St. Bernard, Stonington top seeds in ECC boys basketball tournaments
The Eastern Connecticut Conference Division I and II boys basketball tournaments get underway this week with first round (Wednesday), quarterfinal round (Thursday) and semifinal round (Saturday at Waterford) games.
The championship doubleheader takes place Tuesday, Feb. 27 at Mohegan Sun Arena.
Division I tourney
The top seeds for the Division I tourney are defending champion St. Bernard (17-3), New London (16-4), Fitch (13-6), and Waterford (9-11), The Saints defeated the Whalers in the ECC DI championship game a year ago.
St. Bernard and New London have carried the ECC banner throughout the state this season. Both are ranked by the state’s media in the GameTimeCT Top 10 basketball poll. The Saints, who captured the Division II state championship last March, are ranked No. 7, while the Whalers, at No. 10, returned to the Top 10 for the first time in six weeks.
St. Bernard, whose only losses are to state powers East Catholic (twice) and Windsor, is the clear favorite to win its sixth ECC title in eight years. The Saints won four straight DII crowns from 2017-2020.
New London, who lost both meetings against St. Bernard, will be itching for a third matchup with the Saints under the neon lights at the Mohegan Sun.
Who could be tournament spoilers? How about Norwich Free Academy and Fitch?
NFA and Fitch split the regular season. The Falcons (13-6) boast a win over New London, while the Wildcats (10-9) went “toe-to-toe” with St. Bernard last Friday night in Norwich.
“We played with them all the way to the end,” NFA senior Camron Barboza said following the 61-48 loss to the Saints. “We ran out of steam and they got some last minute buckets. I’m confident we can beat them.”
Buoyed by a huge Senior Night crowd, NFA played St. Bernard to an 11-11 tie after one quarter. The Wildcats trailed just 24-22 intermission before the Saints got some breathing room in the third quarter thanks to a pair of NFA technical fouls.
Still, NFA remained within striking distance when senior guard Armanee Davis opened the fourth quarter with a top of the key 3-pointer. After Amare Marshall sank a short baseline jumper, Wildcats sophomore forward Ethan Graham (13 points) made a putback and senior center Gage Hinkley (10 rebounds) buried a 15-foot jumper and NFA trailed 44-40 with 6:28 remaining.
“It’s Senior Night and you like to get a win but to compete with a team that’s one of the best in the state is good,” NFA coach Jeff Brown said.
Former NFA guard Nazir Rembert keyed a decisive 7-0 spurt with a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws and the Saints enjoyed double-digit leads down the stretch.
“To go toe-to-toe with a team like that, the number one seed in our conference, we’re going to use this as motivation,” Barboza said.
The Wildcats, who defeated East Hartford, Glastonbury, and Fitch during the regular season, are certainly battle-tested heading into the postseason.
“I’m excited about the tournaments,” Brown said. “It’s going to depend on our shooting but we’re playing good defense and our energy level is up.”
Division II tourney
The top seeds in the Division II tourney are Stonington (14-6), Wheeler (14-6), Grisowld (12-8) and Tourtellotte (11-8).
Griswold is the defending champion. After losing seven seniors to graduation, the Wolverines have been a pleasant surprise this season. Griswold boasts wins over NFA, North Haven, and Tourtellotte, as well as a pair of victories over top seeded Stonington.
More: Griswold rallies past Stonington to win ECC III division title
In a tournament preview last week, the Wolverines defeated the Bears, 80-71, to clinch the ECC Division III regular season title.
“This is sweet and not expected, not at all,” Griswold coach Rob Mileski said. "We're a bunch of young kids and I thought we were a year away.”
Who could be tournament spoilers? How about the winner of Thursday’s quarterfinal round matchup between Killingly and Tourtellotte?
Tourtellotte has gone 6-2 down the stretch, while Killingly, who reached the ECC finals a year ago, has found its stride behind the play of Johnny Kazantzis, Quinn Crowley, and Quinn Sumner.
Killingly (10-10) had won five out of six, including a victory over Griswold, before a season-ending loss against St. Bernard.
More: Killingly caps 'season for the ages' with Class S title
ECC Boys Basketball Tournaments
Wednesday, Feb. 21 - First Round
Division I
No. 9 Ledyard at No. 8 Woodstock Academy, 5:30 p.m.
Division II
No. 10 Putnam at No. 7 Plainfield, 6 p.m.
No. 9 Montville at No. 8 Lyman Memorial, 6 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 22 - Quarterfinals
Division I
Bracket 1
No.9 Ledyard/No.8 Woodstock Academy winner at No. 1 St. Bernard, 6 p.m.
No. 5 NFA at No. 4 Waterford, 6 p.m.
Bracket 2
No.7 Windham at No. 2 New London, 6 p.m.
No. 6 East Lyme at No. 3 Fitch, 6 p.m.
Division II
Bracket 1
No.9 Montville/No.8 Lyman winner at No. 1 Stonington, 6 p.m.
No. 5 Killingly at No. 4 Tourtellotte, 7 p.m.
Bracket 2
No. 10 Putnam/No. 7 Plainfield winner at No. 2 Wheeler, 6:30 p.m.
No. 6 Bacon Academy at No. 3 Griswold, 6 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 24 - Semi-Finals
at Waterford High School
Division II
Bracket 2 Winners at 11 a.m.
Bracket 1 Winners at 1 p.m.
Division I
Bracket 2 Winners at 4 p.m.
Bracket 1 Winners at 6 p.m.
Tuesday February 27 - Finals
at Mohegan Sun Arena
Division II at 6 p.m.
Division I at 8 p.m.
This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: ECC boys basketball tourney takes center stage this week
