Hamden Hall’s Dreisen Heath and Hopkins Ali Berman both scored their 1,000 career point this weekend.

Heath had 13 points, including her 1,000, in a loss to Governors Academy on Sunday. Berman dropped 28 points, including her 1,000, in a loss to Brooks on Saturday.

Check out this story on Wilbur Cross senior Atong Reyak, the niece of the late Manute Bol.

After recovering from tonsilitis, Elisa Plaza made her season debut Tuesday scoring eight points in Platt’s 62-37 win over Fermi.


It was a much-needed scoring boost for the Panthers, who were relying heavily on their Iona-bound senior Damika Martinez to carry their offense.
 
Through three games this season, Martinez is averaging 28.9 points per game. The Panthers are averaging 48 points per game as a team. Getting Plaza back should take some of the pressure off Martinez (not that she seems to need it) and give Platt a nice one-two punch.

Reported by the Connecticut Post last month that he would be named girls’ basketball coach at Lauralton Hall, Jim Rooney said Thursday he never accepted the job and will not become the next coach of the Crusaders.

“It’s not the right fit,” said Rooney, a former coach at Guilford. “It just wasn’t meant to be.”

He would not comment further.

Rooney, 61, coached 11 seasons at Guilford and led the Indians to three straight state titles from 2001-03.

Lauralton Hall fired coach Steve Schuler during last season and Don Cornelio replaced him as interim coach. Cornelio said Thursday he did interview for the position and school officials told him late last month that the position has not yet been filled.

The Connecticut Post has reported former Guilford coach Jim Rooney will be named the new coach at Lauralton Hall.

Pomperaug girls' basketball coach Jennifer Jackson was recently charged with allegedly providing alcohol to minors and now faces additional charges, according to the Darien News Times.

Former Hillhouse standout Michelle White has signed on to play basketball at the University of Houston.

White, a 5-foot-8 guard averaged eight points, three assists and 1.3 steals last year at Trinity Valley Community College in Athens, Texas, last season. She was a Register All-Area selection for the Academics in 2008. The Cougars finished second in Conference USA last year.

“I’m excited,” White said. “I have the opportunity to start if I work hard. They came in second, so they have a chance to make the NCAA tournament. They just had a couple of missing pieces.”

White said she was also drawing interest from Rhode Island, Missouri and East Tennessee State, among other schools.

Guilford has named Bob Welsh as its girls’ basketball coach, replacing Megan Borelli who resigned last month.

Welsh, 57, was an assistant in the Guilford boys’ program last season. He also coached softball and served as an assistant boys’ basketball coach at RHAM in the 1980s. Welsh is a Guilford resident and is a para-professional at Walsh Intermediate School in Branford.

The Indians finished 11-11 last season and reached the Southern Connecticut Conference and Class L state tournament.

“I’m excited as can be,” Welsh said. “I’m a longtime Guilford resident. I’m looking forward to working with the girls and getting Guilford basketball back on its feet.”

Lyman Hall senior Lindsay Karle will play basketball at Albertus Magnus next season.

The 5-foot-5 sharpshooter averaged 15 points and netted 56 3-pointers this past season for the Trojans.

Pomperaug coach Jennifer Jackson has been arrested for allegedly providing alcohol to minors, according to the Darien News Times.
Read the story here.

Foran senior Annie Raucci has committed to play basketball at Albertus Magnus Lions coach Scott Nails said Thursday.

Raucci, a 5-foot-9 guard, averaged 16 points and eight rebounds last season and earned All-SCC Hammonasset Division honors. Raucci was a four-year starter and scored over 900 points for her career.

Megan Borelli will not return as Guilford girls’ basketball coach next season.

“She met with the girls and told them she was resigning for personal and professional reasons,” Guilford athletic director Chip Dorwin said Thursday.
Borelli said she made the decision not to return, but would not comment on the reasons behind her choice.

Borelli recently finished her third year as coach of the Indians. She also spent one season as an assistant under Karen Byrne. The Indians went 26-38 under Borelli and reached both the Southern Connecticut Conference and Class L state tournaments the last two seasons.

The Register's All-Area girls' basketball team will be in Saturday's edition (April 10) of the Register.

The Register's All-State girls' basketball team will be Sunday's edition (April 11) of the Register.

The 49th JCC Schoolgirl Classic will be held April 17 at the JCC at 4200 Park Avenue in Bridgeport. The Connecticut Girls East squad will face the Connecticut Girls West squad at 6:15 p.m.

The Connecticut Girls West team is: Casey Dulin, Law; Brianna Brown, King; Keylantra Langley, Lauralton Hall; Brittany Martelle, Brookfield; Chelesa Mone, St. Paul; Lauren Okafor, Hopkins; Talisha Peeler, Bridgeport Central; Courtney Schissler, Branford; Tiarrah Thompson, Kolbe Cathedral; Lindsay Karle, Lyman Hall; and Sara Kelley, Newtown. The team will be coached by Joe Mone of St. Paul and Maura Keenan of Brookfield.

The Connecticut Girls East team is: Jenniqua Bailey, Northwest Catholic; Allison Mullings, Northwest Catholic; Uju Nwankwo, Northwest Catholic; Abigail Corning, Wethersfield; Cara Deroy, Hamden; Alexa Long Waterford; Stephanie Long, Norwich Free Academy; Alexys Vazquez, Berlin; Katelyn Zarotney, Berlin; Kelly Sundberg, E.O. Smith; Shannon Samuels, Windsor; J'Voni Hilton, Career. The team is coached by Northwest Catholic's Karl Herbert and Waterford's Rob Von Achen.
Admission to the doubleheader is $10.

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.

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).