SPB's High School Football

Awright, here’s what’s on the docket for Tuesday, Jan 13.

(all games 7 unless noted)
BOYS BASKETBALL:

Game of the Night: BUNNELL (4-3, 1-0) at STRATFORD (6-0, 1-0). Stratford hasn’t lost in a year, a run of 20-straight games including SWC and Class M titles. That run, in fact, began with a victory over Bunnell last February. This year, Red Devils defeated the Bulldogs two weeks ago in the non-league version at Bunnell. The Bulldogs won two straight since, including a solid victory over Pomperaug on Thursday night. Stratford, led by big man Brandon Sherrod and sharpshooter Russell Payton has only played (and beaten) Bethel since. The Red Devils have the home court advantage this time around.

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Now that the NVL has allowed its schools to play one (1) out-of-league game per year, it should come as no surprise that Ansonia was the first to find a game.

And it should be a good one.

The Class S runner-up Chargers will travel to play Hillhouse, one of the best SCC programs in recent years, in Week 1 of next year, Ansonia coach Tom Brockett confirmed.

Ansonia has gone 37-2, been to three state title games and won championships over the previous three years. Hillhouse has gone 29-6 with two playoff appearances and a state championship over the same span.

“We went looking for the best team out there…,” Brockett said. “We think this game should generate a lot of interest. It should be a lot of fun.”

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Not a heckofalot going on today…as usual. But here’s the schedule for Monday

MONDAY’S SCHEDULE (Unless noted, games 7 p.m.)
Boys basketball …Platt Tech at Goodwin Tech, 6; Immaculate at Weston; Ridgefield at Fairfield Warde.

Girls basketball …Stratford at Bunnell; Amity at Guilford; O’Brien Tech at Abbott Tech, 6; Fairfield Warde at Ridgefield; Pomperaug at Barlow, 5:15

Boys hockey
Game of the night: ND-West Haven vs. Greenwich at Dorothy Hamill Ice Rink, 8 — It’s always fun to see the SCC hockey teams come down to Fairfield county and beat up on the FCIAC hockey teams. Hockey to the SCC is like lacrosse is to the FCIAC. Listen live on WGCH.com

Masuk vs. Barlow at Danbury Ice Arena, 6:30

Girls hockey …Trumbull vs. Staples at The Rinks at Shelton, 8:30

Boys & girls indoor track …Amity, Shelton at SCC Housatonic Divisional at New Haven Athletic Center, 4:30

Wrestling …Branford at Foran, 7:30; Law at Xavier

In fact, here’s the entire schedule of the Week ending Jan 17.

Notre Dame-Fairfield will have to wait another day to get longtime coach Marty Roos his 500th career victory.

Hamden took a two-goal lead and hung on to defeat the pesky Lancers, 4-3 at Lou Astorino Rink.

The game was pushed up to noon in anticipation of the latest winter storm to hit the region. That hasn’t stopped Notre Dame-West Haven and Fairfield Prep from playing down at Bennett Rink in West Haven.

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We bucked conventional wisdom to check out Harding-Ludlowe’s FCIAC boys basketball game, which looked intriguing given Ludlowe’s earlier win over Bassick and Harding’s early-season troubles. With Bassick struggling at 1-3, its game against Trinity Catholic looked like a rout in the making.

And that’s the way it looked with the Lions down 31-14 early according to reports filtering into Miska Gymnasium.

But while Harding shook off pesky Ludlowe 68-44 thanks to a 26-4 fourth quarter, Trinity just couldn’t shake off Bassick.

The Lions held Trinity to a mere three points in the third quarter and had the ball trailing by one with 11 seconds left in the game. But Mike Lomax‘s shot didn’t fall and the Lions did, 49-48.

Jeremy Williams led Bassick with 16 points. Lomax scored just six. Tevin Baskin had 16 for Trinity, which is now 7-0, 5-0 FCIAC. Eric Jean-Guillaume had 12.

It’s a morale victory for the Bassick. But at 1-4, the Lions going to need the tangible kind if they want to get back into the race. They’re in big, big trouble as far as the FCIAC playoffs are concerned.

Elsewhere…

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If you haven’t already, there’s lots to digest in the high school sports scene with the Connecticut Post‘s weekly reports resuming in today’s paper.

Here’s the rundown:

Boys basketball
Notebook: Staples’ picking up where it left off
Boys basketball local scoring leaders
Boys basketball standings (Through Jan. 7)

Plus the High School Roundup for Thursday

And, yes, there are even football news and notes today…
Bowley column: High school football stove’s pretty hot
Walter Camp to honor New Canaan

Now, onto Friday’s schedule…

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Before the first drop of ink could even drop onto a Connecticut Postpage praising Staples’s 6-0 boys basketball start, the Wreckers got wrecked 70-56 on the road at Danbury.

Danbury’s Lenzie Harrison scored 21 points and Kevin Cohen added 15 to offset Staples’ sharpshooter John Dibartolomeo (6 3-pointers, 20 points) and frontcourt teammate Andrei Oztemel (3 3-pointers, 14 points).

I know people believe there’s such a thing as the Connecticut Post curse, but sheesh… Couldn’t it at least wait to kick in after the story’s actually printed?

Update Friday: Here’s the story from the News-Times’ John Saward. Harrison sparks Danbury, propels Hatters to win.

Elsewhere…

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We’ll have much more later but this result is sure to pry open a few eyes.
Central 77, St. Joseph 67.

Were it not for a valiant comeback by members of the St. Joseph bench, including Oscar Assie (team-high 15 points), this would have been an even more decisive Central victory.

Using the same aggressive formula that led them to a double-digit win over Wilbur Cross monday, Central sprinkled in a solid 18-point, 16-rebound effort from senior center Andrew Victoria., who scored eight in the fourth quarter and made a pair of key buckets (including a goaltending call) late to stave off St. Joseph.

Central outhustled St. Joseph on the boards and in the open court to bolt to a huge lead that climbed as high as 57-34 midway through the third quarter

Read the full game story here.

Elsewhere, Bassick’s early-season swoon continued with a 62-53 loss to red-hot Greenwich. Harding (2-2) topped Norwalk by eight. Hillhouse buried Law.

Also: Greenwich rolled Bassick 45-7 in girls basketball (not football). Yipes.

Here’s the Wednesday roundup