At times Thursday in Career's 60-52 overtime win over Hillhouse, Panthers freshman Alyssa Alston's shot selection was questionable and she made some poor decisions defensively before fouling out.
But Alston, a 5-foot-5 point guard, also showed flashes of why she may be the state's top player in three years.
Alston finished with 11 points Thursday (she's averaging 11 ppg this season). She didn't play scared and didn't seem to have any nerves like some freshmen would in a game of that magnitude.
Instead she embraced the big stage. She seems to carry the swagger and confidence that many great players have.
Alston pumped her chest at the Floyd Little Athletic Center crowd after hitting a deep 3-pointer, and wowed them with her speed and quick spin moves to the basket.
With the game tied at 48 in the closing seconds of regulation, in whose hands did coach Kevin Walton have the ball?
Alston. She took the last shot (her drive to the basket was off the mark).
"There's a lot of pressure on that young girl," Walton said. "I think she's handled it well. She's struggled, but she did enough to keep us in the game tonight. You can see her talent. Once she gets comfortable, you're going to see a lot more from her."
A lot can happen in the next three years. And there are other impressive freshmen like Capital Prep's Dejane James and Kiah Gillespie. But it's hard to bet against Alston and her potential.

Latest poll here.

With tons of intriguing holiday tournaments and non-conference matchups, next week will be a good indicator as to where teams stand on the state level. Here’s a look at eight of the most important games on next week’s slate.


Manchester Holiday Tournament championship, Thursday, 7:30 p.m.: Assuming the Indians get by NFA and Newtown beats New Britain, Manchester will square off against the Nighthawks in a matchup of two Class LL contenders.

Mercy Classic Championship, Thursday, 7:30 p.m.: If the Tigers knock off Wilbur Cross and Lauralton Hall can beat East Catholic, this will be another interesting game between Class LL powerhouses.

Career at Hillhouse at the Floyd Little Athletic Center, Thursday, 5 p.m.: You can make the argument that both these teams can win the Class LL tournament this year. Let’s see who has the upper hand.

RHAM at Stamford, Wednesday, 5 p.m.: Let’s see which team is for real. Both undefeated, Sarah Veilleux and the Sachems will face this FCIAC team that’s off to a sizzling start.

Thomaston at Coginchaug, Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.: Can the Golden Bears handle the uptempo Blue Devils in a battle of these Class S powers.

Kolbe Cathedral at Windsor, Thursday, 3:30 p.m.: The Cougars could use a win here to prove they are still a perennial power.

Glastonbury vs. Lyman Hall at Hand, Tuesday, 5 p.m.: Still looking for its first win, a victory over Glastonbury would be huge for Lyman Hall.

Northwest Catholic at Avon, Tuesday, 7:45 p.m.: Playing in the NCCC, a win over the Indians would prove that Avon in legit.

Each Thursday, this blog will take a look at a former area standout, who is now playing in college.

Andreana Thomas, Hofstra

High school: Hillhouse

Year: Freshman

Position: Guard

Height: 5-4

Stats: 20.2 mpg, 5.2 ppg, 15 ast, 9 stl

CPTV will be televising some high school games. Check out the press release.

Ansonia has been selected as this year's first Connecticut Sun High School Girls’ Basketball Team of the Week for the week of December 12-18.

The Chargers improved to 3-0 with a 49-42 overtime road win over Seymour on Friday. Ansonia also posted a 45-30 victory Wednesday over Watertown.

Many tech schools are overlooked when it comes to athletics. Well don’t sleep on the Platt Tech girls’ basketball team.


The Panthers will likely win at least 15 games and then could be a sleeper in the Class S state tournament. They would probably win the CSC tournament if it wasn’t for Capital Prep, who has two future high Division I players in Kiah Gillespie and Dejane James.

I talked with Sheehan coach Mike Busillo Monday night. He spoke very highly of Platt Tech, which held its own in a 44-32 loss to the Titans last week. He said Julia Navarro could start for any team in the SCC besides Career, Hillhouse and Mercy. And then there’s 6-foot-5 Aaliyah Bohannon. Her size alone makes her a really tough matchup. But Bohannon has really improved. She’s averaging 12.5 ppg and over 10 rebounds.

It’ll be interesting to see how they do at the North Haven Holiday Tournament next week. They take on Barlow and then will face either Hyde or North Haven.

Watch out for the Panthers.

Puchini out

Also, Guilford junior point guard Carla Puchini will be out at least another week or two. Puchini suffered a concussion in the Indians second game of the year against Career. She has missed three games so far.

Hillhouse stays at No. 1 in the latest Register Top 10 poll.

First of all, before I talk about tonight's key matchup, please check out this story.

Okay, so I’ll be covering Ansonia at Seymour tonight at 7 p.m.


Why?

Well, one of these two teams will win the NVL Brass Division. Behind the tandem of Melissa Tirella and Tierney Lawlor, Ansonia is off to a 2-0 start with wins over St. Paul and Watertown. Neither team was able to score 40 points against the Chargers.

As for Seymour, sure the Wildcats are 1-3. But Christina Cretella returns tonight. She will make a huge difference. There will be some nerves and rust with Cretella, as she comes back from ACL surgery. But the bottom line is Cretella is arguably the top player in the NVL (if healthy) and her return instantly turns Seymour into a contender.

It should be an interesting matchup between these Valley rivals.

Throwback Thursday returns. Each Thursday, this blog will take a look at a former area standout, who is now playing in college.

Keylantra Langley, St. John's

High school: Lauralton Hall

Year: Sophomore

Position: Guard

Height: 5-9

Stats: 24.9 mpg, 5.7 ppg, 11 stl

Tonight’s schedule is loaded with some big games. Here’s a look at a few...

Tolland at Glastonbury, 7 p.m.: Tolland has one of the state’s top players in Kristin Schatzlein. Glastonbury has some key returners from a deep run in last year’s Class LL tournament.

E.O. Smith at Manchester, 7 p.m.: Another big showdown in the CCC, featuring two of the league’s top players in Morgan Olander (E.O. Smith) and Ashley Perez (Manchester).

Pomperaug at Lauralton Hall, 7 p.m.: The Panthers’ first chance to prove they belong in the conversation with Lauralton Hall and Newtown as contenders in the SWC.

Hillhouse at Hamden, 7 p.m.: Intriguing matchup between Bria Holmes and the Academics going up against a Hamden team that has four 6-footers.

Torrington at Holy Cross, 7 p.m.: Holy Cross is likely the top team in the NVL. Will the Crusaders be able to handle Caycee Williams, a transfer from Wamogo, who is averaging 18 ppg?

Capital Prep at Kolbe Cathedral, 7 p.m.: Freshmen Kiah Gillespie and Dejane James will have their first real challenge when Capital Prep squares off against the Cougars.

Old Saybrook at Coginchaug, 7:30 p.m.: Kayla McAvoy and Kelly Ratchford are one of the best one-two punches in the Shoreline Conference. The Rams knocked off Portland and will be a tough test for Coginchaug.

So much for doubting Mercy. No Amber Bepko, no Sadie Edwards, no problem. In seemed like the Mercy would be in trouble without Bepko (now at Hartford) and Edwards (transfer). But players like Jordyn Nappi, Maria Weselyj and Liz Falcigno have stepped up and the Tigers remain a contender. That trio all scored in double figures and Mercy proved its still a perennial power in a season-opening 62-51 win over Career. The Tigers followed with a 67-48 victory over Cheshire.

Aaliyah Robinson needs some help or it’s going to be a long season for Wilbur Cross. Teams will throw all the pressure they can at the Wilbur Cross senior, who is headed to play at Iona, until the Governors find a few players that can relieve some of the pressure at the offensive end. That’s been the case in losses to Hamden and Hillhouse, as Robinson has faced constant double teams. Tameia Bell is a solid point guard and legit scoring threat, but Robinson will need more than that.

East Haven is much improved. The Easties already matched their win total from last season with a 51-46 season-opening win over Foran. Led by Shauna Dinneen (13 points), East Haven outscored the Lions 31-14 in the second half. North Haven coach Chris Barry, a former assistant at East Haven, expects the Easties to win 12 games this season.

Sure it was just one game. And sure it came in an easy win against Bolton. But Capital Prep freshmen sensations had impressive debuts last week and quickly lived up to the hype. Kiah Gillespie finished with 17 points and Dejane James added 13 points and 10 assists. The Trailblazers have Kolbe Cathedral Tuesday, which should be a bit more of a challenge.

Caycee Williams should keep Torrington relevant in the NVL. Williams, who spent three seasons at Wamogo before transferring and is the younger sister of New Jersey Nets rookie Jordan Williams, has quickly made an impact for the Red Raiders. She oopened the season with 16 points in a win over Wilby and followed with a 20-point effort in a victory over Naugatuck.