The Quarters came, went and took four teams fishing with it. No. 3 Harding, No. 5 Trumbull, No. 7 Trinity and No. 8 Ridgefield lost in a quarterfinal that didn’t come with many surprises, other than the Presidents losing. Let’s see who will be fishing after Tuesday. Start the boat!
No. 6 Stamford vs. No. 2 St. Joseph
All about Stamford: Marc Guirand came through with a layup with nine seconds left to help Stamford pull off the only upset of the day over Harding. The Black Knights got creamed by the Cadets just about a month ago (86-67, Feb. 12). SJ starts slow, so the Black Knights will have to take advantage of that or they could be out of it by halftime.
All about SJ: Timajh Parker has played so well that he’s earned himself a nickname (from me of course). Now when you see Parker, call him “too easy,” becasue basketball is just way too simple for this guy. 30 pts, 12 rbs and four blks against TC. The Cadets will need to get a hand in Guirand’s face, he hit seven 3′s in a losing effort on Feb. 12.
Prediction: St. Joseph 84-71
No. 4 Bassick vs. No. 1 Central
All about Bassick: As Ja’mill Powell’s mom told me after Bassick’s win over Trumbull, “we got them when it counted.” The Lions did just that and looked good in the second half over Trumbull outscoring the Eagles 47-32. But Bassick looked ugly against Central on Jan. 22 in a 65-57 loss where the Lions turned the ball over 37 times. However, Bassick is very long and Kyle Geer can bang in the paint with Jerome Parkins. Also the sg matchup of Powell and Jerry Washington (Central) is pretty even.
All about Central: Obviously Central plowed through Ridgefield 66-34 but, Central won’t have such an easy time with Bassick. Both these teams match up evenly at just about every position. This game will come down to defense, a battle that Central won last time. Although the Hilltoppers turned the ball over 21 times, they forced 37 Lions’ miscues.
Prediction: Central 74-59
Unofficial quarterfinal awards
Baller of the quarterfinals, Timajh “too easy” Parker, St. Joseph: Scored a game-high 30 points grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked four shots.
From way downtown…bang award, Julian Sanders, Trumbull: In a losing effort, Sanders nailed four treys.
Stoppers of the quarterfinals award, Central: It’s defense only gave up double digits in the fourth quarter (11) and the Hilltoppers were the only team to not lose a quarter on Saturday.
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Stamford vs. St. Joe’s
I think a 13 point prediction is being generous to Stamford. Their glaring weakness at PG will be exposed by the St. Joe’s press and this one should be a laugher. While they have the bigs to bang with St. Joe’s down low (something very few teams do) I see them struggling to get the ball past half court.
Bassick vs. Central
This one could be closer than the experts think. Central is the superior team but Bassick has the ability to play at a very high level. I’ve seen Bassick live 5 times this season and Saturday against Trumbull was by far the hardest I’ve seen them compete. Bassick has a tendency to be lazy and sleep through portions of games. If they play with the intensity they showed on Saturday, they will give Central a tough game. In the end, I think Chris Colon’s advantage at the point over Jeremy Daniel will be the difference. Colon is the most underrated guard in the state IMO. That kid is so solid in every aspect and is 100% the leader of that team. It’s sure to be a fun night.
Comment by Brian B — March 2nd, 2010 @ 3:38 pm
well brain b bassick could compete with central they blew them out the gym
Comment by champ — March 2nd, 2010 @ 11:01 pm