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Let tournament season begin!

Actually, I’m a little late saying that. The girls tournaments are actually ending right now, and the boys basketball tournaments actually began last night in Fairfield with the Southern Connecticut Conference opening round.

But, that doesn’t mean that we can’t handicap them here. The FCIAC does not feature any teams from Fairfield, but I’ve seen most of the good teams in the league.  I like Ridgefield if the Tigers can knock down shots. St. Joseph has size and athleticism on its side. Don’t sleep on Staples either, since the Wreckers have experience and have played together for a while.

My focus, however, will be on the SCC and SWC tournaments. I watched Prep play Hamden last night, and wondered how the Jesuits could have possibly lost to the Green Dragons in the regular season. Leo Redgate assured me that Hamden shot the lights out and Prep did not play well.

That wasn’t the case on Thursday night.

Prep stormed out of the gates, opening up a 20-7 lead in the first quarter, and the Jesuits played staunch defense as well, especially in the second half. Prep held the Green Dragons to just 21 points through three quarters of play.

Matt Daley had a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. The Jesuits had nine different players score baskets.

Prep now turns its focus to Lyman Hall. The Jesuits and Trojans did not meet in the regular season, but Lyman is a well-balanced team that can certainly get up and down the floor.

That game will be part of a quadruple-header at East Haven High School. It will take place at 1:45 p.m. Follow me on Twitter for updates if you can not make it up there.

SWC

Notre Dame appears to be the most skilled team in the Southwest Conference, but don’t let records fool you. The Lancers are both the hunted, and have a tough matchup in their SWC tournament quarterfinal matchup on Saturday night at Pomperaug.

No. 8 seed Bethel beat ND, 71-61 the last time that the teams met. The Bobcats have a size advantage, and if Bethel can play inside out, the Lancers could struggle again.

I think if ND can get by its opening round game, it’ll gain some significant confidence. However, the road to ND’s first SWC title lies in the team’s guards ability to get to the basket. It will not be an easy road as blocks from Kolbe Cathedral, Pomperaug and even potentially Stratford stand in the way.

The trip through the SWCs could be ND’s tour of revenge also. If the Lancers can beat Bethel, and then get to the SWC Finals, they may get the opportunity to take out the frustration of losing to Stratford and former ND guard Tom Bajda.

ND will play at 7 p.m. on Saturday. I’ll be there too, so follow me on Twitter for updates on that game.

I’ll be tweeting all sorts of updates from the litany of games I will attend this playoff season. State Open wrestling is also tomorrow, as is a must-win game for ND boys ice hockey. See the Fairfield Citizen and our sister paper, the Connecticut Post for more info on all of that. Thanks and have a great weekend.

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I had the opportunity to cover Fairfield University’s BracketBuster game against Austin Peay on Saturday afternoon at Webster Bank Arena at Harbor Yard, so I went over there and took in my first Stags game of the year.

I wouldn’t say that I was overtly impressed with the way that Fairfield played despite its 76-69 win over the Governors. However, that could be the story of the Stags season so far. Outside of point guard Derek Needham, who is likely the favorite for MAAC player of the year, the Stags don’t really have anyone who jumps out at you.

Fairfield is tough up front, Ryan Olander, Maurice Barrow and Yorel Hawkins are all good sized forwards. Austin Peay head coach Dave Loos said that the Stags’ size advantage was evident in preparation for Saturday’s game.

The game was by no means pretty. Needham did not by any means have even a good day shooting on Saturday, he was 6-17, and Fairfield seemed to have trouble closing out on Austin Peay’s best player, Tyshwan Edmondson, who scored 29 points. However, Olander chipped in 11 points and junior Colin Nickerson gave the Stags 17 points, eight rebounds and seven steals off of the bench and Fairfield found the way to close the game.

Stags’ coach Ed Cooley seemed overjoyed by the victory, calling it a “program win.” I don’t know that I’d agree with that, but Fairfield is gaining clout in the college basketball community. ESPN’s Andy Katz told the Post’s Bill Paxton and myself that should Fairfield win the MAAC Tournament, a 14-seed should be awaiting it.

I think a 22-5 team that wins its conference regular season (a very good conference at that) and conference tournament should garner a high seed. Siena won the MAAC two years ago and was a nine-seed. However, Fairfield still needs to win its conference tournament to get to the NCAA tournament.

This is the year that it all seems to line up for the Stags. The conference tournament is in their home arena, the league is down, and Fairfield is good. If the Stags don’t do it this year, I don’t know when they will. Cooley said that winning the conference’s regular season, and an automatic bid into the NIT, is not the team’s goal and nor should it be.

It’s NCAA or bust.

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Neither girls basketball team qualified for the FCIAC playoffs this year.

But don’t let that get you down! There’s still plenty to do involving the teams in Fairfield. There are state competitions, national broadcasts and high school games to attend, especially on Saturday.

Consider this a preview of what is to come this weekend.

• Notre Dame and Fairfield Prep’s boys basketball teams will both play games tonight. The Lancers will travel to Bunnell and Prep will host Cheshire. For the Jesuits, it is senior night, which means that seven players will play their last SCC home games ever.
• There is indoor track. The Fairfield Warde and Ludlowe indoor track teams, who will compete in the State Open. Fairfield Prep’s Connor Rog will also look to follow up on his dominance at the Class LL indoor track meet in the 1,600 and 3,200. He won both. Warde freshman Cate Allen will look to become a state champion in the 1,600, following up on Meg Ryan’s accomplishment a year ago.
• The class wrestling meets are this weekend. We’ll see if Warde’s Mike Sullivan, who is undefeated at 31-0 this year, can continue his run through the state at 160 pounds. We’ll also see if the Mustangs can win the Class L for the third year in a row. Ludlowe’s Ben Batulanon should be able to get points, he’s seeded fourth in Class L and Henry Wales at 119 could show for the Falcons as well.
• Fairfield University’s men’s basketball team will partake in a “BracketBuster” game on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Webster Bank Arena at Harbor Yard. The Stags will take on Austin Peay. Fairfield is on fire, having won three straight and nine of 10. The women’s basketball team will take on Loyola in the second half of a double header at 3:30 p.m. If you can’t make it to Harbor Yard, the game will be televised on ESPNU.
• Fairfield Prep, Notre Dame and Fairfield co-op hockey teams will all play on Saturday. Prep takes on ND-West Haven at 1. ND-Fairfield will go to South Windsor in a game it must win at 5 p.m. Co-op can clinch a trip to the state playoffs at Stamford at 8:30 p.m.

Follow me on Twitter for more updates and fun. If you see me this weekend, feel free to say hi. If not, have a great wekeend.

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There was a lot happening around town this weekend, or at least featuring town athletes, so it is worth discussing that here.

FCIAC Wrestling

A year after Warde ended Danbury’s run of 23 straight FCIAC titles, the Mustangs finished in third place at the FCIACs in New Canaan. Undefeated Mike Sullivan won all of his matches, including a pin in the 160-pound final to take home the FCIAC title at that weight class. The Mustangs had two other second-place finishers in their respective weight classes (Pharoh Eaton at 125 and James Neamonitis at 140).

Ludlowe finished in 13th place at the tournament, accruing 28 points. The Falcons’ top finisher was Ben Batulanon, who placed sixth at 103. Both the Falcons and Mustangs will gear up for the Class L championships, which are coming up this weekend.

Class LL Indoor Track

Prep finished in 10th place at the Class LL indoor track meet on Saturday, however, junior Connor Rog added two more medals to his well decorated running career. Rog took first in both the 1,600 and 3,200 meter runs, taking home the latter by almost eight seconds.

The Fairfield Ludlowe girls track team placed 18th at the Class LL meet, with its top finisher being sophomore Katie Coyle, who placed fourth in the long jump. Junior Sydney Kay also earned 1.5 points with a tie for fifth place in the 55-meter dash.

Class L Indoor Track

Ludlowe’s boys team finished in seventh place, and Warde’s took 11th, as both squads had competitors qualify for the State Open.

The Falcons’ boys squad was led by its 4×800 team, which took home first place honors. Ludlowe’s group of Andrew Fernandes, Michael Thottam, Michael Frasco and Jack White finished almost three seconds ahead of the unit from New Canaan, to take first place. Tyler Schwarz placed in the top-four in two events as well for the Falcons, including a second-place finish in the 300-meter dash.

For Warde, Harry Warnick placed first in the 1,600 and 3,200 meter runs. Warde swept the 1,600 at Class L meet, because freshman Cate Allen took home first place honors in that event as well.

A Warde girl has won the 1,600 meter run in each of the last three years. Meg Ryan was back-to-back champion in that event in 2009 and 2010.

Warde’s sprint relay team of Allen, Sarah Collins, Victoria Edison and Mackenzie Dancho, along with Alyson Leppela at shot put qualified for the State Open as well.

FCIAC Gymnastics

Ludlowe placed fourth, and its rival Warde took home fifth place honors behind third place Darien, second-place Staples and first-place Wilton at the FCIAC gymnastics meet on Saturday.

The Falcons’ top performer was Sophie Tomeo, who took home third place in the bars and a tie for fourth on the beam. Fellow-Ludlowe competitor Dani Pasquerelli placed sixth in both the floor exercises and the vault.

For more info and live updates, follow me on Twitter. Hope you all have a good day.

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The last name “Bajda” holds some weight at Notre Dame High School.

After all, Rose Bajda is one of the more accomplished girls basketball players in the school’s history. She finished with over 1,000 points and was an all-state and all-SWC member her senior year of 2009.

It also appeared that Rose’s brother, Tom, was on his way to becoming the same for the Lancers after his freshman year in which he helped the Lancers reached the SWC Finals.

However, that never came to pass, Tom transferred to Stratford midway through last season, and got the opportunity to stick it to his former mates on Thursday night. Bajda notched 29 points, including three 3-pointers as the Red Devils ended the Lancers’ nine-game win streak, 80-63.

Bajda mysteriously quit the Lancers’ team and transferred to Stratford after the Prep Holiday tournament a year ago. I received an anonymous letter earlier in the year that he, and others on the team, were the subject of verbal assault from ND coach Vin Laczkoski which warranted his departure from ND.

However, he told the Connecticut Post’s Mike Cardillo last night that he was not seeking payback toward his former mates, and that nerves were actually going through him entering the contest.

On the subject of Notre Dame, the team was due to lose, and can not be faulted a road conference loss to a team as talented as Stratford. The Lancers still sit in a tie atop the SWC standings, and should be considered among the favorites to win the tournament.

Stay tuned.

Round up

The boys and girls co-op ski teamsare rolling. The boys are 11-0 and 5-0 in the Class L, the girls are 9-0 and 4-0 in the Class L… Both Ludlowe and Warde’s gymnastics teams fell to Darien on Wednesday, but felt good about their abilities entering the FCIAC meet this coming weekend… Fairfield Warde wrestler Mike Sullivan went 30-0 this season. The 160-pound specialist capped his perfect regular season with a pin of Ludlowe’s Daniel Cahill in just 37 seconds… Fairfield Prep’s hockey team will play its third game in five days when it takes on rival ND-Fairfield on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Jesuits beat ND 7-2 earlier in the year. Prep will play its fourth contest in six days on Sunday when it hosts Xavier at 7:30 p.m.

As always, you can follow me on Twitter and your comments are always welcome. Hope you’re all successfully staying warm and have a wonderful weekend.

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No matter where you stand on cheerleading as a sport or not a sport, Fairfield is the creme de la creme of cheering in Connecticut.

Warde finished first at the FCIAC cheerleading meet on Saturday at Wilton High School and Ludlowe finished third place, with Greenwich finishing in second, 9.5 points back. This comes just two weeks after the Mustangs and Falcons finished 1-2 at the Pioneer Challenge on Jan. 22 at Sacred Heart University.

Ludlowe won the FCIAC meet a year ago, meaning that for two straight years, a Fairfield school has taken home the highest FCIAC cheerleading crown.

Three Warde cheerers finished on the all-FCIAC team, Ariel Hendrick, CJ Sereno and Elise Sondheim. Both teams will have the opportunity to become state champions at the CIAC meet on March 11 and 12 in New Haven.