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.

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.

Not only did Berlin lose a senior leader, but also one of the best shooters in the state when Alexys Vazquez broke her foot in a game against Middletown late last month.

The Fairfield-bound sharpshooter made 33 3-pointers and was shooting 45 percent from beyond the arc before the injury. Redcoats coach Sheila King said Vazquez would be re-evaluated late this month or in early March.

As for life without Vazquez?

“We’ve adjusted well,” King said. “We have a good bench. Some players have stepped up. Our seniors have stepped up. But we’re more concerned for Lexy and this being her senior year.”

The wins are still piling up — Berlin is 16-1 — but the margin of victory quickly became narrower. Coasting to many of its previous wins, the Redcoats escaped with a 52-51 overtime victory against Windsor in their first game without Vazquez. Then Berlin beat Maloney 36-26, a team it trounced by 33 points earlier.

The Redcoats’ depth takes some of the sting out of losing Vazquez, and it’s reassuring that Siena-bound Katelyn Zarotney is averaging 17.5 points since Vazquez has been out.

Berlin sharpshooter Alexys Vazquez will miss six to eight weeks after breaking her foot in a game against Middletown Friday, according to the Hartford Courant.

Vazquez, who will play at Fairfield next season, has helped the Redcoats to a 13-1 mark. Berlin is ranked No. 4 in the Register Top 10 poll.

It's a huge loss for Berlin, which was one of the favorites in a stacked Class L tournament.

Berlin's Stephanie Lapierre recently saved her friend's life. Read about it in this Hartford Courant article.

The top two teams the Register Top 10 poll will square off Saturday.

No. 1 Berlin will travel to face No. 2 Northwest Catholic at 7 p.m. Both teams are 6-0.

It will be interesting to see which will prevail: The Redcoats' inside game led by
the Siena-bound Katelyn Zarotney or the Indians' speedy, four-guard lineup?

It should be an exciting one. In the words of Terrell Owens, get your popcorn ready.