This is what it’s all about. Say goodbye to the regular season, because conference tournaments across the CIAC are just getting started.
Due to weather postponements, teams in the FCIAC are still completing their regular season on Wednesday night, but every other top contender is gearing up for a conference tournament run.
Most conference tournaments conclude on March 2, with the FCIAC completing on March 4. The sprint to a state championship begins on March 6 and 7 for teams in Divisions 2-5, with the 16-team Division 1 bracket starting on March 10.
Since our last update, one of the CIAC’s two remaining unbeatens — and the top seed in Division 4 — moved into our rankings for the first time this season. A headlining matchup between the CCC’s two top teams handed the loser its first loss of the season. However, none of the nine teams remaining in the top 10 moved more than two spots.
As we await the drama that will unfold, here are our 10 best CIAC boys’ basketball teams entering the postseason.
1. Notre Dame-West Haven (17-3)
Previous rank: 1
Next game: SCC Quarterfinal vs. Hillhouse/Wilbur Cross winner, Feb. 26, 6:30 p.m.
Notre Dame-West Haven’s quest for a fifth consecutive Southern Connecticut Conference championship begins on Thursday, when it hosts the winner of No. 7 seed Hillhouse and 10th-seeded Wilbur Cross. The Green Knights will enter the tournament as the No. 2 seed, behind North Haven, who went 15-0 in conference play, to Notre Dame-West Haven’s 14-0. Still, NDWH, which has not lost in-state this season, is the clear favorite. The Green Knights ended their regular season with wins over No. 6 West Haven, 72-57, and Hillhouse, 76-53. Senior Sacred Heart commit Landon Krygier surpassed 1,000 career points in the win over West Haven, with junior point guard Kadrian Reeves scoring 20 points. On senior night against Hillhouse, senior Arkansas commit Abdou Toure dropped 27 points.
2. Staples (19-0)
Previous rank: 3
Next game: vs. Ridgefield, Feb. 25, 8 p.m.
Staples is one game away from completing a perfect regular season, against Ridgefield on Wednesday night. In its three games since the last update, the Wreckers have beaten Danbury (75-40), St. Joseph (84-55) and Westhill (69-47). Senior point guard Sam Clachko dropped a triple-double against St. Joseph, with 15 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. Senior forward Mason Tobias and junior wing Dhilan Lowman reached double figures in all three wins. Tobias averaged 15.7 points in the wins (15, 16, 16), and Lowman averaged 14.3 (13, 15, 15). The Wreckers will be the No. 1 seed in the FCIAC tournament.
3. Windsor (19-1)
Previous rank: 2
Next game: CCC Round of 16 vs. Enfield, Feb. 25, 7 p.m.
Windsor was one of the state’s last remaining unbeatens, but the Warriors fell at the buzzer, 75-74, to East Catholic on Feb. 13. Windsor won the first matchup between the two sides on Jan. 9, 87-81. Here’s to hoping we get treated with a rubber match in the CCC championship game. The Warriors rebounded by closing their season with blowout wins over Holland, formerly known as Burke, from Boston (106-74), Tolland (100-57) and Enfield (92-52). Sophomore guard Alex Weaver had 32 points, seven assists and two steals in the win over Tolland.
4. Notre Dame Prep (17-3)
Previous rank: 4
Next game: SWC Quarterfinal vs. Bethel/New Milford, Feb. 26, 6:30 p.m.
Notre Dame Prep’s pursuit of a South-West Conference three-peat and its fifth conference championship in six seasons begins on Thursday night against the winner of No. 8 seed Bethel and No. 9 seed New Milford. The Lancers have only lost once to an in-state opponent this season (Kolbe Cathedral, 69-68, on Jan. 15) and have closed the regular season on an 11-game winning streak. Notre Dame Prep is led by an elite trio of junior guard Josh Charlot, Jaise Greaves and 6-foot-6 senior wing Jameer Reed. All three are among the best in their respective classes in Connecticut.
5. East Catholic (17-3)
Previous rank: 6
Next game: CCC Round of 16 vs. Conard, Feb. 25, 7 p.m.
East Catholic handed No. 3 Windsor its first loss of the season on Feb. 13, with senior Joey Montalvo scoring the game-winning layup with eight seconds remaining. Sophomore Jamaul Padilla scored 22 points in the first half alone and finished with a game-high 33 in the win. Senior guard Sincere Folk had 18 points, and Montalvo had 10. The Eagles followed up that victory with wins over South Windsor, 77-33, and Glastonbury, 61-49. East Catholic is the No. 3 seed in the CCC tournament and will be aiming for its first conference title since 2023 after back-to-back championship game losses in the last two seasons.
6. West Haven (17-3)
Previous rank: 5
Next game: SCC Quarterfinal vs. Amity/Shelton, Feb. 26, 6:30 p.m.
West Haven ended its regular season by losing two of its final three games, but those defeats came at the hands of top-ranked Notre Dame-West Haven (72-57) and Springfield Central (93-83), the No. 12 seed in the MIAA Division 1 bracket. The loss to NDWH is not a knock at all, and might even serve as a slight plus, as no team from Connecticut has played the Green Knights that closely this season. The loss to Springfield Central, while not ideal, isn’t bad either. West Haven entered the SCC tournament as the No. 3 seed and beat No. 14 Foran, 83-43, to advance to the quarterfinals.
7. Northwest Catholic (17-3)
Previous rank: 7
Next game: CCC Round of 16 vs. New Britain, Feb. 25, 7 p.m.
Northwest Catholic remains at No. 7 after wrapping up its regular season with four consecutive wins. The Lions defeated Bristol Central (83-52), Holy Cross (74-53), Bloomfield (59-48) and Lewis Mills (90-42) in the last two weeks. Northwest Catholic enters the CCC tournament as the No. 4 seed, looking to defend its crown after winning the conference tournament title for the first time last season. They are led by senior guards Drew Dargati and Cooper Steele.
8. East Hartford (16-3)
Previous rank: 10
Next game: CCC Round of 16 vs. Farmington, Feb. 25, 7 p.m.
East Hartford entered the rankings for the first time two weeks ago, and now jumps up two more spots after finishing the regular season on a 12-game winning streak to capture the No. 2 seed in the CCC tournament. Since the last update, the Hornets have defeated RHAM (60-46), NFA (62-60), Enfield (82-62) and Manchester (79-45). The win that preceded those four was over No. 5 East Catholic, their first over the Eagles in a decade. East Hartford has an all-senior starting lineup, led by point guard Za’Sheem McCoy, who is scoring 19 points per game. Forward Kehari Walker is adding 17 points a night.
9. Woodland (21-0)
Previous rank: NR
Next game: NVL Semifinal vs. St. Paul Catholic, Feb. 25, 7 p.m.
Woodland is having its best season in school history and is one of only two teams in the CIAC to finish its regular season undefeated, joining No. 2 Staples. The Hawks, which have never won a Naugatuck Valley League title, opened their conference tournament run with a quarterfinal win over eighth-seeded Ansonia, 69-58, on Saturday. Senior guards John Napiello and James Scampolino are leading the way for Woodland. Napiello, a 1,000-point scorer, was a CHSCA Division 4 All-State selection last season and is averaging 21 points per game this year. Scampolino averages 17 points per game. Outside of NVL competition, the Hawks defeated North Haven, the top seed in the SCC.
10. Trumbull (17-2)
Previous rank: 8
Next game: at Westhill, Feb. 25, 7 p.m.
Trumbull suffered back-to-back losses at Staples and Ridgefield on Feb. 11 and 13th, but has been otherwise perfect in what has been an extremely impressive campaign following last year’s 10-9 regular season. The Eagles will enter the FCIAC tournament as a top-three seed and will be the No. 2 seed with a win over Westhill and a Staples win over Ridgefield. Senior guard Sean Wilson scored a game-high 29 points, with 22 in the second half, as Trumbull came back from down 13 at halftime to beat New Canaan, 56-55, last Tuesday. The Eagles then closed out the regular season with a 58-42 win over Fairfield Ludlowe.
