Under legendary coach Dave Strong, Masuk has reached every CIAC state tournament since its formation in 1974. The Panthers need to beat Bunnell Wednesday to earns their eighth win, or that streak will end.

Meanwhile, Haddam-Killingworth coach Jim Bombaci could miss just his third state tournament in his 31 years as a head coach if the Cougars don't get their eighth win against Woodstock Academy Wednesday.

It’s like guessing how many jellybeans are in the jar. Actually, it’s probably harder.

That is predicting which team will win the Shoreline Conference.

“It’s been crazy all year long,” Morgan coach Joe Grippo said. “There’s no question there are five to eight teams that could win the whole thing. It’s really competitive. If you try and compare scores, you go out of your head.”

For example: Coginchaug beat Morgan, but has lost to Portland. But Morgan defeated Portland. Then Morgan lost to Haddam-Killingworth. But Haddam-Killingworth lost to North Branford, which lost to Morgan. This pattern could go on and on.

But like Grippo said, it’s confusing. The bottom line is there is plenty of parity in the conference, and there is an argument to be made for several teams.

Old Lyme has four starters back from a team that won the Class S state title. Coginchaug is 12-1. Portland has lost three of its last four, but the Highlanders may have the conference’s best player in Kelly Coleman and won their first nine games. East Hampton has some quality victories on its resume.

Meanwhile, Morgan has won its last six games. Haddam-Killingworth, the defending league champion, can’t be counted out either. Nor should Cromwell, which was a preseason favorite. And perhaps North Branford could be included in the mix.

“Who are you going to eliminate?” Coginchaug coach Tony Calcagni asked. “Any team can beat any other team.”

And at the very least, the balance should make for a very interesting conference tournament.

“It’s very wide-open this year,” Old Lyme coach Don Bugbee said. “Quite a few could win the championship. It boils down to who plays well toward the end of season.”

A 53-50 win over Hyde Tuesday, gave Haddam-Killingworth coach Jim Bombaci his 450th career win.
Though still a solid team, the wins, however, won't pile up as high as they did last year for the Bombaci and the Cougars, the defending Shoreline Conference champions.

Bombaci called it a rebuilding year for his 4-3 squad. They replaced three starters.
Haddam-Killingworth has been in every game this season. The Cougars fell 49-40 to North Branford. They fell 43-40 to Coginchuag, a team with just one loss. They also went dropped an overtime game to Canton in their holiday tournament.

He praised the play of his five starters: Senior Jordan Schultz, junior Emily Anderson, junior Lauren Muise, junior Carley Mooney and sophomore Shaina Rowley.

"We've lost three, but we've been right there in each game," Bombaci said. "They never give up. They've given me everything. I can't ask for more."