After not seeing much change in the first two updates, pivotal conference matchups in the last two weeks have led to our largest shakeup of the season to this point.
It may not seem like much, but two new teams riding impressive winning streaks have entered the poll for the first time this season, slotting in the final two spots of the rankings.
Fitch earned its No. 9 ranking after defeating a previously ranked conference rival last Tuesday. No. 10 Ellington boasts the state’s longest active winning streak (40 games) and sits atop the Division 3 rankings after raising a Division 4 banner last season.
Matchups between high-level programs, notably East Catholic’s win over Northwest Catholic, also shook up the hierarchy within the top 10.
With less than three weeks remaining in the regular season, here’s a look at our latest CIAC boys top 10.
1. Notre Dame-West Haven (11-3)
Previous rank: 1
Next game: vs. Branford, Jan. 30, 7 p.m.
Arkansas-bound senior wing Abdou Toure continued to make headlines, taking the number 1 play on SportsCenter’s Top 10 with a ferocious poster dunk at the Hoophall Classic on Jan. 17. The Green Knights fell to Inglewood (Calif.), 81-80. Still, Toure had 31 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 blocks. He was named to the Hoophall Classic All-Showcase Team and was one of 25 players selected to the Naismith National High School Player of the Year Watch List. The two-time defending state champions have yet to be challenged by CIAC competition. Notre Dame beat top-10 Hillhouse (81-40), cruised past Branford (103-36, despite Toure exiting the game early with a quad injury) and blew out East Haven, 115-48.
2. Windsor (13-0)
Previous rank: 2
Next game: vs. Manchester, Jan. 30, 6:45 p.m.
Led by the guard trio of Missoni Brown, Alex Weaver, and Ji Gary, the Warriors are still rolling. In the last two weeks, Windsor has picked up two wins over Glastonbury (82-59 and 78-65), a tightly-contested win at Bloomfield (71-67), and a victory at E.O. Smith (100-70). While the win over Bloomfield was surprisingly close, the Warriors are still undefeated and the team to beat in Division 2.
3. Staples (12-0)
Previous rank: 4
Next game: at Fairfield Warde, Jan. 30, 7 p.m.
The Wreckers enter the top three for the first time this season on the back of a perfect 12-0 start. Connecticut College-bound senior point guard Sam Clachko is averaging 13.4 points, seven assists and five rebounds per game since our last update two weeks ago. Staples has notched six wins in that stretch, defeating Stamford, Taconic (Mass.), Scarsdale (N.Y.), Darien, Greenwich and Wilton. Senior forward Mason Tobias has Staples’ highest-scoring outing in the last six games, a 24-point, nine-rebound game against Darien. The Wreckers’ other three starters — juniors Dhilan Lowman and Austin Heyer and senior Matty Corrigan — have all reached double figures in at least one of those contests.
4. Notre Dame Prep (9-3)
Previous rank: 3
Next game: at Joel Barlow, Jan. 29, 7 p.m.
Notre Dame Prep, which was previously undefeated in CIAC play, suffered a shocking 69-68 overtime loss against Kolbe Cathedral on Jan. 15. It was the Lancers’ first loss in South-West Conference play since falling to Kolbe Cathedral in the 2023 conference tournament final. The Lancers bounced back with a win at Hoophall over Mater Dei (Calif.), 72-65, led by senior wing Jameer Reed’s 24-point, 8-rebound outing on 11 of 15 shooting. In wins over New Milford (76-37) and Weston (92-55), junior point guard Josh Charlot dropped back-to-back triple-doubles. Charlot had 17 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists, and 8 steals against New Milford, then added 22 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds against Weston.
5. East Catholic (9-2)
Previous rank: 6
Next game: vs. Tolland, Jan. 29, 6:45 p.m.
The Eagles fell in the opening game of the Hoophall Classic, 65-54, to Shaker High (N.Y.). They turned around for a home game against perennial Central Connecticut Conference contender Northwest Catholic just over 24 hours later and cruised to a 60-44 win. East Catholic was led by seniors Sincere Folk, Joey Montalvo, and sophomore Jamaul Padilla. The Lions followed up that win with a 63-41 victory over New Britain.
6. West Haven (12-1)
Previous rank: 7
Next game: at Shelton, Jan. 30, 7 p.m.
The Blue Devils are winners of nine straight games after falling to No. 1 Notre Dame-West Haven at the Mohegan Sun Arena on Dec. 23. Notably, West Haven, which hadn't beaten Hillhouse in its last eight tries, defeated the Academics on the road, 63-56 on Jan. 19. Senior guard Jordan Sirabionian, who transferred from Hillhouse in the offseason, netted a game-high 20 points. Fellow senior guard Aaron Johnson Jr. added 12. West Haven has notched other recent victories over Daniel Hand, 88-40, and Foran, 83-36.
7. Northwest Catholic (8-2)
Previous rank: 5
Next game: vs. Conard, Jan. 30, 6:45 p.m.
Northwest Catholic only played two games in the last two weeks and dropped two spots after a 1-1 stretch. In a marquee matchup on Jan. 16, the Lions lost at No. 5 East Catholic, 60-44. Northwest Catholic responded with a dominant, 70-28 win at Bristol Eastern on Saturday. Senior forward Tyler Uveges led the way with 14 points. Senior guard Cooper Steele and junior guard Mike Quirk each added 13 as nine Lions entered the scoring column.
8. Trumbull (12-0)
Previous rank: 10
Next game: vs. Stamford, Jan. 30, 7 p.m.
Senior guard Sean Wilson became the fourth player in Trumbull history to eclipse the 1,000-point mark on Friday as he led the Eagles past Darien, 64-39. Wilson, the returning FCIAC Player of the Year, is averaging 21 points, eight rebounds and four assists per game on 50 percent shooting. Fellow senior guard Jaden Tuhaise has supplemented Wilson’s play nicely as a 94-foot defender with an offensive arsenal. Trumbull survived a scare on the road against Greenwich, 57-54, on Tuesday to remain undefeated.
9. Fitch (13-1)
Previous rank: NR
Next game: at Woodstock Academy, Jan. 29, 7 p.m.
Fitch, winners of 11 straight, have vaulted into the poll after a signature road victory over ECC rival and formerly-ranked New London, 72-67. The Falcons held a 13-point lead with just over four minutes to play and withstood a late Whalers comeback bid. Juniors Cayden Simonds-Gaskin and Si’kis Reels led the way with 15 points apiece. Fitch has also notched wins over NFA (76-70), Crosby (72-50) and Killingly (64-42) in recent weeks. The Falcons’ lone loss came against No. 7 Northwest Catholic, 61-47, on Dec. 20. Fitch is ranked third, behind Windsor and Trumbull, in the Division 2 tournament rankings.
10. Ellington (13-0)
Previous rank: NR
Next game: at Suffield, Jan. 30, 6:45 p.m.
Ellington, the defending Division 4 state champions, is currently on a 40-game winning streak, which dates back to March 8, 2024 — a state quarterfinal loss to eventual runner-up Cheney Tech. The Knights went a perfect 27-0 last winter and are off to a 13-0 start in their 2025-26 campaign, bringing back a near-identical group from last season. That includes junior Jack Curtis, who surpassed the 1,000-point threshold on Dec. 22, 6-foot-5 sophomore guard Reese Nicol and junior guard Ty Fieldhouse. Curtis and Nicol were both selected to the CHSCA Division 4 All-State team last season. The Knights, now up to Division 3, sit atop the CIAC’s D3 rankings.
Dropped out: New London, Hillhouse.
New London lost its first game in CIAC play to Fitch and was jumped by the Falcons in the rankings because of it. After starting 8-0, Hillhouse reached the daunting part of its schedule — New London, Notre Dame-West Haven, West Haven, and Fairfield Prep — and lost all four outings.
