BEYOND THE ARC – No. 9 Capital Prep thinks it’s the best team in the state, No. 3 Mercy might have something to say about that and No. 1 Career might just be on the outside looking in on this convo. What you talkin’ bout Chisholm? Here’s what caught my eye.

BLAZED: No. 9 Capital Prep has to hear it all the time. You’re just Class S, you don’t play anybody good in the Constitution State Conference. Well, the Trail Blazers silenced the critics with a convincing 76-57 romp of top ranked Career in the Doc Hurley Basketball Classic at Weaver High in Hartford. Capital Prep’s sophomore forward Kiah Gillepsie had a game-high 29 and freshman forward Desiree Elmore had 28. Those two Trailblazers (2-0) scored just as much as the entire Career (2-2) team. Senior forward Tanaya Atkinson had a team-high 28 for the No. 1 Panthers. Career lost to No. 3 Mercy by 11 on Tuesday. When the new poll comes out next week, expect major changes.

WHO’S THAT DIPPING ON THE FAST BREAK?: Snoop James. I apologize to Miss James and her family for that terrible Snoop Dogg pun. Capital Prep’s DeJane “Snoop” James actually got her nickname from the character on The Wire, because she is so tough. Snoop is also very smart. In my humble opinion, she was the best player on the court last night. She made everything go for the Trailblazers, she hit shots when the defense sagged off, broke defenders down one-on-one and found moving cutters all game. She only had nine points, but had a major impact on the outcome. She’s just a sophomore, keep her on your radar.

CLUTCH: Lauren Singleton came through when her team needed it most, draining the game-winning shot with 3.3 seconds left to play to lift Hamden over East Haven 45-44. Singleton finished with 16 points as the Green Dragons (1-2) picked up their first victory of the season keeping the Yellow Jackets winless at 0-3.

FREE BEE: Last night in Sacred Heart Academy’s 59-52 Southern Connecticut Conference interdivision victory over Cheshire, there were 45 free throws attempted by the two teams combined. The Pacers and Rams collectively shot 35-for-45 from the charity stripe. The 35 free throws made were one more than the 34 field goals made by the two teams combined. The Pacers’ Alexis Iannone led all scorers with 25 and was 7-for-8 from the line and SHA’s Shyla Osmond was 6-for-6 from the free throw line with 17 points.

Starting five: The top five performers from last night’s action.

Kiah Gillespie, No. 9 Capital Prep: She scored a game-high 29 points in a 76-57 victory over No. 1 Career.

Desiree Elmore, No. 9 Capital Prep: Finished with 28 points in the rout of Career.

Alexis Iannone, Sacred Heart Academy: Dropped a game-high 25 in a 59-52 triumph over Cheshire.

Jayva Johnson, West Haven: Led the game with 25 points in a 54-51 victory over Foran.

Lauren Singleton, Hamden: Had 16 points and nailed the game-winning shot with 3.3 second left in a 45-44 victory over East Have.

What’s going on?: A look around the state.

NEW HAVEN REGISTER: There’s a new No. 1, sort of.

NEW HAVEN REGISTER:  Local roundups and box scores.

NEW HAVEN REGISTER: West Haven rallies to defeat Foran. Mike Madera has more info.

MIDDLETOWN PRESS: No. 2 Weaver too much for Middletown.

WATERBURY REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN: Local roundups.

HARTFORD COURANT: Check out the Capital Prep/Career game from the Courant’s point of view. Lori Riley has more.