Snowed in at home, I had some time to kill.
So here’s a team-by-team breakdown of the favorites, the darkhorses and longshots for Saturday’s FCIAC tournament.
Quarterfinal schedule
at Fairfield Warde
No. 6 Harding (13-5) vs. No. 3 Bassick (15-3), noon
No. 7 Central (11-7) vs. No. 2 St. Joseph (15-3), 2
No. 5 Greenwich (13-5) vs. No. 4 New Canaan (14-4), 5
No. 8 Danbury (11-7) vs. No. 1 Trinity Catholic (15-2), 7
Semifinals
Tuesday at Fairfield Warde, 6 & 7:45
Championship
Friday at Fairfield Warde, 7:30
THE FAVORITE
Trinity Catholic (17-3, 16-2 FCIAC)
Seed: No. 1
Big wins: Bassick, Harding (OT), New Canaan. Big Losses: Greenwich, St. Joseph.
Why they’ll win: Out of all the FCIAC participants, the Crusaders have the league’s best player in Tevin Baskin, and the league’s most unshakable guard, Eric Jean-Guillame. It’s also been to the last five finals.
Why they wont: They’ve played undisciplined at times and often are confused about where their actual strengths lie.
CONTENDERS
St. Joseph (16-4, 15-3 FCIAC)
Seed: No. 2
Big wins: Bassick, Harding, Trinity, New Canaan; Big Losses: Greenwich, Central, Staples.
Why they’ll win: Armed with perhaps the league’s best half-court offense, with guards Greg Langston, Nick Gerrity and Rob Harrigan are all capable of scoring inside.
Why they won’t: Offensively, St. Joseph won’t be stopped. Defensively, they can’t stop anyone.
Bassick (16-4, 15-3 FCIAC)
Seed: No. 3
Big wins: Harding, New Canaan, Greenwich, Central, Danbury; Big losses: St. Joseph, Ludlowe, Trinity Cathlolic.
Why they’ll win: It’s deadly offensively with versatile guards, especially junior Mike Lomax, and tenacious forwards, led by Andre Pettway.
Why they won’t: Their inexperience shows in certain spots.
DARK HORSES
New Canaan (17-3, 15-3)
Seed: No. 4.
Big win: Greenwich, Central, Harding; Big losses: St. Joseph, Bassick, Trinity
Why they’ll win: Has one of the most balanced teams, both offensively and defensively led by Will Hanley, not to mention one of the the league’s most underrated player in forward Colton Lewis.
Why they won’t: They’re playing an equally tough team in Greenwich in the quarterfinals.
Greenwich (16-4, 14-4)
Seed: No. 5
Big Wins: Trinity Catholic, Harding, Central, St. Joseph. Big losses: Staples, New Canaan, Danbury, Bassick.
Why they’ll win: Led by Chris Valentine, the Cardinals have beaten practically ever other top seed during its active eight-game win streak.
Why they won’t: See New Canaan. But one of these teams is highly likely to reach the final.
Harding (15-5, 13-5)
Seed: No. 6
Big wins: Central. Big Losses: Trinity Catholic (OT), St. Joseph, Bassick, New Canaan, Greenwich.
Why they’ll win: The frontcourt of Johnny Stovall and Cornelius Brown is one of the league’s best.
Why they won’t: The backcourt is talented, but still very raw. Their cohesiveness tends to disappear at crucial moments.
LONG SHOTS
Central 12-8, 11-7
Big wins: St. Joseph, Danbury. Big LossesTrinity, Harding, Bassick, Greenwich, New Canaan.
Why they’ll win:Wednesday’s big victory over St. Joseph proves they can.
Why they won’t: Central’s lineup remains depleted by injuries to sophomore Jerome Parkins (hamstring) and Albert Wright (finger).
Danbury 12-8, 11-7
Big wins: Greenwich. Big Losses: Trinity, Harding, Bassick, New Canaan, Central, Stamford, New Milford.
Why they’ll win:Guard Lenzie Harrison and forward Mike Escobar form a nice offensive combo.
Why they won’t: Their only win over a tournament team was the first game of the season. They also lost to New Milford.
SPB’s Predictions:
Bassick over Harding
St. Joseph over Central
New Canaan over Greenwich
Trinity over Danbury
St. Joseph over Bassick
New Canaan over Trinity Catholic
St. Joseph over New Canaan
Wasn’t impressed with New Canaan at all. Yeah they had a nice season but, they didn’t turn it up for a playoff game.
i think Andre Pettway is the best small froward in high school today.
Thanks for the post
thank you, dude