SPB's High School Sports

The Connecticut High School Coaches Association has released its 2008-09 All-State boys basketball teams. Here they are…

CLASS LL
Tobin Carberry, Hamden
Chris Evans, Stamford
Anthony Ireland, Crosby
Greg Langston, St. Joseph
Danny Lawhorn, Hartford Public
Jeremy Moore, Hillhouse
Steve Samuels, Windsor
Adrian Satchell Windsor
Will Tye, Xavier
Darius Watson, New Britain

CLASS L
Tevin Baskin, Trinity Catholic
Cody Bayne, Bristol Eastern
Mike Callaghan, Hand
Greg DeSantis, Notre Dame-Ffld.
Kris Dunn, New London,
Joe Ives, Avon
Jefferson Lora, Lyman Hall
Jon Nazarko, East Lyme
Spencer Noon, Farmington
Kyle Senick, Woodstock Academy
Brandon Sherrod, Stratford
Jordan Williams, Torrington

CLASS M
Conner Boyen, Nonnewaug
Matt Clawson, Tolland
Jeremy Cumberlander, Stonington
Andre Curiel, St. Bernard
Mike Gittens, Montville
Joe Groski, Abbott Tech
Ryan Harro, New Fairfield
Darrell Highsmith, Windham
Chris Laudati, Northwestern Regional
Rashard Moore, Bloomfield

CLASS S
Damon Alston, St. Paul
Matt Biesak, Coginchaug
Tyler Burkhart, Cromwell
Andrew Crowley, Canton
Andre Drummon, Capital Prep
Michael Garrow, Terryville
Dominique Langston, Kolbe Cathedral
Scott Murphy, Lyman Memorial
Hayden Palozej, Stafford
Chris Robitaille, Canton
Isaiah Salafia, Cromwell

And here are the All-Academic teams.

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From JCC coach Vin Laczkoski, the Connecticut boys all-star roster for the annual JCC schoolboy classic in Bridgeport, which will be played this year April 25, is rounding into form.

Here’s what we have so far:

We’ll have more information as the game draws closer.

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Notre Dame-Fairfield guard Greg DeSantis has been named the Connecticut State Gatorade Player of the Year for boys basketball, coach Vin Laczkoski said Tuesday.

The senior averaged over 24 points and six assists per game for the SWC-runner-up Lancers, who finished 17-8.

“We’re estatic,” said Laczkoski, who said he was informed of the honor Tuesday. “That’s a great honor. We’re talking Marcus Camby and Doug Wiggins. That’s some great company.”

DeSantis, the son of former Fairfield standout and Quinnipiac men’s coach Joe DeSantis, will attend Southern New Hampshire next year.

Central won the 2009 Connecticut State Weightlifting Championship at New London on Saturday.

The Hillhoppers topped New London with a combined weight total of 13,620 pounds over five weight classes. New London finished second with 13,190 pounds, Wolcott was third with 12,405, Ansonia finished fourth at 12,390 and Oxford was fifth at 12,370.

Staples (12,110) finished seventh, Shelton (11,775) was ninth and Masuk (11,690) was 10th.
More than thirty schools competed in the event, which features bench, power clean and squat lifts.

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Our good friends at the New Haven Register have finally seen fit to give the rest of us peons the final poll of 2009.

No big surprises, even with the usual postseason shakeup. Windsor is No. 1. Crosby 2. Trinity, Stamford and Central all make their appearances in the bottom 5. Stratford falls off after a 20-0 regular season, concluded with losses in both postseason tournaments.

Team Points Last
1. Windsor (26-1) (15)……….450….2
2. Crosby (23-4)……………….396….T5
3. Sacred Heart (23-2)……….378….7
4. Hillhouse (23-1)……………322….1
5. Bulkeley (16-10)……………310….NR
6. Stamford (24-3)…………….287….T5
7. Cromwell (26-1)……………255….NR
8. Trinity Catholic (24-2)……250….3
9. Central (22-4)………………201….9
10. Bloomfield (21-4)………..199….NR
First place votes in parentheses after record
Dropped out: New London (4), Stratford (8), New Britain (10).
Others receiving votes: Torrington (21-7), 196; New Britain (20-4), 144; Stratford (22-2), 123; Hyde (23-4), 89; New London (23-2), 77; Northwest Catholic (21-5), 49; Lyman Hall (20-5), 31; East Hartford (18-8), 15; Middletown (19-4), Rockville (20-5) and Sheehan (17-8), 8; Holy Cross (18-5), Norwich Free Academy (21-5) and St. Paul (19-7), 7.
The Following Voted: Marc Allard, Norwich Bulletin; Bill Bloxsom, Hersam-Acorn; Sean Patrick Bowley, Connecticut Post; Matt Doran, Norwalk Hour; Scott Ferrari, Greenwich Citizen; Ned Griffen, The Day of New London; Mark Jaffee, Waterbury Republican-American; Sean Kroffsik, Meriden-Record Journal; Ken Lipshez, NewBritain Herald; Joe Morelli, New Haven Register; Paul Nichols, Middletown Press; Dave Ruden, Stamford Advocate; John Silver, Journal Inquirer of Manchester; Ben Talbott, Bird’s Eye Sports; Tom Yantz, Hartford Courant.

Just a quick note on the boys and girls basketball all-star games that will be played in the next few weeks. The CHSCA boys games will be Wednesday night at Maloney in Meriden. The JCC will be a few weeks later.

Here are the boys rosters for the CHSCA All-Star game:

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Despite some shaky foul shooting late, Windsor held off defending Class LL champion Crosby 72-69. Anthony Ireland’s 3-point buzzer rims out at the buzzer giving Windsor it’s first title since 1999.

Elsewhere, giant killer Bulkeley held off Torrington 58-57 in the Class L game on Brandon Jacob’s shot with five seconds remaining and Torrington’s Jordan Williams’ miss with no time left.

Sacred Heart won the NVL’s only title, beating CCC’s Bloomington 65-59 in Class M.

The CCC finishes state title day 2-1. Windsor should be crowned the No. 1 team in the state.

And, finally, Cromwell beat Hyde for the third out of four tries, 40-34, in the Class S final.

Imagine this, Fairfield County will not have a boys basketball team playing in the CIAC state championships at Mohegan Sun this weekend.

Kolbe Cathedral, a 69-51 loser to Cromwell, was the last county team to take a bow Wednesday night, joining the ranks of disposed that include New Fairfield (lost to Bloomfield in M semis), Central (lost to Windsor in LL semis), Stratford (lost to Torrington in L quarters), Trinity Catholc (lost to Bulkeley in L quarters).

Here’s who IS playing at Mohegan this Saturday:
Class LL: Crosby vs. Windsor
Class L: Bulkeley vs. Torrington
Class M: Sacred Heart vs. Bloomfield
Class S: Hyde Leadership vs. Cromwell

So that leaves us with three CCC teams, three NVL teams, and two teams from the Shoreline Conference.

A lot of people (Most notably our buddy and fast-emerging hoop guru Tommy “Razor”) have been saying all along that the CCC was the best conference in the state this season. I’ve been casting my ballot with the NVL (to many people’s chagrin. I got a lot of angry emails when I declared the NVL the state’s best during a midseason column.)

We’ll find out who’s boss in ‘09 after Saturday. It’s a CCC vs. NVL brawl in the top three divisions. Somebody’s going to get at least two championships, and the crown of best league.

The winner of the Class LL title game will be crowned No. 1, even if Sacred Heart wins. The Hearts would have done themselves a favor by winning the NVL. But they didn’t even make the league final after a 19-1 regular season.

Them’s the breaks.