BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — With a 65-58 victory over city rival Bassick on Friday night in Bridgeport, the Central Hilltoppers not only put a stranglehold on the top spot in the FCIAC boys basketball standings, they took over the No. 1 ranking in Connecticut.
The victory, which wasn’t secured until the final minute, gave Central records of 9-0 overall and 8-0 in the FCIAC. The Toppers have already beaten league contenders St. Joseph, Bassick, Ridgefield and Trinity Catholic, and the majority of their final 11 games are against teams that are under the .500 mark. They’ll play the 7-2 Trumbull Eagles on Jan. 26, with a showdown against the 9-1 Warren Harding Presidents on Feb. 5 at Harding.
Central took over the No. 1 spot in the Hartford Courant’s state basketball rankings, as former No. 1 Hillhouse fell to East Hartford last week. New Britain (11-0) is No. 2 and Hyde (11-0) is No. 3.
Bassick, which fell to 8-3 overall and 7-2 in the FCIAC, has now lost two straight after losing to Ridgefield and Central last week. The Lions face another tough challenge on Tuesday when they play at St. Joseph (8-2) in Trumbull.
The Lions were close with the Toppers during the first quarter, but never regained the lead after being outscored by Central 27-16 in the second. That put Central ahead, 35-25 at halftime, and the lead increased to 11 points at 47-36 heading into the fourth quarter.
Bassick made a run in the fourth and was behind by just three with under a minute to play, but Central’s Diontay Washington nailed the door shut with a late bucket. Washington and Chris Colon had 14 points apiece and led a quartet of Hilltoppers who scored in double figures. Orayne Clark had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Jerome Parkins scored 10 points. Bassick’s Jamill Powell had a game-high 27 points, while Demetrius Thomas scored 14.
2. West Haven ices Prep in battle of state's top two hockey teams: Junior Tim Baylis scored his second goal of the game with 16 seconds remaining in overtime as the West Haven Blue Devils dropped top-ranked Fairfield Prep, 2-1, Wednesday at the Wonderland of Ice.
The state boys ice hockey rankings are facing a big shakeup, as No. 3 Hamden, the defending State champion, topped No. 2 West Haven, 5-2, on Saturday. No. 1 Prep is 9-1 after losing to West Haven, while West Haven is 10-1 after falling to Hamden. Hamden, meanwhile, is 7-2 with losses to Fairfield Prep and North Haven.
West Haven’s win over Prep did knock the Jesuits from the ranks of the unbeatens. Prep took the initial lead when Don Carnicky tipped in a shot by Jackson Bargiello on a power play early in the second period.
In the third, West Haven returned the favor as Baylis scored on a deflection during a power play. A.J. Esposito took the shot from the point which led to the goal. In overtime, West Haven’s John Ascenzia blocked a shot by the Jesuits and led to a breakaway for Baylis, who beat goalie Spencer Sodokoff (23 saves) for the goal. Prep outshot West Haven, 36-25, but Devils goalie J.P. Withington collected 35 saves.
3. Ridgefield boys have roller coaster week: The Ridgefield Tigers had a great start to their week as they knocked off FCIAC power Bassick, 73-70, in Bridgeport on Tuesday. But the weekend was not a happy one for the Tigers, as they followed the big win with an upset at the hands of the New Canaan Rams, 67-54, Friday at NCHS.
The two-game split left the Tigers with a 7-3 overall record and a 5-3 mark in conference play.
The victory over Bassick was a dramatic one, as senior Chris Esemplare drained a 3-pointer with three seconds remaining to win the game. Senior Doug DelBene set up the shot with an assist from the lane.
Delbene led Ridgefield with 26 points and 12 rebounds, while freshman Jon Tagliaferri had 20 points and Esemplare had 17. For Bassick, Kyle Greer scored 19 and Jamill Powell had 17.
Ridgefield then rolled into New Canaan and was beaten by the hot-shooting Rams, who nailed their first nine shots en route to a 13-point win. The Rams’ Conor House netted a game-high 27 points, including 25 of New Canaan’ 36 in the first half. New Canaan led 36-30 at halftime and used a 13-0 run in the third quarter to go ahead 53-32.
Ridgefield crept back to within 11 points with two minutes remaining in the game, but the Rams hit their free throws down the stretch to get the win. New Canaan senior co-captain Ian Knechtle scored 13 points, while juniors Scott O’Brien (12) and Chris Rama (11) also scored in double digits. For Ridgefield, DelBene led the offense with 18 points, while Tagliaferri added 13.
4. New Canaan rides Wave to overtime win: The New Canaan girls ice hockey team got back to its winning ways with a 2-1 overtime victory against the Blue Wave on Wednesday in Darien. Freshman Olivia Hompe scored the game-winner with 2:35 remaining in OT, after junior tri-captain Jana Persky’s shot rebounded off Darien goalie Katharine Macomber.
The Rams outshot the Wave 37-14, including an 8-0 advantage in overtime. Macomber amassed 35 saves for Darien, while New Canaan’s Charlotte Spitzfaden made 13 saves for the win. Darien led 1-0 in the second period after Emma Tuzinkiewicz scored 3:37 into the frame. Tuzinkiewicz intercepted a Ram pass near center ice and skated up the right side for the shot and goal.
While on a power play later in the second, Ram senior tri-captain Maggie Burke rocketed a shot off Macomber and the puck drooped free in the crease. Sophomore Holly Burwick and freshman J.C. Ripley crashed the net, with Burwick poking in a goal to tie the game.
After a scoreless third period, the teams moved into an eight-minute overtime, which was dominated by New Canaan. Persky and Hompe teamed up for the winning goal on a breakaway to give the Rams the victory. New Canaan is now 10-1 overall and 7-1 in the FCIAC, while Darien, the defending league and state champion, is 8-2 overall and 6-2 in the conference.
5. Prep tabs Tom Shea as new football coach: Following one of the worst seasons in school history, Fairfield Prep has named alumnus Tom Shea to head its football program.
Shea has been the freshman team’s head coach for the past five years and has worked in the program for nine seasons. The Jesuits’ head coaching position opened up last year with the departure of Rich Magdon, as Bill Pinto, the defensive coordinator, took over. Prep went 0-10 last year and most of their games were not competitive, prompting the school to fire Pinto and search for a new coach.
Shea played football at Fairfield Prep back in the early 1970s and graduated from the school in 1973. After attending Harvard and playing football for the Crimson, Shea coached at Prep, helping the Jesuits win a state championship in 1977. Shea becomes the eighth head football coach in Fairfield Prep’s history.
Dave Stewart, the Sports Editor of the New Canaan (Conn.) Advertiser, is a MaxPreps.com writer and photographer. He may be reached at 203-966-9541 or at sports@ncadvertiser.com.
