Dalan Duncan scored 13 points, eight in the fourth quarter, to lead Maloney to a 60-55 win over CCC South rival Bristol Central Thursday in CPTV Sports’ third LIVE boys basketball game of 2014. Both teams are now tied for the South lead with 6-1 division records; Maloney is 9-3, Central 10-2. Game story by the Meriden Record-Journal’s Ken Lipshez here . . . .The Hartford Courant’s Tom Yantz reported Weaver High forfeited two games and suspended coach Charles Silvan for the rest of the season for using an ineligible player. The losses drop Weaver, which reached last year’s Class S final, to 6-6. . . The Hearst CT basketball blog previewed Friday night’s key FCIAC matchup between No. 3 Bridgeport Central (11-0) and Westhill-Stamford (10-2).
GIRLS BASKETBALL
WFSB-TV’s John Holt, our GameTime co-host, noted on Twitter that while state No. 1 Capital Prep-Hartford is not in the USA Today national top 50, Murry Bergtraum (N.Y.) — which lost 71-70 to Prep last Saturday — moved up from 15th to 11th despite the loss.
OF NOTE
The Amity-Woodbridge boys and Wilbur Cross-New Haven girls won the team titles at the SCC track meet, Wednesday, the Danbury boys and Darien girls won the titles at the FCIAC meet. . . . .The Connecticut Post’s Doug Bonjour added his voice to those skeptical of the CIAC’s proposed football playoff changes.
Maloney moved into a tie for the CCC South lead with Bristol Central by defeating the Rams 60-55 in CPTV Sports’ third LIVE boys basketball game of 2014 on January 30 in Meriden.
Both teams are 6-1 in the division. Bristol Central is 10-2 overall, Maloney is 9-3. Both teams are among the leaders in the CIAC Class L ratings. Read the game story by the Meriden Record-Journal’s Ken Lipshez here.
Front page image courtesy The Meriden Record-Journal
Mike Hribko scored with 1:43 left in regulation to help North Haven earn a 1-1 overtime tie with Trinity Catholic-Stamford January 29 at the Northford Ice Pavilion in North Branford. CPTV Sports will show the replay several times in upcoming days (check broadcast schedule). North Haven is 8-2-3, Trinity Catholic 8-1-1. Trinity’s Kyle Odierno had 49 saves and North Haven’s Andrew Graziano 26 in the matchup between two of CIAC Division II’s top-rated teams.
Maloney hosts a tough opponent for the second night in three days Thursday when Bristol Central (10-1) comes to Meriden for CPTV Sports’ third LIVE boys game of 2014 (7:00 pm). Maloney dropped to 8-3 Tuesday with a 56-46 home loss to No. 8 New Britain (10-2). The New Britain Herald’s Matt Straub reported the Hurricanes’ Craven Johnson scored 21 points to surpass the 1,000 mark for his career. . . Norm Waterman of New England Hoop News rated the state’s top seniors, led by Providence College-bound center Paschal Chukwu of No. 1 Fairfield Prep.
BOYS HOCKEY
No. 3 Fairfield Prep defeated Xavier 4-3 in overtime. @CTHSHockey noted that Xavier also took No. 2 Notre Dame-West Haven to OT before losing by the same score and could be a tough out should they make the CIAC Division I tournament. Prep is 7-2-2; Xavier 4-8 . . .CPTV Sports was at the tripleheader at Northford Ice Pavilion involving several of the state’s top CIAC Division II teams. In the first game, Trinity Catholic tied North Haven 1-1 in overtime; the Crusaders evened the score on a goal with 1:43 left in regulation. Trinity is 8-1-1, North Haven 8-2-3. That premiere broadcast is Friday at 7:00 pm; Hand-Madison shut out Tri-Town 3-0 in Game 2 (broadcast Saturday 7:00 pm). In the nightcap, Branford rolled past North Branford, 7-1 (broadcast Saturday 9:00 pm).
Ben Solin had a hat trick and Danny Braumann three assists to lead Hand to a 3-0 boys hockey win over Tri-Town January 29 at at the Northford Ice Pavilion in North Branford. Goalie Chase Briggs had 19 saves for the Tigers (6-6). CPTV Sports will show the broadcast premiere Saturday February 1 at 7:00 pm.
Tyler Hackett had four goals, including a third-period hat trick, as Branford defeated North Branford 7-1 in boys hockey January 29 at Northford Ice Pavilion. CPTV Sports will show replays in upcoming days (check broadcast schedule). Branford, one of the top-rated teams in CIAC Division II, improved to 9-1-1.
Center Courtney Carlson scored 24 points and Nonnewaug High held on after Northwestern cut a 17-point lead to single digits as the Chiefs defeated the Highlanders 41-35 in a Berkshire League girls basketball game January 24 in Woodbury. CPTV Sports will show the broadcast premiere Monday January 27 at 7:30 pm. Nonnewaug improved to 11-1; Northwestern is 9-4. Nonnewaug is among the top-rated teams in Class LL and is batttling Lewis Mills-Burlington for the BL title. More on the game from the Torrington Register-Citizen’s Peter Wallace here.
A day after knocking off Notre Dame-West Haven, Darien moved to the top of the GameTimeCT.com state coaches/media poll Tuesday, getting 14 of 17 first-place votes. ND and Fairfield Prep — who both lost 1-0 to Darien — dropped one place to second and third, respectively. Branford and North Haven, who play in Wednesday’s Northford Ice Rink tripleheader being covered by CPTV Sports (see schedule above), are in the also-receiving-votes category. Branford is second and North Haven fourth in the CIAC Division II ratings.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Bristol Central won to set up its CCC South showdown Thursday in Meriden that will be shown LIVE on CPTV Sports (7:00 pm). Central (10-1) routed Southington 85-48, Maloney (8-3) lost to No. 8 New Britain 56-46; No. 1 Fairfield Prep (13-0) remained unbeaten with a 73-52 win over Branford; No. 3 Bridgeport Central held off Wilton, 70-65; No. 5 Greenwich (11-0) also stayed perfect by beating St. Joseph’s-Trumbull, 74-55 . . . Terryville (12-1) cemented its hold on the Berkshire League lead with a 50-44 win over second-place Northwestern.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Holy Cross defeated Waterbury rival Sacred Heart 50-41 to remain unbeaten going into Friday’s game at St. Paul-Bristol. The matchup between the Nauagutck Valley League’s top teams will be covered by CPTV Sports.
OF NOTE
GameTimeCT.com reported late Tuesday that Logan Marchi, a quarterback who has committed to UConn, transferred from St. Paul-Bristol to Gilbert in his hometown of Winsted. Marchi plans to join Gilbert’s basketball team when he is eligible at the end of the season.
For the second time this season, Darien scored an upset over one of the state’s top teams, stunning No. 1 Notre Dame-West Haven 1-0 on Tommy Watters’ goal with 45 seconds left. Earlier this season, the No. 3 Blue Wave beat No. 2 Fairfield Prep by the same score. Fans will be keeping a close eye on the GameTimeCT.com state coaches/media poll when it’s released Tuesday to see who is in the No. 1 spot.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
For the second time in four days, a top-rated unbeaten team lost for the first time at Stamford defeated Wilton, 55-50. Wilton (12-1) is fifth in this week’s GameTimeCT.com state coaches/media poll . . . Unbeaten No. 3 South Windsor handed No. 8 RHAM-Hebron its second loss in a row as the Bobcats won, 69-55. RHAM — which got 43 points from Sarah Veilleux — was ranked third before losing to Rocky Hill Friday. South Windsor is 14-0. . . .No. 7 Weaver-Hartford lost to E.O. Smith-Storrs 58-57 on a last-second shot by Isa Peczuh.
BOYS BASKETBALL
The top four teams remained the same in the GameTimeCT.com state media poll, with unbeatens Fairfield Prep, Crosby-Waterbury and Bridgeport Central still 1-2-3. Wilbur Cross moved into the top 10 with two wins over teams ranked in last week’s top 10. . . .CPTV Sports’ third LIVE boys basketball game features two teams battling for the CCC South lead when Bristol Central (9-1, 6-0) visits Maloney-Meriden (8-2, 5-1) Thursday at 7:00 pm. Central is third in The Courant’s Hartford-area ratings.
OF NOTE
Jim Bransfield of the Middletown Press offers his thoughts on the ongoing dilemma of how to structure the state high school playoffs. Bransfield, who has been a guest on CPTV Sports’ GameTime and Beyond The Beat, is troubled by the direction the new system appears to be heading. . . Danbury (11-1) received all 15 first-place votes in the Norwich Bulletin’s state coaches wrestling poll.
A day after beating the No. 15 team in the country according to USA Today, Capital Prep-Hartford remained No. 1 in the GameTimeCT.com state media/coaches poll. Prep (11-0) withstood a furious Murry Bergtraum comeback to win 71-70 in New York Saturday, its fifth victory against an out-of-state team. The Trailblazers have one more out-of-state opponent (Archbishop Williams/Braintree, Mass.). There was some movement in the poll thanks to RHAM-Hebron’s first loss of the season; No. 3 South Windsor (13-0) led a group of five schools that leapfrogged RHAM, now No. 8. The first team in the also-receiving-votes category is Holy Cross-Waterbury (12-0), which visits St. Paul (11-1) Friday in Bristol for a game between Naugatuck Valley League leaders that will be covered by CPTV Sports.
