SPB's High School Football

As expected, the Seymour board of education approved the hiring of Tom Lennon as the next Seymour football coach at its regular monthly meeting Monday night.

Lennon takes over for former coach Paul Sponheimer, who stepped down after 29 years.

Andrei Oztemel rocked the house that Vito built Monday night, tying a career high 39 points in Staples 75-59 victory in the first round of the CIAC Class LL boys basketball tournament.

Oztemel, who had 23 points at halftime, made six of his team’s 13 3-pointers as the Wreckers came back from an early 10-point deficit. St. Joseph managed to go in front 51-49 early in the fourth, but Staples reserve Brendan Rankowitz drilled a 3-pointer from the right corner to kick-off a 23-2 game-clincing run.

Oztemel and John DiBartolomeo, two of the best players in the FCIAC, scored 10 points apiece during the surge which assured Staples its fourth straight victory over St. Joseph dating back to the 2006-7 season.

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Bunnell has won its first SWC championship, and the school’s first basketball title since 1986, with a 69-59 victory over Notre Dame-Fairfield tonight at Weston.

Center Terrell Coward scored 17 points and was named the game’s MVP. Pete Lasecki added 19 points and Chris Rosario had 13. Andy Burke scored 10.

Notre Dame was led by Greg DeSantis, who scored 22 of his 24 points in the second half.

Stamford has won its first FCIAC tournament title, and first FCIAC title in 45 years with a 65-63 double overtime victory over arch rival Trinity Catholic. More later.

Sixth-seeded Hamden takes on No. 1 Hillhouse in the final of the SCC tournament at East Haven. Listen to it live here on Sportingnewsct.com

Results later.

Update: Hillhouse has taken a 27-18 halftime lead.

FINAL update: Hillhouse has won the SCC championship, 55-36, over Hamden. This is Hillhouse’s third title in four seasons and the fourth title overall.

Most coaches and players knew where they stood and who they were playing beforehand just by looking at the statewide standings. Today the CIAC made it official.

Here’s a look at each of the state tournament brackets. We’ll have much, much more later after the league tournaments wrap up with the SCC tonight, the FCIAC tomorrow night and the SWC final on Friday night.

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The regional championship games are all set.

For the first time since 2003, Greater Bridgeport won’t have a representative in the FCIAC championship game. Incidentally, Thursday’s final will pit two Stamford schools for the first time since that year.

Trinity Catholic beat St. Joseph for the third time this season, 54-46 and advances to play No. 3 seeded Stamford, a 68-56 winner over Central, in its seventh straight league final.

The Crusaders are looking for their sixth league title in nine years. Stamford is looking for its first championship since 1964 — back when there wasn’t a tournament.

Stamford, which advances to its fifth final under coach Jim Moriarty (all losses, of course), got 26 points from Chris Evans and a 17-point, 21-rebound effort from 6-foot-6 junior Mark Ellis.

In the SWC, Bunnell toppled New Fairfield 51-43 and Notre Dame-Fairfield beat Kolbe Cathedral 65-53. They’ll meet in the SWC championship game Friday night at Weston. This is the first SWC final that doesn’t include Kolbe Cathedral or Stratford.

For anyone around here who cares, No. 6 Hamden defeated No. 7 Sheehan 77-74 in two overtimes (probably the best game of the night) in the SCC semifinals. Hamden advances to face top-seeded Hillhouse, a 69-49 winner over No. 4 Career.

The championship is Wednesday night at East Haven.

SPB

The last Connecticut Post coverage team has been ousted from the SCC tournament when No. 4 Career felled No. 5 Notre Dame-West Haven 39-32 Saturday in East Haven.

In other games, No. 1 Hillhouse defeated Hand 65-49, for the third time this year, No. 7 Sheehan beat No. 2 Lyman Hall, this time by a 46-37 score. No. 6 Hamden took out Quinnipiac champion Xavier 63-53.

The semifinals will be played Monday at East Haven. Hamden vs. Sheehan at 6 and Hillhouse vs. Career at 7:45.