13-9. Wethersfield responded with nine unanswered points of its own.
Courtney Brown has eight points to lead the Academics. Thomas has seven. Abigail Corning has a game-high 13 points for the Eagles.

First quarter

Wethersfield and Hillhouse are tied at 9 at the end of the first quarter. Andreana Thomas hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key (her 1,000th career point) right before the buzzer to knot the game at 9.

Thomas Closing in on 1,000
Hillhouse junior point guard Andreana Thomas will likely score her 1,000 career point tonight. She has 997 entering the game.

Pregame

No. 3 Wethersfield (25-2) vs. No. 9 Hillhouse (23-4)

The Eagles have one of the state's top players in Abigail Corning. She is averaging 25 points per game for the state tournament and will likely find a way to continue to score against the Academics. The question is, will she get enough help? After winning the Class L title last season, experience should benefit the Academics. They also have the state's top one-two punch in Andreana Thomas and Bria Holmes. Look for those two to cause matchup problems for Wethersfield.

This is Wethersfield's second state final. The Eagles fell to Norwalk in the 1981 Class LL final. Hillhouse is making its 10th championship game appearance. The Academics have won seven state titles.

Hillhouse is looking to repeat as Class L champion, something the Academics did in 2004 and 2005.

North Branford will host the Connecticut High School Coaches' Association all-star games Monday. The Class S-M game will tip off at 6 p.m., followed by the Class L-LL game at 7:30.

Jim Bombaci (Haddam-Killingworth) and Mike Nystrom (St. Bernard) will coach the Class S-M East team. Joe Mone (St. Paul) and Rob McMahon (Thomaston) will coach the Class S-M West team. Wendell Williams (Weaver) and Don LeClerc (South Windsor) will coach the Class L-LL East team. Jeremy O'Connell (Bunnell) and Shawn O'Brien (Newtown) will coach the Class L-LL West team.

The rosters are as follows...

Class S-M East: Jordan Shultz, Haddam-Killingworth; Ashley Walenta, St. Bernard; Catherine Logan, Old Lyme; Kaeigh Robbins, Cromwell; Bre Butler, Sheehan; Rachel Landon, Parish Hill; Katelyn Tarr, Putnam; Amanda King, Old Saybrook; Ashley O'Connell, Rocky Hill; Heather Moylan, Somers; Sara Pliscka, Enfield; Caroline Gosselin, Stonington.

Class S-M West: Sciarra Brandt, Thomaston; Morgan Doyle, Thomaston; Chelsea Mone, St. Paul; Adele Ruel, St. Paul; Tiarrah Thompson, Kolbe Cathedral; Morgan Jensen, Northwestern; Katie Alfiere, Woodland; Vicky Vitale, New Fairfield; Mary Hyde, Derby; Alyssa Martino, Plainville; Kristen Mooney, Ansonia; Casey Dulin, Law.

Class L-LL East: Latiqua Patterson, Weaver; Uju Nwanko, Northwest Catholic; Jenniqua Bailey, Northwest Catholic; Kelley Sundberg, E.O. Smith; Katelyn Zarotney, Berlin; Alexys Vazquez, Berlin; Alexa Long, Waterford; Raven Wright-James, Middletown; Shannon Samuels, Windsor; Kelsey Daniels, South Windsor; LaurenRondinone, East Hartford; Priscilla Rose; Bulkeley.

Class L-LL West: Isnede Milfort, Bunnell; Sara Kelley, Newtown; Katie Cizynski, Pomperaug; Keylantra Langley, Lauralton Hall; Michele Gorman, St. Joseph; Devon Dilberto, Holy Cross; J'Voni Hilton, Career; Courtney Schissler, Branford; Suvi Puripatarrrapan, Staples; Cara Deroy, Hamden; Khea Gibbs, McMahon; Lindsay Karle, Lyman Hall.

Final
St. Paul wins its second state title, beating Portland 39-37 for the Class S championship.
Portland had a chance to send it into overtime, but Lindsey Dionne's shot at the buzzer was off the mark.
The Highlanders led most of the game. St. Paul's Courtney Lobo hit a turnaround in the lane with 15 seconds left, which proved to be the deciding basket. Kelly Coleman finished with a game-high 26 points and for Portland.
Amber Litwinko led St. Paul with 14 points.

Third quarter
Portland is holding on 28-27 heading into the fourth quarter. St. Paul took its first lead, 27-26, on a putback from Adele Ruel. Kelly Coleman quickly answered back with a bucket in the lane to regain the lead for the Portland.
Coleman has 19 points and 11 rebounds.

Halftime

Portland leads St. Paul 21-18 at halftime. Kelly Coleman and xx hit back-to-back 3-pointers for the Highlanders, giving them a 21-14 lead with 3:14 left in the half. St. Paul hit four free throws to close the gap before halftime.
Coleman leads POrtland with 14 points and nine rebounds.
Amber Litwinko, Chelsea Mone and Claire Consonni each have four points for St. Paul.

First quarter

Portland leads 9-6 after one quarter. Portland opened the game with a 9-0 run. The first seven points came from Kelly Coleman.
St. Paul's size advantage is starting to show inside though.

Pregame

St. Paul's size matches up against Portland's speed. Shoreline Conference player of the year Kelly Coleman will need to spark the Highlanders offense against a stingy St. Paul defense, which hasn't allowed more than 37 points during the state tournament. The Falcons' balance has been key all season, but senior Chelsea Mone is averaging 18.5 points in her last two games.

This is St. Paul's third state final. The Falcons have one state championship, winning the Class S title in 2001. This is Portland's first appearance in a state final.

St. Paul opened the state tournament with a win over East Hampton, a team that beat Portland during the regular season.

Final

NFA holds on for its second straight Class LL title with a 50-47 win over Mercy. Kastine Evans had six of the Wildcats final 11 points before fouling out.
Mercy had one last shot, but Maura Calamari's 3-pointer from the left wing bounced off the rim in the closing seconds.
Evans finished with a game-high 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Amber Bepko led Mercy with 19 points.

Third quarter
NFA leads Mercy 33-32. A fallaway jumper by Kastine Evans sparked a 9-0 Wildcats' run.

Halftime

Mercy leads NFA 28-24 at the half.
The Tigers finished the second quarter on a 9-0 run, capped by a three-point play by Maura Calamari.
Amber Bepko leads Mercy with nine points. Kastine Evans leads NFA with 10 points.

First Quarter

NFA is up 12-10 after the first quarter. Amber Bepko drilled back-to-back 3-pointers to close the period. Kastine Evans has four points for NFA.

Pregame

No. 9 Mercy takes on third-seeded and defending champion Norwich Free Academy.

On paper, this looks to be an even matchup. Both teams are undersized. Mercy's Amber Bepko and Norwich Free Academy's Kastine Evans can both can flat-out score and each have a reliable point guard in Sadie Edwards (Mercy) and Stephanie Long (NFA).

It will likely come down to which team's defense rises to the occasion. Also the Wildcats' experience, they won the Class LL title last season, may be a factor.

This is the Wildcats' eighth championship game appearance and they are eyeing their seventh state title. This is the Tigers' third appearance in a state final. Mercy won the Class L title in 1996, the school's only state championship.

Final
Kolbe Cathedral wins its seventh state title, coasting to a 64-50 win over Brookfield. The Cougars seemed to be on a mission from the beginning, never really giving the Bobcats a chance.
Tiarrah Thompson led Kolbe Cathedral with 21 points and 15 rebounds. Jaime Bickelhaupt finished with 16 to lead Brookfield. The Cougars outrebounded the Bobcats 41-24.

Third quarter
The Cougars are running away now. Kolbe Cathedral leads 49-32 at the end of the third quarter. The Cougars finished off the period on a 10-3 run. The Cougars seem to be just too athletic, too big and too good for Brookfield.

Fans of the game
One student wearing a Batman costume and another wearing a banana suit earn fan of the game honors.

Second quarter
Kolbe Cathedral is up 31-20 at halftime. Brookfield does not have the ballhandlers to handle the Cougars' defensive pressure, which is resulting in easy transition baskets for Kolbe Cathedral.

First quarter

Kolbe Cathedral leads 17-9 after first quarter. Brookfield opened the game with five straight turnovers, which led to nine unanswered poitns for the Cougars.

Pregame

Top-seeded Brookfield taking on No. 6 Kolbe Cathedral. Tip-off in 7 minutes.

The Cougars beat the Bobcats 60-50 during the regular season. This is Brookfield's first appearance in a state final.

This is Kolbe Cathedral's 11th title-game appearance and its seventh this decade. The Cougars have won six state titles.

Check out the Register's state title tracker Friday and Saturday with reporters tweeting and blogging on title events in boys' and girls' basketball, hockey and boys' swimming here.

After a sub-par regular season, Kolbe Cathedral has rolled through a Class M field thus far and is making its seventh title-game appearance this decade.

“It feels good,” said senior Imani Garcia, who will be playing in her third state final. “We’ve worked hard. Our regular season didn’t go as planned, but we pulled it together and we’re playing for a championship.”

Hillhouse is no stranger to the routine.

First there’s the CIAC girls’ basketball state championship luncheon, which was held Wednesday at the Mohegan Sun Convention Center. Then there’s the few days of eagerness and anticipation that follows. Finally, the time comes to play for a state title at the Mohegan Sun Arena.

The ninth-seeded Academics were crowned queen of Class L last season and will defend their state title Saturday at 4:30 p.m. at the Mohegan Sun Arena against No. 3 Wethersfield.

“It helps a lot,” said Hillhouse point guard Andreana Thomas of last year’s experience. “We know what to expect. We know the bright lights will be shining when we’re playing this year.”

The run to the sun has been different this season for Hillhouse. Academics coach Catrina Hawley-Stewart said last year’s squad was motivated by the senior factor: A handful of seniors focused on finishing with a ring. This year, a loss to Branford in the Southern Connecticut Conference championship has sparked the Academics tournament run. Hillhouse enters, coming off a quarterfinal win over previously undefeated and top-seeded Northwest Catholic and a semifinal win over last year’s Class M champion Berlin.

Is there pressure that comes along with the title defense?

“It’s back-to-back,” Thomas said. “It’s Hillhouse. You have to win it.”

Standing beside Thomas, Hawley-Stewart added: “Pressure isn’t always that bad. We take pressure as expectations that we could and should do it.”

This is the second straight season - and fourth overall - that the Southern Connecticut Conference has two teams playing in the state finals.
In 2002-03, Guilford won the Class L title and Career won the Class M championship.

Hillhouse is making its second straight Class L championship game
appearance. It's the second time that the Academic have reached back-to-back
state final. They also reached the Class L final in 2004 and 2005, winning the championship both years.

Mercy is making its third Class LL championship appearance. The Tigers
won the 1996 title (67-54 over Bristol Central) and lost in the 2006 final
(67-53 to New Britain).

Since the league was formed in 1994-95, SCC teams have won 11 state
titles. Hillhouse has the most with five (2009, 2005, 2004, 2000 and
1998).

For the eight girls’ basketball teams still standing, it’s been an exciting and enjoyable run to this weekend’s state championships at the Mohegan Sun Arena.

And it’s also been a long one...

For the entire story, click here.

Here are the matchups at the at Mohegan Sun Arena:

CLASS LL
No. 9 Mercy (18-5) vs. No. 3 Norwich Free Academy (21-2), Friday, 8 pm

CLASS L
No. 9 Hillhouse (21-3) vs. No. 3 Wethersfield (23-1), Saturday, 4:30 pm

CLASS M
No. 1 Brookfield (20-3) vs. No. 6 Kolbe Cathedral (19-5), Friday, 6 pm

CLASS S
No. 9 Portland (20-4) vs. No. 3 St. Paul Catholic (22-2), Saturday, 11:30 am

The Connecticut Post reported Jeremy O'Connell has stepped down as head coach of Bunnell. Read the story here.

Hillhouse is headed back to the Mohegan Sun Arena to defend its Class L title.

The No. 9 Academics beat No. 4 Berlin 54-47 at Plainville tonight.

Hillhouse trailed 22-10 early in the first quarter, but the Redcoats cooled off and the Academics took advantage.

Bria Holmes, who was held scoreless in the first half, finished with a game-high 18 points for Hillhouse. Andreana Thomas added 16 points and Courtney Brown chipped in with 10. Katelyn Zarotney led Berlin with 15 points. Zarotney and Kaitlyn Bovee combined for Berlin’s first 14 points.

Hillhouse will face No. 3 Wethersfield in the Class L championship. After falling in the Class L semifinals last season, Wethersfield knocked off No. 2 E.O. Smith 66-56 to earn a spot in the title game.

No. 3 St. Paul will face No. 9 Portland in the Class S championship.

Portland beat No. 5 Coginchaug 35-28, its third win over the Blue Devils this season. St. Paul beat No. 2 Bolton 44-30.

Click here for updated state tournament brackets.

Tonight, No. 9 Hillhouse will face No. 4 Berlin in a Class L semifinal game at Plainville.

The Redcoats already played two games this season at Plainville and are significantly closer to the school than the Academics.

Does Berlin hold an advantage?

"A court is a court," Hillhouse coach Catrina Hawley Stewart said. "The only advantage is they may have a bigger crowd. But we won our last two games in blue (referring to Hillhouse's road uniforms)."

Hillhouse, the defending Class L champions, knocked off previously unbeaten and top-seeded Northwest Catholic 41-39 in the quarterfinals. The Indians handed Berlin a 38-28 loss earlier in the year.

The New Haven Tap-Off Club will honor 30 boys’ and girls’ basketball players, two coaches of the year and an official at its annual dinner March 23 at the Villa Bianca in Seymour.

The Official of the Year from the International Association of Approved Officials Board 10 is Judy Ruthko. The girls' coach is Pomperaug's Jennifer Jackson.

The girls' basketball players are as follows: Jennifer Jackson (Pomperaug, coach), Kristen Mooney (Ansonia), Courtney Schissler (Branford), Nicole Bentley (Career), Cara Deroy, Bria Holmes, Devon Diliberti, Lauren Okafor (Hopkins), Casey Dulin, Keylantra Langley (Lauralton Hall), Lindsay Karle (Lyman Hall), Amber Bepko (Mercy), Mike Martinez (Platt), Katie Cizynski (Pomperaug), Bre Butler (Sheehan) and Shaniqua Fuller.

Tickets are $30 and can be purchased by calling Anthony Vitelli at 203-882-8274 after 6:30 p.m. or e-mail avitelli@milforded.org.

Amber Bepko hit a 3-pointer with 1:22 left in a second overtime, which lifted No. 9 Mercy to a 55-54 with No. 4 Career.

Bepko struggled early, but finished with 18 points. Danielle Machold led the Tigers with 19 points, 15 coming in the first half.

Bria Moore, whose 3-point attempt was off the mark as time expired, finished with 15 points for Career. J'Voni Hilton also had 15 points for the Panthers.

Mercy will play in its third state title game this weekend (either Friday or Saturday) against No. 3 Norwich Free Academy at Mohegan Sun Arena.

It's been a pretty impressive - and surprising - run for the Tigers. Mercy has knocked off top-seeded Lauralton Hall and the Panthers after losing two of the state's best players in Rachel Roberts and Bianca Simmons to graduation last year.

As for Career, the Panthers saw their string of three straight title game appearances come to an end. Career will likely be in the hunt again next season, as the Panthers will only lose Hilton to graduation.

For updated state tournament brackets, click here.

Sites and times are set for the Class L and Class S semifinals.

Class L
No. 9 Hillhouse vs. No. 4 Berlin at Plainville, 6 p.m.
No. 3 Wethersfield vs. No. 2 E.O. Smith at Plainville, 7:45 p.m.

Class S
No. 3 St. Paul vs. No. 2 Bolton at Glastonbury, 6 p.m.
No. 9 Portland vs. No. 5 Coginchaug, 7:45 p.m.

Class L Quarterfinals

No. 9 Hillhouse knocked off top-seeded and previously unbeated Northwest Catholic 41-39. Read the game story here.

No. 11 Branford's 11-game winning streak came to an end. The Hornets fell 44-37 to Wethersfield. Read the game story here.

Class S Quarterfinals

Once again, No. 5 Coginchaug rallied from a second-half deficit to keep its season alive, knocking off No. 4 Capital Prep 45-44. Audrey Biesak finished with 13 points, while Lauren Esposito and Samantha Mancinelli each added 12 points for the Blue Devils. Tafanie Roye finished with 18 points for Capital Prep.

For a look at updated state tournament brackets, click here.

Norwich Free Academy senior guard Kastine Evans was named the 2009-10 Gatorade Connecticut Player of the Year today.


Evans, who is headed to Kentucky, was a Register All-State selection last season. Evans will look to lead NFA, the defending Class LL state champions, against Manchester in the Class LL semifinals Saturday.

Evans is the fourth player in NFA girls' basketball history to earn the award.

After missing more than a month with a broken foot, Berlin senior sharpshooter Alexys Vazquez returned to action in the Redcoats 79-51 disposal over Fermi in the second round of the Class L tournament last Thursday.


Vazquez didn’t seem to have much rust in her first game back, netting five 3-pointers for 15 points.

Her return comes just in time. The Redcoats, seeded No. 4, will face a tough No. 5 Pommperaug team tonight in the quarterfinals.

A balanced attack continues to lead Career. The No. 4 Panthers advanced to the Class LL semifinals 62-42 win over No. 5 Holy Cross. 

Nicole Bentley and J'Voni Hilton each had 12 points. Jasmine Claxton added 11 points, while Nicole Anderson and Bria Moore each chipped in with nine points.  

The Panthers outscored the Crusaders 19-6 to open the game.

In other Class LL action, No. 9 Mercy beat No. 1 Lauralton Hall 48-39, knocking out the first top seed this year.

Sadie Edwards and Amber Bepko combined for 41 points for Mercy.

Keylantra Langley poured in 23 points for Lauralton Hall, but didn't get much help. Nicola Matero added six points.

For the rest of Wednesday's results, check out the Register's updated brackets here.

No. 9 Mercy will look to knock off top-seeded Lauralton Hall tonight at 7:45 p.m. at Berlin.

Mercy coach Tim Kohs’ thoughts on the Keylantra Langley and the Crusaders: “She’s explosive. She’s a great player. She can score in so many ways. She’s a big guard and we don’t have big guards.”

Kohs said it’s a winnable game — if the Tigers can contain Langley, rebound the ball and control Lauralton Hall’s size advantage inside.

No. 9 Morgan will face top-seeded Brookfield in the Class M quarterfinals tonight at 6 p.m. at Middletown.

Huskies coach Joe Grippo’s thoughts on Brookfield: “They’re tough. I heard great things about her (Bobcats high-scoring guard Brittany Martelle). We’ll force others to handle the ball.”

Grippo on Morgan’s run so far: Some people criticize our league (Shoreline Conference), but it’s good basketball. Look at the SCC. All the teams are gone (in Class M). Playing in our league prepared us well for the tournament.”

For the rest of the quarterfinal matchups, check out the Register's brackets here.

The CIAC High School Girls’ Basketball Championship Luncheon at the Mohegan Sun Convention Center will take place March 17 at 11:30 a.m., girls' basketball state tournament director Dave Maloney said today.
WTNH Channel 8's John Pierson will MC the event and the Connecticut Sun's Kara Lawson will be the guest speaker.

Here's the Register's All-Name team for this year's state tournament.

Starting five

Kendra Frisbie, Branford

Suvi Puripattarapan, Staples

Mercedes Jackson, Wilbur Cross

Emily Favorite, Ridgefield

Uniqua Tucker, Danbury

Off the bench...

Kathryn Tickell, Branford

Elizabeth Abercrombie, Ridgefield

Rachel Franzluebbers, East Cathooilc

Coach

Cazzie Iverson, Wilby

Seeded No. 21 in Class M, Plainfield is looking to become the lowest seed in over 10 years to reach the state tournament semifinals.

Looking back at the last 10 years, Old Saybrook (2001-02), St. Paul (2005-06), Guilford (2005-06) and Cromwell (2007-08) all reached the semifinals as No. 20 seeds.

Seeded No. 22 in the 2007-08 Class L tournament, Hand reached the quarterfinals, but lost 51-45 to No. 14 Wilbur Cross.

A look - by conference - of the teams still alive in the run to Mohegan Sun.


CCC: Eight of 32 teams in conference (Manchester, Northwest Catholic, Berlin, E.O. Smith, Bristol Eastern, Wethersfield, Tolland, RHAM)

Shoreline: Four of 13 teams (Morgan, Portland, Coginchaug, Cromwell)

SWC: Four of 16 teams (Lauralton Hall, Pomperaug, Brookfield, Kolbe Cathedral)

SCC: Four of 19 teams (Mercy, Career, Hillhouse, Branford)

ECC: Three of 19 teams (NFA, Plainfield, Windham)

Berkshire: Two of 11 teams (Thomaston, Wamogo)

NCCC: Two of 13 teams (Coventry, Bolton)

NVL: Two of 14 teams (Holy Cross, St. Paul)

FCIAC: Two of 19 teams (St. Joseph, Ridgefield)

CSC: One of 22 teams (Capital Prep)

Ellen Rich finished with 14 points, 15 rebounds, four steals and four assists, and was named tournament MVP, as top-seeded Hamden Hall beat No. 3 Vermont Academy 51-28 Sunday in the New England Prep School Class D girls’ basketball championship at Dedham, Mass.


It’s Hamden Hall’s first girls’ basketball title.

Dreisen Heath added 22 points, six steals and three assists for the Hornets (23-5).

Class LL

Despite Shaniqua Fuller fouling out, Wilbur Cross forced overtime, but eventually fell to No. 2 St. Joseph 57-51.
Aaliyah Robinson had 15 points for the Governors, which closed out the first half with a 21-1 run. Michele Gorman had 16 points for St. Joseph.

Bria Moore scored 23 points as No. 4 Career edged No. 13 Hamden 65-62.
Cara Deroy finished with a game-high 25 points for the Green Dragons.

Keylantra Langley scored 14 points in No. 1 Lauralton Hall's 39-24 win over No. 16 Glastonbury.

Behind 13 points from Sadie Edwards, No. 9 Mercy edged No. 8 Stamford 43-41.

Class M

No. 18 RHAM upset No. 2 Sheehan 58-45. The Titans were without injured starters Shanya Adams and Chelsea Neelon.

Despite 26 points from Casey Dulin, No. 5 Law fell 71-59 to No. 21 Plainfield.

NEPSAC

Ellen Rich became the first player in Hamden Hall history to score 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds as Hamden Hall beat Watkinson 52-34 to advance to the Class D championship.
Rich finished with 12 points and 15 rebounds.

For updated state tournament brackets, click here.

Former Wilbur Cross standout and Boston University guard Chantell Alford earned America East Rookie of the Year honors and also became the first freshman in 15 years to earn all-conference first-team honors.

Alford is averaging 15.3 points and 4.9 rebounds this season, and is 27 points away from breaking the school-scoring mark by a freshman. She currently has 425 points.

As a No. 13 seed, Wilbur Cross reached the Class LL semifinals last season.

But the Governors no longer have Chantell Alford, who is now suiting up at Boston University. They do have a tough one-two punch is senior Shaniqua Fuller and sophomore Aaliyah Robinson though. Also senior Alexis Boyd has been a consistent third scorer and the injury issues during the regular season, are now behind Wilbur Cross.

So can the Governors, this year an 18th-seed, make another Cinderella run? It's possible.

Wilbur Cross faces No. 2 St. Joseph tonight in the second round. The Cadets haven't played in two weeks and lost to the Governors last year in the quarterfinals.

Class L

Andreana Thomas scored 21 points and dished out 10 assists to lift No. 9 Hillhouse to a 61-46 win over No. 8 Trinity Catholic.

Molly Poryanda scored 18 points and pulled down 13 rebounds as No. 11 Branford coasted into the quarterfinals with a 64-36 win over No. 27 Newington.

Class S

No. 5 Coginchaug came from behind to edge No. 12 Putnam 45-42. Audrey Biesak led the Blue Devils with 15 points. Katelyn Tarr had a game-high 28 points for the Clippers.

Kelly Coleman and Alyssa Unikewicz each scored 13 points as No. 9 Portland knocked off No. 8 Old Lyme, the defending Class S champions, 36-34.

To see the updated brackets, click here.

In order to avoid a large number of schools playing boys' and girls' tournament games on the same day at different sites, the CIAC has changed the dates for the quarterfinals and semifinals.

The new dates are as follows...

Classes LL and M: Quarterfinals, March 10; Semifinals, March 13

Class L and S: Quarterfinals, March 11; Semifinals, March 15

Career's quest for a fourth straight title-game berth finally begins Friday night.

When the No. 4 Panthers host No. 13 Hamden Friday night in the second round of the Class LL state tournament, it will be the first time the Panthers played in 13 days.

Career last played Feb. 20, losing to Branford in the SCC quarterfinals.

"It's tough," said Panthers coach Kevin Walton of the long layoff. "We had to wait almost two weeks. We just have to bring them back and get focused. We're excited to play Friday."

Friday's game will be the first time the two SCC teams played each other this season. There are some interesting sub plots when the Panthers host the Green Dragons.

Hamden senior Lianna Carrero played her freshman year at Career. Career junior guards Trinity Barnes and Nicole Bentley, along with sophomore Morgan Rams, are all transfers from Hamden.

The Green Dragons knocked off No. 20 New Britain Tuesday night with a 56-42 win. Cara Deroy led Hamden with 25 points.

The Panthers are one of nine Class LL teams that received a first-round bye.

For state tournament brackets, click here.

No. 8 Old Lyme will host No. 9 Portland Thursday night in the second round of the Class S tournament, marking the fourth meeting this season between the two Shoreline Conference schools.

Here's a look at three earlier meetings this season between Portland and the defending Class S champion. Portland holds a 2-1 edge in the series this season.

Jan. 5: In a low-scoring game, Kelly Coleman scored a game-high 13 points as Portland edged Old Lyme 40-37 in the first meeting.

Feb. 2: Ali Wilkman scored 15 points as three Wildcats scored in double figures in Old Lyme's 45-38 win.

Feb. 20: Coleman scored 27 points in Portland's 60-45 win in the Shoreline Conference tournament quarterfinals. Portland outscored the Wildcats 18-7 in the final quarter.


Register's prediction: Another low-scoring affair. Kelly Coleman leads Portland into the quarterfinals with a 45-42 win.

Class LL

Shaniqua Fuller had 15 points, 13 rebounds, nine steals and four blocks to lead No. Wilbur Cross to a 52-50 victory over No. 15 East Catholic .
Aaliyah Robinson had 18 points, six assists and four steals.

Cara Deroy had 25 points to lead No. 13 Hamden to a 56-42 win over No. 20 New Britain. The Golden Hurricanes shot 16 for 70 from the field.

Class M

Kelcy Carlson scored 19 points to lift No. 9 Morgan to a 67-24 win over No. 24 Prince Tech.

Led by Casey Dulin’s 28 points, No. 5 Law beat No. 28 Nonnewaug 56-44.

Despite 13 points, nine rebounds and five steals from Kristin Mooney, No. 15 Ansonia fell 56-45 to No. 18 RHAM.

Check out updated state tournament brackets here.

No. 16 Glastonbury will take on No. 17 Trumbull tonight at 7 p.m. in the first round of the Class LL tournament.

The two teams met last year in the first round with Glastonbury moving on to the second round with a 42-33 win over Trumbull. Glastonbury fell in the second round to state championship game finalist Career.

The winner of tonight's game will face top-seeded Lauralton Hall Friday.

Class L

Andreana Thomas dished out a school-record 21 assists as No. 9 Hillhouse cruised to a 71-40 win over No 24 Middletown.

No. 20 Fermi upset No. 11 Lyman Hall 57-55. Lindsay Karle scored 25 points, including the 1,000th of her career, for Lyman Hall. Felicia Ferraro added 21 points and 16 rebounds for the Trojans.

Damika Martinez set a school record with 44 points in the No. 15 Platt’s 66-47 win over Wilby.

CLASS S

Kelly Coleman scored 29 points and added 20 points and five blocks as No. 9 Porltand squeezed by No. 24 Housatonic Regional 62-54 in overtime.
Coleman scored her 1,000th career point in the game.

Catherine Logan scored 17 points as No. 8 Old Lyme, the defending Class S champions, beat No. 25 Cheney Tech 75-32.

Courtney Schissler scored 26 points and Brittney Kenney added a career-high 22 points as No. 11 Branford beat No. 22 Guilford 75-61 in the opening round of the Class L tournament.

Audrey Biesak scored 15 points to lift No. 5 Coginchaug to a 60-41 win over No. 28 Stafford in the Class S tournament.

Hamden Hall draws the top seed in Class D and earns a first-round bye.

For a complete look at all the brackets, click here.

Just spoke with Bacon Academy coach Dave Shea and he said his top player Katie Mahoney is likely out for the state tournament with the knee injury, which kept her out of ECC championship game against Norwich Free Academy.

For state tournament brackets and players to watch, click here.

For 10 stories to follow during the state tournament, click here.

For predicitions, click here, and please feel free to make yours.

Behind the tandem of Bria Holmes and Andreana Thomas, Hillhouse looks to defend its Class L title. For a story on Holmes and Thomas, click here.

For a look at past champions, click here.