NVL Girls Hoops

Wildcats Tab Cleveland

2009-05-12T17:34:00.002-04:00

This past week, the Seymour Board of Education announced the hiring of Brian Cleveland as the new Varsity head basketball coach at Seymour High School. Brian is no stranger to Lady Wildcats basketball, having served as the JV coach two season's ago. We wish Brian the best of luck as he looks to turn a struggling program back into the powerhouse it once was.

Seymour Job Open

2009-03-10T15:11:00.002-04:00

Before the tournament is even over, we have a coaching vacancy to announce in the Naugatuck Valley League. This comes as somewhat as a surprise for me, but we have officially learned today that Mike Collins has resigned from the Seymour Wildcats girls basketball coaching spot. I had known about this a few weeks ago but waited for the official announcment before posting it here on the blog. Collins finished 6-34 in just two seasons as coach for the Wildcats.

All interested applicants must have their resume and coaching certificate by March 20th. All candidates are asked to send their resume and coaching certificate to: Seymour Public Schools, Human Resources Department, 99 Bank Street, Seymour, Connecticut, 06483. If you have any questions, please contact Seymour HS Athletic Director, Edward Rostowsky, at erostowsky@seymourschools.org.

I personally expect this job to garner a bunch of interest up in the valley. It should be interesting to see if we see a farmilar NVL name jump into the ring, or an unknown step in and try to get this once dominant program back to were it should be. Please check back often for any rumors on possible candidates.

Till next time,

BH

Friday Night Scores (Second Round)

2009-03-06T16:48:00.004-05:00

The CIAC girls basketball tournament continues tonight with the second round games of L and S. After Holy Cross was defeated last night, only two NVL teams are left standing as tournament play heats up.

Tonight, the fired up Naugatuck Greyhounds take on Northwest Catholic and NVL Champion Kennedy Eagles play host to E.O. Smith.

Post updated/final scores as well as recaps for both games in this post. I am expecting to have E.O. Smith - Kennedy updates here on the blog so check back as the night goes on.

Till next time,

Second Round Torunament Preview

2009-03-05T14:01:00.000-05:00

Today, we kick off the second round of the CIAC girls basketball tournament. Unfortunately, the first round was not very kind to the Naugatuck Valley League squads with Wolcott, Watertown, Wilby, Torrington, and Woodland all going down early. Only 3 NVL teams remain in the big dance…

Class LL –

11 Danbury vs. 6 Holy Cross
Thursday, March 5th, 7 pm at Holy Cross HS

The Crusaders come into this game coming off a fairly easy first round win over East Hartford, 46-29. However, when I looked at that game in-depth, I found some things that concern me going forward. First, Devon Diliberto led Cross with 21 of their 46 points. Diliberto is a great player, and she will get her 15-20 points a night, but if she was off one night, or the opposition really locked down defensively on her, then I’m not sure Holy Cross is going to find other ways to score. Plus, as I look at the box score, Amanda Jones was not included, which presumably means that she did not play. Whether it be injury or not, that has to be very concerning. It will be interesting to see if she plays tonight. As for Danbury, they are very well-coached team year in and year out, and always seem to be overlooked come tournament time. This one is hard for me to predict because I think if Jones is in the lineup, the game changes, and if she isn’t, then it changes dramatically. But, I am going to go with Holy Cross surviving one more round, 54-48.

Class L –

11 E.O. Smith vs. 6 Kennedy
Friday, March 6th, 7 pm at Kennedy HS

The Eagles come into this second round matchup after what would look to be an easy win over Wilby, 60-38. However, Wilby was leading at the half in that game, 23-16. Kennedy appeared to have come out a little over-confident as the NVL Champion and state title contender. One thing I noticed, and I mentioned it before when I previewed Wilby-Kennedy, is that Wilby was a team that matched up with Kennedy’s bigs with Parker and Dorkins vs. Willis and Goodman. With that inside presence from Wilby, the Kennedy bigs essentially became non-factors in the game combining for a total of 6 points. I do not know much about E.O. Smith, but if they’ve got a few bigs who matchup well, then the Kennedy bigs, their supposed bread-and-butter, may struggle. Alberto may have to lead the Eagles again as she did vs. Wilby with 27 points. A key for Kennedy is how well they come out of the gate. They came out of the gate weak vs. Wilby and my guess is that Coach Hansen and her staff will not let that happen again. Kennedy wins it, 58-47.

28 Naugatuck vs. 12 Northwest Catholic
Friday, March 6th, 7 pm at Northwest Catholic HS

Could Naugatuck be the cinderella story team of the tournament this season? The ‘Hounds come into this game coming off a huge upset of league-rival, NVL Runner-Up, and five seed Torrington, 58-54. No one expected Naugatuck to be in that Torrington game at all, and they pulled it out. Congrats to Coach Ruccio, her staff, and the players. Now, the question lies… Can the Greyhounds ride the momentum through the tournament? Again, I do not know much about the Northwest Catholic team, but I do know that I would not want to be the Catholic coach going against Naugatuck on Friday night. There is no doubt that the ‘Hounds will be fired up and sky high, knowing that they can beat anyone. I’m going to pick Naugatuck in this, because honestly, who can you pick against them right now? Naugatuck wins it 53-47. Jess Webber and Julie Longo have huge games again.

So, that wraps up our second round preview for the three remaining NVL teams in the tournament. As always, I will post the scores post later on today and hopefully we will have live updates during the Holy Cross game, but if not, you will always find the final scores here at the blog.

Till next time,

BH

Naugatuck Upsets Torrington!

2009-03-04T20:43:00.003-05:00

I think the title pretty much says it all, but... The Naugatuck Greyhounds pulled off a major upset tonight in Torrington, defeating the NVL Runner-Up and 5 seed in the tournament, 58-54, knocking the Raiders out of the tournament.

Torrington defeated the Greyhounds easily in their two regular season meetings, 70-38 and 73-24.

Quite an upset here... Now, the question is: Can the Greyhounds ride the momentum through the tournament?

Next up, we've got the second round games in Classes LL and M tomorrow night. I'll be back tomorrow to preview all of our second round games.

Till next time,

Wednesday Night Scores (First Round)

2009-03-04T15:02:00.007-05:00

Tonight, the first round of the state tournament continues as teams in Classes L and S do battle en route to Uncasville.

We've got two interesting all-NVL matchups tonight. Let's take a look...

28 Naugatuck vs. 5 Torrington (7 pm at Torrington HS)
27 Wilby vs. 6 Kennedy (7 pm at Kennedy HS)

I expect to have live updates throughout both games, so if you can't make it out to the games tonight, be sure to check the blog for updates and final scores.

Till next time,

Tuesday Night Scores (First Round)

2009-03-03T14:58:00.003-05:00

Tonight is the night that we high school girls basketball fans look forward to each and every year - The First Round of the State Tournament. Tonight, we kick off with the games in Classes M and LL. Let's take a look...

Class LL -

27 East Hartford vs. 6 Holy Cross (7 pm at Holy Cross HS)

Class M -

20 Rocky Hill vs. 13 Wolcott (7 pm at Wolcott HS)
27 Woodland vs. 6 Haddam-Killingworth (7 pm at Haddam-Killingworth HS)
24 Watertown vs. 9 Northwestern (7:30 pm at Northwestern Regional HS)

We will have final scores here at the blog later tonight, with the chance of updates throughout a few of the games. If you attended one of tonight's game, please post a recap with your thoughts, etc. in the comments of this post. Any final or updated scores should be posted here.

As we look ahead, you will find plently of new information each day on the blog. Tomorrow, we will have a recap of all of tonight's games. Tomorrow night, you will find a scores post for the L/S games. And finally, on Thursday morning, you will find both a recap of Wednesday's games and a preview of the Second Round games for NVL teams on Thursday and Friday nights.

Till next time,

BH

First Round Game Changes

2009-03-02T08:43:00.004-05:00

Due to the snow storm hitting Connecticut today, all first round tournament games have been postponed to tomorrow night, Tuesday, March 3rd.

This means that the games originally schedule for tomorrow night, Classes L and S, will be played on Wednesday, March 4th. Essentially, everything is just being pushed back one day, with the second round games to be played on the originally announced days.

See you Tuesday night!

Till next time,

BH

State Tournament Preview (First Round)

2009-02-28T15:55:00.000-05:00

Get your maps ready ladies and gentleman; it is time to follow the road to the Uncasville as it is tournament time here in Connecticut! The first round of the CIAC high school girls basketball tournament kicks off on Monday, March 2nd with some great games on the horizon. In this year’s tournament, we’ve got eight teams out of the Naugatuck Valley League. Each team has a long road to the finals, and it all starts in the first round games.

Class LL –

27 East Hartford vs. 6 Holy Cross
Monday, March 2nd, 7 pm at Holy Cross HS

The Holy Cross Crusaders are coming off a tough 66-57 loss to the Naugatuck Valley League champion Kennedy Eagles in the Semifinals of the NVL Tournament. They come into the game with a 17-5 record (16-4 in the regular season) and are primarily led by Devon Diliberto and Amanda Jones. Despite coming into the game with only 8 wins on the season, East Hartford is always a solid club who plays an extremely tough regular season schedule year in and year out. The East Hartford coaching staff has gotten a pretty good look at the Crusaders, as they were on hand at the Holy Cross vs. Kennedy tournament last Monday. I think this game will be a lot closer than many people expect. One thing I will be looking is how the loss of floor general Nikki Sills affects the Crusaders offensively. As of yet, it hasn’t caught up to them, but it may as we hit state tournament time. I look for Amanda Jones to have a huge game here, and the Crusaders win it narrowly, 53-46.

Class L –

In Class L, we’ve got some interesting all-NVL matchups in the first round.

28 Naugatuck vs. 5 Torrington
Tuesday, March 3rd, 7 pm at Torrington HS

These two Naugatuck Valley League teams met twice during the regular season, both games being blowouts for the Red Raiders. On January 6th, Torrington beat the Hounds’ 70-30 and on February 10th, the Raiders won again 73-24. I don’t expect THS to have too much trouble with Naugatuck in the first round. The only player on Naugatuck that can really hurt Torrington is probably junior guard Jess Webber. Even though the game might not be a classic, the matchup of Sarah Royals vs. Jess Webber should be interesting. In the end though, I just don’t think Naugatuck has the horses to play right with the Raiders for all 32 minutes. Torrington wins easily 62-39.

27 Wilby vs. 6 Kennedy
Tuesday, March 3rd, 7 pm at Kennedy HS

These two teams met only once during the regular season way back on December 12th, a game in which the Eagles won fairly easily 61-35. The key here though is that in that game, one of the Wildcats top players, transfer Nya Dorkins was not active. Plus, Wilby has not really gelled as a team and therefore, hadn’t starting playing their best ball till the mid-way point of the season. For the first time in quite a while, Kennedy will be matching up with a team that has the same height advantage as they do. Kennedy’s biggest strength is probably their bigs with Marybeth Willis and Kasiana Goodman. In fact, it has become their bread-and-butter, essentially leading them to the NVL title. However, Wilby’s biggest asset is also its post players in Kristian Parker and Nya Dorkins. There is no doubt in my mind that this game is going to come down to the post and who controls the boards. There is no two ways about it. I might be alone on this one, but I am going to with Wilby in the upset special, 59-57, in an absolute classic in Waterbury.

Class M –

24 Watertown vs. 9 Northwestern
Monday, March 2nd, 7:30 pm at Northwestern Regional HS

I view this game here as one of the top games of the first round on Monday night. I believe that Watertown and Northwestern are two very evenly-matched teams, a lot like Wolcott and Watertown. And if the Wolcott vs. Watertown are any indication of how this game will be, then we are in for a dandy that is for sure. For these two teams, everything starts with their point guards, Kat Woods and Northwestern and Kelly Blake for Watertown. We know that in the end those two players will play right up to their potential. But, in the end, I think this game is going to be decided based on two things. One, will the supporting cast and bench for each team step and produce? And two, which team will get off to the quick start and grab the early lead? I think that whichever teams grabs the early lead will be the winner of the game. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say Watertown wins, 48-39, in a real good game. Kelly Blake and Amanda Bugnacki, Watertown’s center who has been coming on strong as of late, have huge games for the Tribe.

20 Rocky Hill vs. 13 Wolcott
Monday, March 2nd, 7 pm at Wolcott HS

This has the potential to be a pretty good game here. The 14-7, Brass Division champion Wolcott Eagles come into this game with the expectation of making a deep run into the tournament. Led by Carly Murphy and Ali McDonald, this team has the talent to make a deep run. They have so many offensive options with Murphy, McDonald, Benson, and Catone. While I do not know too much about Rocky Hill, I am hearing that they have a very talented team and could make some unexpected noise in the tournament this year. I have heard about some questions surrounding the Wolcott team in the past few days. These are things that I cannot discuss here out of respect for those involved. But, should it be true, it could have some negative impact on the game for the Eagles. I have a gut feeling that either way, Wolcott hangs on to win it, 54-45.

27 Woodland vs. 6 Haddam-Killingworth
Monday, March 2nd, 7 pm at Haddam-Killingworth HS

This matchup has some potential to be a close game. I am not too familiar with the Haddam-Killingworth team other than they had a strong regular season finishing at 16-4. For Woodland to pull off the upset, they will need strong performances from their top players – Heather Framski and Katie Alfiere in the post and Sam Werner and Sam Wilcox on the perimeter. I expect it to be close for part of the game, but not one of the better games to go to as far as first round games go. Having said that, Woodland will probably get the upset win in triple-overtime. But seriously, I’m going to go with Haddam-Killingworth as the winner fairly easily, 58-45.

Class S –

The Naugatuck Valley League does not have any tournament teams in Class S nor do they have any teams in Class S at all. This class is generally filled with small tech schools in Connecticut.

So, that wraps up my view on the first round games for the Naugatuck Valley League teams. We are looking at some pretty good games and I am looking forward to discussing them all here on the blog. As always, I will create a scores post on Monday for all the first round games. I urge all to post any updated or final scores in the comment window of the post. Until Monday, that is all, and please, let your voice be heard so that we can get some good, but still friendly, discussions here.

In addition, I have added a new poll to the blog. Be sure to vote on that within the next 10 days. And, I have also updated the final standings for both the Copper and Brass Divisions. The overall records, however, will continue to be updated as the team’s battle in tournament play.

Till next time,

BH

Friday Night Scores

2009-01-30T22:31:00.001-05:00

Kennedy beat Holy Cross tonight, 53-43.

Post all scores/recap for tonight's games here!

Friday Night Preview

2009-01-29T21:14:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow night in NVL girls basketball, some big divisional matchups will be played at an NVL gym near you. Let's take a look...

Wolcott at Wilby (5:30)... This is going to be a very good game. This is also a very important divisional game for both teams. Wolcott is currently 5-1 in the Brass, while Wilby stands at 4-2. Both teams are chasing Watertown for the top spot in the Brass. Earlier these two teams met and Wolcott won 56-44, however; this was before Wilby added Naya Dorkins to the mix. Wilby is a very big team and that means Ali McDonald for Wolcott will need to do a bang-up job all night. I'm going to take Wilby though, based on overall size and quickness, in a close game, 49-43. (This is the 1st game of a girls-boys doubleheader.)

Holy Cross at Kennedy... Another huge game here, this time in the Copper Division. Kennedy beat the Crusaders at the Pit earlier in the season 56-51. I think that since then HC has actually been slowly declining as a team, even though they have won all the games except one (Torrington), they have been involved in some pretty close games that could have gone either way. I think Kennedy is really a far superior team to Holy Cross, with just more options on the offensive end. Amber Alberto, Maisie Sanchez, Kasiana Goodman, and Marybeth Willis are all top-players in the NVL. HC will need more than Jones and Diliberto to win this one. Eagles will comfortably, 57-42.

Woodland at Torrington... Not much here. Woodland has a decent team, but Torrington is just too good overall for the Hawks to handle. Sam Werner, Sam Wilcox, and Heather Framski will have to have huge nights and Sarah Royals will have to be way off for the Hawks to win this one. Raiders win easy, 60-38.

Naugatuck at Sacred Heart... A big game between two 6-8 teams who are also in the cellar so to speak (1-5) in the Copper Division. SH won the first matchup 60-53. For Naugy to win, they need big games from Webber and Longo. For SH to win, they need big games from Brown and Massicotte. I'm going with Webber/Longo and the Greyhounds, 48-43.

Watertown at Seymour... Seymour is a very young team and therefore way down for the 2nd season in a row. Watertown is having an outstanding year, finding themselves at 8-6 and atop the Brass Division with 6 games to go. If Watertown can contain Seymour's Christine Cretella, they should win very handily. Watertown wins 55-33.

Crosby at Ansonia... Crosby is a much-improved team from recent season. First year head coach Deneen Fryer has done an outstanding job making this a more competitive team despite their win-loss record. I think Tyra Brooks is going to have a huge night and Crosby will pull it out in Ansonia, 42-37.

That is a wrap for Friday night... A great night to check out an NVL girls basketball matchup with good ones in Wolcott-Wilby and Holy Cross-Kennedy. I'll make a new thread tomorrow night for all scores and recaps.

Take care.

Tuesday Night Recap!

2009-01-28T09:24:00.000-05:00

A fairly decent night in the NVL last night with two games worthy of discussion...

Kennedy over Watertown 56-28...Sanchez had 18 and Alberto and Goodman both had 13 each. Kenendy was clicking on all cylinders at the Cook Gym on Tuesday. Watertown was led by Collier with 15. Despite the huge margin here, Watertown is a solid team who will make some noise come playoff time. They may even get another shot at Kennedy in the NVL Tournament.

Torrington over Seymour 57-26....Not much to say here. Royals scored 16 for the Raiders. The Raiders just keep crusing along as they have yet to be challenged by anyone other than Kennedy and Holy Cross. They have Watertown next Tuesday which could possibly be a challenge.

Holy Cross over Wilby 42-34...HC pulls out the win again. To be honest, I really thought the 'Cats would win this one. Diliberto and Jones have really been carrying the Crusaders lately.

Sacred Heart over Crosby 43-31...A decent game here which the Hearts really needed. SH outscored the Bulldogs 20-7 to win the game after trailing by 1 point at the end of 3 quarters.

Wolcott over Woodland 69-62...This was probably the best game of the night in the NVL. A very high-scoring affair as well. Wolcott got big games from there top 3...Murphy had 22, McDonald had a big 17, and Catone put in 10. Wolcott pulled away from a close game in the 4th quarter to win.

Naugatuck over Ansonia 46-33...Naugatuck's one-two punch of Jess Webber and Julie Longo won the game for the 'Hounds at home as Longo scored 17 and Webber scored 15.

We've got some really big divisional games on Friday in the NVL. I'll be back to preview them all on Thursday!

Take care.

Tuesday Night Scores!

2009-01-27T20:28:00.001-05:00

We've got a full slate of games tonight here in the NVL. If you got scores, post 'em here in the comment window!

Take care.

Poll Results!

2009-01-27T20:26:00.001-05:00

Every week or so I will posting a poll in the right-hand margin for our NVL girls basketball fans to voice their opinions on various topics. This week the question was... Who will win the Naugatuck Valley League girls basketball championship?

And the results...

Torrington Red Raiders - 12 votes (85%)

Kennedy Eagles - 1 vote (7%)

Wolcott Eagles - 1 vote (7%)

I'm looking to put a new poll up in the next few days, so if anyone has any ideas, please comment on this post.

Take care.

BH

Friday Recap, Preview for Upcoming Week!

2009-01-25T10:46:00.000-05:00

A very quiet night in the NVL on Friday night. All games were divisional games, with almost all of them being blowouts. Let's recap.

Wilby killed Seymour 52-14. Seymour is really down this season. And, again, Christine Cretella scored basically all of Seymour's points, scoring 10 in this one. Last week against Sacred Heart, she scored 30 of their 44 points. As noted by Wolcott Fan though, the 'Cats are a very young team and have a bright future, all of which is centered around freshman center Christine Cretella. Wilby is an extremely dangerous team this season. The addition of Naya Dorkins have really put them over the top this season.

Torrington put a beating on Sacred Heart, 74-37. The Hearts just do not have an answer for Cerruto and Royals, but then again, not many teams do. Hearts continue to struggle scoring many points. Shardae Brown is really carrying a heavy load.

Kennedy beat Naugatuck 53-35. Naugatuck have Kennedy a scare in the 1st quarter, jumping out to the early lead, but Kennedy blew it open with a big 2nd quarter. Eagles just continue to roll while the 'Hounds are trying to find more scoring options besides Jess Webber and Julie Longo.

Holy Cross held off Woodland, 44-30. This was probably the best game of the night right here. Holy Cross has been challenged these past two weeks by Watertown and Woodland, but have been able to hang on. To be honest, this is not your traditional 11-2 team and I think they are very beatable, but they continue to find a way to win. I'm sure Wolcott wishes they had another shot at HC in the regular season...

Speaking of Wolcott, they topped Crosby pretty easily, 74-41. Crosby is a much-improved team this season, picking up there first win in 4 seasons earlier against Seymour, but Wolcott just has so many scoring options with Carly Murphy, Jen Catone, Chrissy Benson, and Ali McDonald. Look for Wolcott to go on a tear in the next 2 weeks before a big matchup against Kennedy.

And finally, Watertown held off Ansonia 47-41. This was also a pretty good game. Even though Ansonia is only a 2-win team, I think they really are a lot better than that and might be missing one piece to the puzzle. Watertown continues to win, and are still atop the Brass Division at 6-0 and 8-5 overall.

And, now, on to next week.....

Tues. 1/27

Wilby at Holy Cross - Wilby is a really good team. Myriah Petty, Naya Dorkins, and Kristian Parker are all all-league caliber players. Before the addition of Dorkins, Wilby's new leading scorer, Wilby only lost to HC by 11 in their first meeting. I'm going to go with Wilby in the upset at the Pit, 52-47. Should be a good one.

Seymour at Torrington - Not much to say here at all. Seymour just has no answer for Cerruto and Royals. Seymour's top player Cretella should get some easy ones down low against a somewhat thin Raiders inside presence. But, Torrington wins easy 69-28.

Crosby at Sacred Heart - Crosby is a much improved team, but SH is really struggling to find offensive options besides their top two in Shardae Brown and Jen Massicotte. The loss of freshman Jenna Lorusso to injury has really hurt them. But, I think the Hearts will hold on at Alumni Hall, 48-34.

Wolcott at Woodland - A pretty good game here. Wolcott won the 1st meeting, 65-59. For Woodland to win this one, Heather Framski is going to have to come up real big for the Hawks. I think Murphy and McDonald have huge games, and Wolcott wins comfortably 53-42.

Ansonia at Naugatuck - As I said before, Ansonia is a much better team than there record indicates. They have some good players in Kristin Mooney, Nicole Kachoulas, and Meg Jones. Naugatuck has had the same problem that SH has had this season... Jess Webber, Julie Longo and then lots of question marks. I'm going to say Ansonia pulls it off in upset fashion, 43-40 in a good one at t he Borough.

Wed. 1/28

Kennedy at Watertown - This game here I think has the potential to be a barn-burner at the Cook Gym. Even though Kennedy won the first meeting easily 60-29, Watertown is really a much improved and much more confident after going on a string of wins, with two bigs one over Wolcott and Wilby. Don't get me wrong, everything will need to right for the Indians to throw off the high-octane Eagles, but they have the ability to do so. But... I think Kennedy hangs on 57-46.

So, overall a pretty good week coming up in NVL girls basketball, and this is only for Tuesday and Wednesday. A preview of Friday's game should follow on Thursday. I recommend Wilby-HC, Wolcott-Woodland, or Kennedy-Watertown.

Take care.

BH

January 20 Recap

2009-01-21T15:04:00.000-05:00

Last night in NVL girls' basketball, we saw three makeup games in the Greater Waterbury area.

Torrington rolled over Ansonia 73-47 in a game that really was not expected to be all that close. As noted before, Ansonia is way down after last season's 13-win, Brass Division championship season. Torrington obviously one of, if not the best, team's in the NVL at 12-0.

Sacred Heart turned the tables on Seymour last night 51-26. After losing to Seymour on Friday night 44-38, the Hearts came back strong and beat a team that they on paper are much more talented than. The Hearts were able to contain Seymour freshman center Christine Cratella in the low double-digits.

And finally, Naugatuck pulls a somewhat upset win over now 7-5 Wolcott, 39-36. Wolcott was clearly the favorite in this game, with Naugatuck having a uncharacteristicly sluggish season to date. Wolcott led for most of the game, and probably should have won, but let it go in the final minutes of the game.

Tonight, Watertown and Wilby square off in another Brass Division showdown at the Reggie O'Brien Gymnasium. Watertown comes into the game atop the Brass Division with a 4-0 record, and Wilby is 3-1 in the division. This should be a really good game, but I think Watertown has the edge of Wilby. Looking forward to it.

Take care.

Upcoming Schedule

2009-01-18T07:26:00.000-05:00

I cannot believe that we have passed the halfway point in the NVL girls' basketball season. How fast time flies!

As we move into the 2nd half of the season, we have our scheduled week off of games for the NVL teams due to midterms. However, we do have a few games on tap for this coming week.

Tuesday, 1/20

Ansonia at Torrington, 5:45 pm: After finishing 13-7 last season and winning the Brass Division, the Lady Chargers have really struggled this season. They have been led this season by guard Kristen Mooney and center Megan Jones. Those two players have really been what has made Ansonia go this season. Other than them, they have had a really hard time finding points elsewhere. Torrington comes into this one as the last unbeaten team in the NVL. The Red Raiders are led by Sarah Royals and Kaylee Cerruto who combine for one of the best backcourt duo's in the NVL. In the end, I don't think this will be much of a game. Their is just to much Torrington for Ansonia to handle. Torrington wins bigs, 67-32.

Wolcott at Naugatuck: It is pretty clear now, halfway through the season, that Wolcott is probably the 4th or 5th best team in the NVL, possibly even the 3rd best. This is a very very good Wolcott team. They've got a great nucleus of players in Carly Murphy, one of the league's best, Chrissie Benson, Ali McDonald, and more. Wolcott is off to a great start this season and have really built on last season's success. On Naugatuck's end, I think they are in for a long season. Naugatuck's main problem is very similar to Ansonia's. They have good one-two punch in Jess Webber and Julie Longo, and then they have problems scoring. When one of them has an off night, they are in trouble. If Debbie DaSilva and others can step up and produce more offensively for the 'Hounds, they could win 7-9 games this year. Otherwise, I'm not so sure they make states. In this game, I like Wolcott a lot. Wolcott wins 53-39.

Seymour at Sacred Heart: Sacred Heart comes into this game coming off a 44-38 loss to previously winless Seymour. This game is a make-up game for these two teams from earlier in the season. Seymour is having another tough year, but I think the future is bright for the 'Cats. Freshman center Christina Cretella is dominant in the post, most recently scoring 30 points against the Hearts. Her future is very bright, and with a better supporting cast, Seymour can be good. Led by Shardae Brown and Jen Massicotte, the Hearts have been slipping lately after getting off to a good start. I think the Hearts bounce back strong on Tuesday and get the win over Seymour, 49-33.

Wednesday, 1/21

Watertown at Wilby: This will be a matchup of two really good teams. Watertown comes in atop the Brass Division after beating Wolcott in an OT thriller, 54-49, and Wilby comes in rding a 4-game winning streak. This season Wilby has really been blessed with the additions of transfers. The biggest being Naya Dorkins from Holy Cross who has already began to produce with huge numbers. Wilby is a big team with very quick guards in Myriah Petty and Adrianna Mojica. Watertown is led by seniors Kelly Blake and Hannah Collier but also have a good supporting cast in Sambina Farese, freshman Jess Spezzano and Maggie Collier. This could very well be another barn-burner in the Brass Division. I'm going to take Watertown though, 48-42, due to their good depth off the bench, and Wilby's lack there of.

Overall, some decent games in the NVL this coming week, with the highlight being Watertown-Wilby.

I have updated the standings in lower right hand corner and I have also added a poll to the website. Be sure to vote and voice your opinion!

Take care.

BH

Wilby-Woodland LIVE!

2009-01-08T18:25:00.000-05:00

WRHS Media continues its coverage of this basketball season with another girls' basketball broadcast. The girls take on Wilby on Thursday, January 8, at 7:00 PM to try to move to 5-3 on the season.

Join WRHS Media for the live broadcast of the game Thursday night right here on WRHSonline.net. Watch live by clicking here at game time.

Of course, WRHSonline.net will broadcast all 20 home games, both boys and girls, to you live. You can watch any of the games at any time by clicking here as well. (Courtesy of WRHSOnline.net)

I will be tracking this game throughout the night, so be sure to check the NVL Girls Hoops Blog for a postgame wrapup, stats, and opinion!

BH

Welcome Back!

2009-01-07T10:09:00.000-05:00

During the entire NVL Girls' Basketball season last year, myself and Steve Fainer kept fans from around the league updated on the latest news, scores, states, standings, and much more right here on the NVL Girls Hoops Blog.

Before the season began I decided that I wouldn't continue writing on the blog. However, as I was surfing the 'net this morning, I decided I'd take a quick look at the blog to see if anyone had commented on the blog. To my surprise, a few people were asking: Where's the bloggers?

At that moment, I decided to get the blog going again, and hopefully get some lively discussion during the final 3 months of the best NVL Girls Basketball season in a long time.

With about 8 games in the books this season, Kennedy and Torrington appear to be the top 2 in the NVL this season (setting up a showdown on Friday night), with Holy Cross right behind them, despite Kennedy ending the Holy Cross 86-game NVL win streak. Wolcott, Watertown, Sacred Heart, and Woodland round out the top teams in the league, all of whom have gotten out to a 4-win start.

As I stated before, this season is going to be one of the best in the NVL as we head down the stretch. I am really looking forward to blogging the remainder of the season, and I hope that everyone will keep the blog going by commenting and discussing NVL Girls Hoops.

I have updated the Scores section (located in the top right-hand corner) with Thurs. night games. I have also updated the Copper and Brass Division Standings (located in the bottom right-hand corner), with up-to-date rankings. Please, if you notice any mistakes that I have made, please let me know. Thank you.

BH

Holy Cross Streak Ends in Quarterfinals

2008-03-01T22:19:00.000-05:00

Holy Cross lost tonight to Westhill of Stamford 54-51, ending their 50 game winning streak. Congrats to the Crusaders on another great season, 24-1.

NVL Players in the College Ranks

2008-02-22T08:35:00.000-05:00

With not much action coming for a few days, I thought this might be a good time to highlight some NVL grads now playing in the college ranks.

Christine Card is a sophomore at Trinity College of Hartford. The Holy Cross grad is averaging 8.7 points and 6.2 rebounds as the starting pivot for the Bantams, which are 10-13.

Another Holy Cross product, freshman Kelly McKeon, is the starting point game for Muhlenberg College in PA. She recently set the record for assists by a freshman at the school with 94. The Mules are 19-5 and leading their conference.

Kim Clements, another member of last year's Holy Cross state champions, has overcome some early-season injuries to make an impact for the University at Albany, a Division I school. She has been getting a lot of playing time off the bench for the hot Great Danes.

I will be posting some more later. If you have any news on NVL alums, post it here.

NVL Teams in "The Big Dance"

2008-02-22T07:53:00.001-05:00

The state tournament begins tomorrow and I will be taking a look at the teams and their first round opponents.

Class LL

Holy Cross(20-0) will be meeting the winner of the Shelton(9-11) vs. Naugatuck(9-11) playdown. Shelton plays in the very tough SCC and holds some good wins. Naugatuck has lost three straight coming into the tourney. I look for Shelton to pull out the home win and meet the Crusaders next week.

Class L

Torrington(16-4) vs. Platt of Meriden(9-11): The Red Raiders have been playing well and come into the Class L tournament well-positioned for a good run. Platt plays in a tough conference as well but have lost three of four coming into the tourney. This could be a low-scoring game but I believe Torrington comes out on top.

Sacred Heart(14-6) vs. Fitch of Groton(12-8): Sacred Heart has stumbled a bit lately and Fitch is hot with 7 of 9 wins to close out the season. I pick Fitch in a mild upset.

Kennedy(13-7) vs. East Lyme(13-7): East Lyme also comes from the ECC which is very good in girls hoops. Hate to say it but I think EL wins this one too.

Class M

Ansonia(13-7) vs. Wolcott(10-10): An all-NVL matchup which the teams split in the regular season. I give Ansonia a slight edge with the home court advantage.

Woodland(12-8) vs. Berlin(12-8): I like the Hawks at home in this one against a so-so Redcoats team. Sam Lacroce has to come up big here.

Overall I don't think this group of NVL teams is that strong relative to the rest of the state. Holy Cross will have a tough time repeating their state championship having been moved up to a brutal Class LL field. Their bracket is fairly favorable but I don't see them going much beyond the quarterfinals. I see the lack of a big scorer as their major problem. They are going to have to win on defense.

Thanks

2008-02-21T21:26:00.000-05:00

I want to thank everyone for a fun year on the blog. It was great reading and commenting of what was going on in the NVL girls world. Good luck to the NVL teams in the state and we will see what happens with theb new format.

Holy Cross = NVL Champion

2008-02-20T20:18:00.000-05:00

Well, Torrington gave it a valiant effort, and led for most of the game, and even into the 4th quarter, I think. So, Holy Cross wins there 4th straight NVL Championship with a 57-44 win, and in this case, I guess the better team did win.

Now, we move onto the all important prize, the State Tournament. Coming up, either Steve or myself, will post the teams that the NVL teams will be playin in the 1st round of play.

BH

Round Two

2008-02-18T15:30:00.000-05:00

Tonight at Kennedy High School, Sacred Heart will take on Torrington at 5 p.m. and Kennedy will take on the top-ranked Holy Cross at 7 p.m. These games make up the second round, or semifinals, of the NVL Tournament.

I think Sacred Heart will repeat there performance from earlier in the season against Torrington, which they won at Alumni Hall 56-48. Sacred Heart has been really lately, and will win tonight. Shardae Brown will have a big game for the Hearts. Torrington is weak inside and Brown will thrive.

I think HC will defeat Kennedy easily. Kennedy is a good team when they play the second-tier teams in the NVL, otherwise they don't play so well. They just do not have the depth to beat a team like HC.

So, I am going to say a battle of the parochial schools, the Holy War, if you will, Sacred Heart vs. Holy Cross, Wednesday at Kennedy.

Post scores and recaps of tonights games here.

BH

Round One Recap

2008-02-17T10:00:00.001-05:00

Here is a recap of yesterday's NVL Tournament games:

Sacred Heart 45, Woodland 34: Onyesonam Nolisa had 15 points, nine rebounds and four steals to lead No. 3 Sacred Heart to a 45-34 victory over No. 6 Woodland in the first round of the NVL girls basketball tournament on Saturday at Holy Cross. Jennifer Massicotte added 11 points and three steals for the Hearts (15-6), who meet No. 2 Torrington Monday at 5 p.m. in the semifinals at Kennedy.Nolisa and Massicotte combined on 11 of the 18 third-quarter points for the Hearts, who took a 40-30 edge. For game photos, click here

Kennedy 44, Ansonia 41: Amber Alberto scored 14 points to lead the No. 4 Eagles over the fifth-seeded Chargers in NVL tournament action at Holy Cross.Kasiana Goodman added 11 points for Kennedy (14-7), which meets top-seeded Holy Cross Monday at 7 p.m. in the semifinals at Kennedy. Christiana Kachoulas scored a team-high eight points for the Chargers (13-8). Megan Jones pulled down 10 rebounds and Kristin Mooney grabbed nine. For game photos, click here

See you Monday!

BH

NVL Tournament - 1st Round Scores

2008-02-16T16:19:00.000-05:00

1st Round in the NVL Tournament was held today at Holy Cross. At 1 p.m. #4 Ansonia took on #5 Kennedy and at 3 p.m. #3 Sacred Heart played host to #6 Woodland. Overall, I'd say these were too very competitive games. I decided not to go in the end, although I'm regreting it now!

Post the scores here.

BH

NVL Tournament

2008-02-15T09:27:00.000-05:00

The NVL Tournament schedule has been announced by the league, and looking at the matchups, it promises to be a good one.

The 1st round will be held on Saturday at Holy Cross. At 1pm Kennedy will play Ansonia and at 3pm Sacred Heart will play Woodland. If you ask me, those are very good matchups of the second-tier teams in the league. I especially like the Ansonia-Kennedy matchup, as I have all year.

The semifinals will take place on Monday and Kennedy High School. At 5pm second-seeded Torrington will play the Sacred Heart/Woodland winner, and at 7pm Holy Cross will play the Ansonia/Kennedy winner. Now, I know the Kennedy-HC games where not close, but if Ansonia beats Kennedy, keep in mind that HC only beat Ansonia by 12 in there last meeting.

The finals will be held on Wednesday at Kennedy High School.

Some interesting matchups in the 1st round and some possible matchups that are intriquing. Looks like it will be an exciting tournament.

BH

Recap

2008-02-15T09:04:00.000-05:00

On the final night of the season for these teams, it surely was an exciting one. As you know, HC prevailed once again with a 58-53 win over Torrington, this caps off another perfect regular season. Man, I always pick Torrington to win, and the never do. At Alumni Hall, the Hearts thumped the Kennedy Eagles 51-40, rumor has it that Amber Alberto did not play due to illness. Hopefully she is better for the tourney this weekend, they will need her. Woodland also defeated Naugy last night, 41-32. With the win, the Hawks move to 13-7 overall on the season.

In the Brass Division, Ansonia clinched with a surprisingly close, 51-49 win over Seymour. With Ansonia down by 1, Ky Keyes made stole the ball, made the layup, and sank the free throw for the win. Close one there for the Chargers, good thing they didn't lose that one. A tough ending to a tough season for the 'Cats. Finally, Wilby defeated Crosby, 57-22. Crosby finishes another ofer season in the NVL. This was the year I called the win, and I didn't happen. Next year, trust me.
Also in the Brass Division, Wolcott will host Watertown tonight.

So, now we look to the NVL Tourney which begins Saturday, at 12pm at HC. I tried to start figuring out the matchups, however; there is a log-jam with the 4-6 seeds between Ansonia, Woodland, and Kennedy. All of those teams finished 13-7. When I figure out the tiebreaker routine, I will post it here.

BH

Thursdays Schedule/Score

2008-02-14T16:45:00.000-05:00

In the NVL tonight some of the top teams face off in the final week of the regular season. All of these games were postponed Tuesday, and where then postponed on Wednesday as well.

In the biggest game of the night, Holy Cross travels to Torrington to take on the Red Raiders. Many find this game meaningless, as HC has already wrapped up the Copper Division, however; it is still a big game, and still the best matchup in the season. Barring a major upset in the NVL Tourney this week, this could be a primer for the NVL Tourney Championship game.

The Kennedy Eagles also travel to Alumni Hall to take on the Hearts, in what appears as though it will be a close game. The last time these two teams met, the Hearts took it in a close one.

The Woodland Hawks head down to Naugatuck tonight to challenge the last-place Greyhounds in a game that will also be close. Last time these teams met, Woodland pulled away in the 4th quarter in a high-scoring game.

In the valley tonight, the Seymour Wildcats will play host to the Ansonia Chargers. Now, you are wondering why this qualifies as a big game, however; it is for the Chargers. With a win, Ansonia can lock up the Brass Division title over Wolcott. If the Chargers lose, they will be hoping for Watertown to beat Wolcott tomorrow night.

Overall, a very good season ending night in the NVL. Tomorrow I'll be back with recap of tonights game, and a preview of the NVL Tourney which begins Saturday at Holy Cross.

BH

Fridays Recap

2008-02-09T09:17:00.000-05:00

Here is a recap of Friday nights action. I also have put my take on the game.

Woodland 55, Sacred Heart 53: Sam LaCroce scored 10 of her game-high 27 points in the first quarter, and reached the 1,000 career-point mark to lead host Woodland over Sacred Heart, 55-53, Friday in the NVL. The win qualified the Hawks (11-8) for the NVL tournament.LaCroce finished with a double-double, adding 12 rebounds and a pair of blocks. Katie Alfiere contributed 10 points for Woodland (11-8), winners of four straight.Onyesonam Nolisa led the Hearts (13-6) with 18 points and Devin Davis had 16. My Take: This is a big win for the Hawks, who now move into 4th in the Copper Division, passing Kennedy. Early on, as Woodland was falling fast in the Copper Division, it did not look like they would make the NVL's, but they did. Congrats to the Lady Hawks and Coach Gaily Strumpf.

Watertown 54, Crosby 19: Kelly Blake and Hannah Collier tallied 16 points each and Sabrina Sinopoli added 11 for the Indians (6-13). Senior Jenna Blazys played a solid game, contributing four rebounds, four steals and two points.Crosby's (0-19) Tyra Brooks led the team with nine points. My Take: Good win the Indians, who will either come one or two games away from states. Watertown started the year 0-5, and now they are 6-13, that is pretty good. Crosby still hasn't won yet, they play Wilby on Tuesday, I'm calling the win for Crosby!

Torrington 55, Kennedy 40: Kaylee Cerruto scored a team-high 16 points to lead the Raiders in the NVL. Michelle Royals added 15 points and Erika Murphy had 12 for Torrington (16-3).Amber Alberto scored a game-high 20 points for Kennedy (13-6). My Take: Good win for the Raiders, who have wrapped up 2nd place in the Copper Division. Kennedy falls to 4th place in the Copper Division, behind Woodland. The Eagles have had a tough go of it lately in the Copper Division, and have failed to beat the top teams, I think it has something to do with the bench depth.

Ansonia 49, Wilby 26: Ansonia's four seniors, Christiana Kachoulas, Jessi Mengold, Brittany Shortell and Ky Ketes, led the host Chargers (12-7) in the NVL.Keys had a game-high 13 points, six rebounds and three steals; Mengold had nine points, four assists and five steals; Shortell had six points, six rebounds and four blocks; and Kachoulas had eight assists and four steals.Danielle Irvin and Adrianna Mojica had nine points apiece for the Wildcats (2-17). My Take: Nice win for the Chargers, who now move into a tie with one game left in the season with the Wolcott Eagles. The Chargers play Seymour on Tuesday, which appears as though it will be another win. All eyes will be on Wolcott.

Wolcott 64, Seymour 47: Carly Murphy scored 21 points to lead the visiting Eagles in NVL play.Jen Catone scored 15 points and Marissa Briere scored 10 points for Wolcott (9-10).Joanna Schuttler scored 16 points while Jess Biercevicz added 10 points for Seymour (4-15). My Take: Wolcott scores a big win here over the 'Cats. They are now tied with the Chargers for 1st in the Brass. The Eagles host Watertown on Tuesday, and Watertown will be looking to play spoiler. In there last meeting, the Eagles defeated Watertown, 42-33.

Holy Cross 64, Naugatuck 35: The Crusaders wrapped up the Copper Divison last night with a 64-35 win over the Greyhounds of Naugatuck. Katie Ciarleglio scored 11 points for the Crusaders. My Take: HC once again with the league and will go into the NVL tournament with the #1 seed. They better not look to far ahead though, they have Torrington looking for a big win on Tuesday.

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Thats a wrap! See you Tuesday!

BH

Fridays Scores

2008-02-08T18:40:00.000-05:00

In the NVL tonight, some big divisional games will be played. Naugatuck travels to Oronoke Road to take on the Crusaders, in a game which could be interesting. The last time these two teams met, HC escaped the Borough with a 68-57 win. The Red Raiders will travel to Kennedy tonight to take on the Eagles. Earlier in the season when these two teams met, we expected a close game, but the Lady Raiders won 74-44. However, look for a close one tonight on Highland Avenue.

Woodland will play host to the SH Hearts tonight, in a game that will impact the Copper Division. At Alumni Hall, the Hearts defeated the Hawks, 45-29.

In the Brass Division, Ansonia and Wolcott are tied with a division record of 7-1, and tonight the Chargers take on Wilby, and the Eagles play Seymour. It looks like we will have a tie for the division lead going into the final game of the season.

Stay tuned.

BH

NVL Update

2008-02-06T19:10:00.000-05:00

With only 2 games left in the NVL girls schedule, things are heating up. Last night, the Chargers from Ansonia defeated the Wolcott Eagles, 44-32. With the win, Ansonia moves into a tie with Wolcott for first place in the Brass Division. Both teams are 7-1 in the division, and it will be interesting to see how the final 2 games play out. The Watertown Indians will look to play spoiler for the Eagles next Tuesday when they travel to Wolcott.

In the Copper Division, Woodland picked up a big win over Kennedy by a score of 54-47. With the win, the Hawks move to 2-6 in the division and 10-8 overall. More importantly, it drops Kennedy to 3-5 in the league. Depending on how the final games play out, Woodland could take 4th place in the Copper.

Tonight, the Crusaders travel to Sacred Heart to take on the Hearts. On paper, you would think that the Crusaders will run all over the Hearts, but I think it will be closer than expected. The Red Raiders of Torrington are paying close attention to this game, as it could have a big play in where they finish in the Copper.

Got that? I hope so. Unfourtunately, it will only get closer than it already is.

BH

Game Changes

2008-02-01T15:02:00.000-05:00

Many schools in the NVL, mostly Waterbury, cancelled school today due to the ice storm. You know the rule, no school, no games. The following game have been postponed and rescheduled:

Wilby at Torrington - Tomorrow at 6:00
Crosby at Woodland - Tomorrow at 11:30
Kennedy at Ansonia - Tomorrow at 3:00
Wolcott at Sacred Heart - Tomorrow at 3:00
Seymour at Holy Cross - Tomorrow at 7:00

Classes were held today in Naugatuck and Watertown, and neither school system let kids out early, therfore; the Naugatuck-Watertown game is on tonight.

BH

Tuesdays Scores

2008-01-29T16:11:00.000-05:00

Overall, a boring night tonight in the NVL. Kennedy-Wolcott and Holy Cross-Ansonia highlight the schedule. Even those games could easily become blowouts.

I think tonight is a night to check out a boys game!

Post all scores here.

BH

Fridays Scores

2008-01-25T15:06:00.000-05:00

With mid-terms all over, the NVL girls basketball teams will get back to the hardwood and focus on basketball games again. Tonight, Kennedy and Holy Cross square off in a big game in the Copper Division. Other big games in the NVL are Woodland-Torrington and Sacred Heart-Naugatuck. Post all scores here.

Tomorrow I will be posting my take on each team in the NVL, be sure to check that out.

BH

Sacred Heart-Watertown: Game of the Night

2008-01-22T15:06:00.000-05:00

You see the headline "Sacred Heart-Watertown: Game of the Night", and you think to yourself, is that guy feeling okay? Well, I'm just fine. Anyways, tonight is an off night in the NVL for all but two girls and boys teams. Tonight, the Hearts travel to Watertown to take on the Indians, in what shouldn't be much of a game.

I'm going to try my best to get to this game, but there are no gurantees.

BH

Fridays Scores

2008-01-18T21:12:00.000-05:00

Sorry for being a bit late on this - I didn't get around to it earlier, and I just got back from a boys game myself.

Ansonia beat Naugatuck 60-55 tonight in NVL girls action. Obviously, a good game in the valley.

Post all scores here.

Tuesdays Scores

2008-01-15T15:38:00.000-05:00

Some decent games in the NVL tonight, with Holy Cross-Woodland, Torrington-Sacred Heart, and Naugatuck-Kennedy facing off in big Copper Division matchups. In the Brass Division, Ansonia-Watertown is a big game which could decided first and second place in the Brass.

Post all scores here.

BH

Fridays Scores

2008-01-11T15:18:00.001-05:00

Some good games are on tap tonight in the NVL. I see Wolcott-Naugatuck and Ansonia-Torrington as the top games tonight. The rest look to be blowouts.

Just as the NVL girls season began to heat up with big games nightly, the road back down begins tonight. We knows have the same games as earlier in the season - just a switch of home and away. So sit back and relax now, but don't worry, excitment in the NVL will be back again soon.

Post all scores here.

BH

Tuesdays Scores

2008-01-08T18:56:00.000-05:00

Some good games are on tap for tonight. Torrington-HC, SH-Kennedy, and Naugatuck-Woodland are all good games in the NVL.

Post all scores here.

BH

Fridays Scores

2008-01-04T21:21:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the delay in getting this post up, I didn't get around to it.

Torrington 73 Kennedy 49...I have to say, I am shocked by this final. I expected this to be a close game. Kennedy really laid an egg here, tough loss.

Post em all here.

BH

Wednesdays Scores

2008-01-02T20:32:00.000-05:00

Kennedy 65 Woodland 58 - Appears as though it was a good one!

Post all scores here.

BH

Wednesday Preview

2008-01-01T11:41:00.000-05:00

First off, I'd like to wish everyone a Happy New Year! Hopefully the new year will bring some exc iting times in NVL girls hoops. We kick it off tonight with some interesting games. Let's break it down!

Sacred Heart at Holy Cross - Ah, the old Holy War. I remember a few years ago this was always the "big" game, almost like the only team that could beat Holy Cross. Last year that all changed as the Hearts took a big step back. Now, this year they are back and better than ever - but I think there is just to too much HC right now. The Hearts are a very young team and it will be tough for them to beat a team like HC. Crusaders win 69-38.

Naugatuck at Torrington - This is also a pretty good matchup. The 'Hounds have recently struggled, but their win on Saturday against Watertown was big for them. As you know, I'm not too sold on the Greyhounds as of yet, and a win here would help for them. The Raiders a big are beginning to gel together and have been playing better as of late. Too much Torrington here - Michelle Royals has a big game. Raiders win 54-43.

Woodland at Kennedy - I think this is a really good game, these two teams matchup every well with eachother. This game will be close throughout - pretty much a see-saw game. Kasiana Goodman (who I really like) has the tall task of stopping Sam LaCroce, which is Goodman stays out of foul trouble, she sould be able to contain (not stop) her. Alberto will have a big game for the Eagles - and the supporting cast will do their job. Eagles win 57-53.

Crosby at Seymour - This is a boring matchup of two teams who are pretty much out of contention and in the celler of the Brass Division. Not much to say here. 'Cats win 40-29.

Ansonia at Wolcott - On paper, this doesn't seem like much of a matchup, however; I think this could turn out to be a pretty good game. Wolcott's record does not say anything about what kind of team they are. They have a very good young team and are much improved from last season. I don't think we will see an upset here, but we will see a closer than expected game. Chargers win 47-35.

Wilby at Watertown (5:30) - This is the opening game of a girls-boys Wilby/Watertown game at the Cook Gym, which the teams do almost every year. Watertown's next three games are against Wilby, Crosby, and Wolcott - which could result in the Indians getting back into things. I think Watertown will win the game comfortably with a score of 48-31. Hannah Collier has a big game for the Indians.

Overall, it is a pretty good night in the NVL with Woodland-Kennedy and Naugatuck-Torrington being the games to see on Wednesday.

BH

Happy New Year

2008-01-01T00:05:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year to everyone...stay healthy and play with your hearts!!!

Friday and Saturday Scores

2007-12-28T11:27:00.000-05:00

Since there are only two games tonight, I will just make one score post for the next two nights. Post 'em all here.

BH

Thursday Wrapup/Friday Preview

2007-12-28T08:28:00.000-05:00

Thursday turned out to be a great night in the NVL with two games going right down to the buzzer. I'll give you a recap here and then give my take on each game. Enjoy!

Ansonia 57 Crosby 36 - Kristin Mooney scored a game-high 18 points, grabbed six rebounds and had four steals for the host Chargers.Brittany Shortell scored 10 points and added eight rebounds while Megan Jones and Jessi Mengold scored 10 and nine points, respectively, for Ansonia (5-2). Tyra Brooks scored 15 points for Crosby (0-7).
My Take - This game ended up being closer than expected, obviously, Ansonia didn't play as well as they could, otherwise, the 'Dogs wouldn't have cracked 30.

Torrington 52 Woodland 47 - Michelle Royals scored a team-high 19 points, and Erika Murphy added 16 to lead the visiting Raiders in the NVL.The Raiders improved to 5-1.Sam LaCroce led the Hawks (4-2) with a game-high 21 points. Heather Framski added eight.
My Take - As expected, this was going to be a very close game, however; I did not expect the Raiders to win. The Raiders have no height inside, and obviously, the Hawks did not go to Sam LaCroce enough, otherwise, they would have won.

Sacred Heart 47 Naugatuck 44 (OT) - Maisie Sanchez sank four of six free throws in overtime to lift host Sacred Heart over Naugatuck, 47-44, Thursday in the Naugatuck Valley League.
The Hearts forced overtime when Onyesonam Nolisa stole the ball and scored with 22 seconds remaining in regulation to tie the score at 41-41.The Hearts scored all six of their points in the overtime period from the foul line.Shardae Brown had 14 points, 14 rebounds, six blocks and six steals mfor Sacred Heart (4-2). Sanchez finished with 11 points and Nolisa seven.Marybeth Willis and Jessica Webber each had 16 points to lead Naugatuck (4-3).
My Take - Theres always that game that you wish you went too - this was that game. A good right until the end right here. I am not shocked that Sacred Heart won, they have many freshmen but they are the real deal. The 'Hounds better beat Watertown tonight, otherwise they are in big trouble.

Watertown 54 Seymour 35 - Hannah Collier scored 18 points to lead the Indians to the NVL win over Seymour at Seymour High School.Jen Barber scored 12 points while Aileen Lamontagne added 10 for Watertown (1-5).Amber Martinez scored 12 points while Ashley Bartone added eight for Seymour (1-6).
My Take - A good win for the Indians, as they attempt to rebound from an 0-5 start. I truly did the expect the Indians to run all over the 'Cats this good. I guess the 'Cats really aren't that good.

Wolcott 75 Wilby 39 - Carly Murphy had a double-double with 29 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Eagles. Chrissy Benson added 13 points and seven steals, and Jen Catone had 14 points and seven boards for Wolcott (2-5), which jumped out to a 24-4 lead in the first quarter and never trailed.Kristian Parker and Danielle Ervin scored 13 and 11 points, respectively, for Wilby (1-6).
My Take - Yes, folks, you read that right. Wolcott scored 75 points. I am utterly shocked that the Eagles put up 75, even if it was against Wilby. I will tell you that Carly Murphy is the real deal, watch out for her. I am also happy to admit that I was wrong about the Eagles, after almost defeating NVL power Woodland, they are obviously not "a few years away" as I had said in the preseason.

*Overall, it was a good night to be in an NVL girls gym*

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Now we move to Friday's game in the NVL, here they are:

Woodland at Crosby (Generali School)
Naugatuck at Watertown

All games are at 7 oclock.

I will make a post later in the day for scores.

BH

Weekend Preview

2007-12-25T22:27:00.000-05:00

After the short Christmas break, the NVL season resumes with a weekend full of games to see. Here I am going to breakdown the whole weekend slate of games. Enjoy!

Thursday:

Crosby at Ansonia - Ansonia is the team in the NVL that you don't hear much about until you read the box scores. The Chargers have a very good team and look to continue their recent success (wins against Torrington and Naugatuck). Crosby is (while improved), well, Crosby. Ansonia 54-22.

Holy Cross at Kennedy - Holy Cross, as always, has been dominating there opponents and don't appear to stop any time soon, at least this season. Kennedy is a great team with a lot of talent, one of there strenghts is depth, they go pretty deep. No cigar for the Eagles this time though, HC wins 53-37.

Torrington at Woodland - This is a pretty interesting matchup of two Copper Division teams. Torrington has come back strong from there OT loss to Ansonia. Woodland is a very strong team who will continue to roll throughout the season. I believe that they are better than people think, they will surprise. I'm going to take Woodland in a close one, 49-44. Look for Sam LaCroce to feast inside on the Raiders.

Naugatuck at Sacred Heart - This is also a pretty good matchup of divisional teams. The Hearts have some great freshmen, who, as we have said, are ready to make an impact at the Varisty level. Many people are quite high on the Greyhounds, however; I am not too high on them. After Jessica Webber, I don't see anyone making an impact on a consistent basis. I'll take Sacred Heart 51-41.

Watertown at Seymour - Both of these teams are off to a pretty bad start. Seymour has won a game, but Watertown has yet to hit the win column. If Watertown had some big and depth they would be much better. I think that Watertown is a step ahead of the 'Cats right now, Watertown wins 42-35.

Wilby at Wolcott - This is obviously the downer game of the night. This is a case where I am wrong about a team, the Eagles are ready to compete now, while the Wildcats still have some work to do. Wolcott wins 45-33.

*As you can see, Thursday produces are pretty good night of games in the NVL, now lets move on to Friday*

Friday:

Woodland at Crosby - Woodland is just to good for Crosby to handle. A side note here, the Crosby Palace is being shut down over this winter break, therefore; this game will be played at the Generali School. Woodland 62-29.

Naugatuck at Watertown - As I said before, I am yet to be convinced that the 'Hounds are a top-tier NVL team. The Indians lack depth in the middle, and without that, I don't see them making a huge impact on the NVL this year, unlike an Ansonia. I think this will be a fairly close game throughout, with the 'Hounds coming out on top 44-33.

*If you want to see NVL girls hoops this week, check out a game on Friday, lets check out Saturday*

Saturday:

Sacred Heart at Wolcott - Both of these teams are much improved from last season, especially Wolcott. Their top player, Carly Murphy, will have to have a huge game for the Eagles to win this one. In the end, just too much Hearts. BTW - This game will be played at 1 p.m.

Torrington at Wilby - Boring game here, nothing exciting to see, unless your a Raider fan. Torrington wins 69-34. Side note - game will be played at 2:30 p.m.

Ansonia at Kennedy - This will be a game. I repeat, this will be a game. Both of these teams have opened the season very strong. This game will be a good head-check of where both of these teams are at right now. Ansonia wants to know if they are better than some Copper Division teams. I am really on the fence with this one, but I'm going to say Ansonia wins 50-46 - Kristen Mooney, just a sophomore, has a big game. (This game will be played at 3 p.m.

Holy Cross at Seymour - HC will roll all over the 'Cats, like they do all other teams. The 'Cats will need to do some serious soul-searching after this one. HC wins 72-31.

*If you bored on Saturday - check out Ansonia-Kennedy*

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Overall, an NVL gym is the place to be on Thursday night, I would pass on Friday, and please, check out Ansonia-Kennedy on Saturday, it will be good.

Now, since my fingers are bleeding from this typing, I am going to soak my hands in water.

Happy Holidays!

-BH

Friday's Games

2007-12-21T14:00:00.000-05:00

Here is tonights NVL schedule:

Wilby @ Holy Cross
Seymour @ Torrington
Crosby @ Sacred Heart
Ansonia @ Naugatuck
Watertown @ Kennedy

All games at 7:00.

Ansonia/Naugatuck will be a good game of two really good teams, who if there was Holy Cross, would compete for a championship. Other than that: Blah!

Post scores here as well.

BH

Tuesday's Scores

2007-12-19T07:34:00.000-05:00

Kennedy 54, Naugatuck 44:Naugy gave Kennedy a good game; 'Hounds are for real. Eagles will give HC and Torrington fits.

Holy Cross 65, Woodland 34-Crusaders continue to roll.

Torrington 52, Sacred Heart 35-Red Raiders back on track

Wilby 67, Seymour 66 (2 OT)-Wow, quite a game.

Ansonia 59, Watertown 33-Ansonia looking good.

Wolcott 65, Crosby 22-What can I say?

Friday's Games

2007-12-14T15:04:00.000-05:00

Torrington @ Ansonia
Holy Cross @ Watertown
Sacred Heart @ Seymour
Woodland @ Wilby
Naugatuck @ Wolcott
Kennedy @ Crosby

All games are at 7 PM. Post all scores and discussion here.

BH

Tuesday's Games

2007-12-10T20:55:00.000-05:00

Here is the schedule in the NVL for Tuesday's games.

Ansonia @ Holy Cross
Watertown @ Torrington
Wilby @ Sacred Heart
Seymour @ Woodland
Crosby @ Naugatuck
Wolcott @ Kennedy

All games are a 7. Overall, an okay night in the NVL, game of the night is likely Seymour-Woodland.

Use this post for scores as well.

BH

Saturday's Games

2007-12-09T08:42:00.001-05:00

Here is a recap of Saturday's action in the NVL.

Ansonia 43 Woodland 41
Down by a point, Jessi Mengold connected on a 3-point field goal with 40 seconds left in the game to lift the Chargers at the Thomas McQueeney Gymnasium. Kristin Mooney scored a game-high 17 points and added six rebounds for the Chargers (1-1) and Brittany Shortell chipped in with nine points and six blocks.Sam LaCroce had a team-high 13 points and Sam Werner added 12 for the Hawks (1-1).

Naugatuck 49 Seymour 46
Overcoming a 14-point deficit, Jessica Webber scored nine of her game-high 17 points in the fourth quarter to rally the Greyhounds in Seymour.Seymour led 37-24 after three quarters. Naugatuck (2-0 outscored Seymour 25-9 in the fourth quarter. Webber converted 11-of-16 free throws in the game for Naugatuck (2-0) and Marybeth Willis and Heather Ford each scored nine points.Natalie Vasques scored 15 points, including 11 from the foul line, for the Wildcats (0-2).

Kennedy 57 Wilby 15
Amber Alberto scored a game-high 19 points for the Eagles in a NVL game at the Reggie O’Brien Gymnasium.Antonio Stalling chipped in with 10 points for Kennedy (2-0).

I have to say I am quite shocked with the outcome of the Woodland-Ansonia game. After the way Ansonia played versus Sacred Heart, I honestly did not expect them to compete against Woodland much. Naugatuck and Kennedy both off to strong starts at 2-0. Not a good start for Seymour this year, as you know, it will likely be a rough first year for Mike Collins in the valley.

See you on Tuesday!

Saturday's Games

2007-12-08T13:38:00.000-05:00

Today is the makeups of last nights cancellations, here they are:

Woodland @ Ansonia, 2:30
Kennedy @ Wilby, 5:00
Naugatuck @ Seymour, 7:00

Sacred Heart-Watertown makeup date is still TBA. I'll keep you posted.

Use this post for scores as well.

BH

Recap

2007-12-08T09:05:00.000-05:00

With the unexpected storm last night, 4 out of 6 games were cancelled due to inclement weather. However, Holy Cross/Wolcott and Torrington/Crosby did play.

Holy Cross 72 Wolcott 51
Katie Ciarleglio scored a game-high 22 points to lead the visiting Crusaders. Tara Stevenson added 11 points for Holy Cross (2-0), and Amanda Jones chipped in with 10.Carly Murphy scored a team-high 21 points with 12 rebounds for the Eagles (0-2), while Jen Catone chipped in with 13 points. Ally McDonald recorded nine rebounds and seven blocked shots for Wolcott.

Torrington 74 Crosby 21
Michelle Royals poured in 20 points to lead the Red Raiders to the Naugatuck Valley League win over Crosby in Waterbury. Brooke Johnson scored 10 points while Kat Zagrodnik added nine for Torrington (2-0).Ashley Ryan scored 10 points and Kathleen Rush chipped in with five for Crosby (0-2).

The following games have been postponed. Most of them have already been rescheduled, but one of them is TBA.

Kennedy vs. Wilby - Tonight, 5:00
Naugatuck vs. Seymour - Tonight, 7:00
Sacred Heart vs. Watertown - TBA
Woodland vs. Ansonia - Today, 2:30

BH

Friday's Games

2007-12-07T15:10:00.000-05:00

Tonight's schedule is as follows:

Woodland @ Ansonia
Holy Cross @ Wolcott
Torrington @ Crosby
Sacred Heart @ Watertown
Naugatuck @ Seymour
Kennedy @ Wilby

All games are at 7:00.

A decent slate of games tonight, with Naugatuck-Seymour and Woodland-Ansonia the best games. Sacred Heart-Watertown could be good.

Use this post for scores as well.

BH

Wednesday's Scores

2007-12-05T15:04:00.000-05:00

Post any scores or game recaps from tonights games here. Let's get the season started!

BH

Copper Division Preview

2007-12-05T12:34:00.000-05:00

Sorry this is late as I have been busy with work and the football blog not to mention the Valley Times and Bird's Nest.

I promise I will start to focus in on hoops from here on. Anyway, I can't give as detailed a report as Brian but here goes some thoughts.

Holy Cross-Should be the favorite here. The Ciar sisters are back as well as Sara Herlihy, Amanda Caputo, and Tara Stevenson. I heard they had a very good scrimmage against always-tough Mercy of Middletown. I look for them to repeat and once again go deep in the states.

Torrington-They lost some key pieces of the puzzle but should be strong again with Michelle Royals, one of the league's top players back. I see them giving the Crusaders fits as usual.

Kennedy-The Eagles were the surprise team of last year with a 15-5 regular season record. They have most of their top players back including Alberto who can really light it up. I see them making a run at Holy Cross and Torrington if they stay healthy.

Naugatuck-I was surprised that Raz left after all these years...could be a sign of problems but I think Naugy will be decent this year. They have some good young talent in Jess Webber and Julie Longo, two of my former softball players(ha ha)...also Echevarria who can score...should be a plus-500 year for the 'Hounds.

Woodland-You can never write off the Hawks in any sport, especially on the girls' side. Sam LaCroce, one of the top pivots in the league, returns along with speedy guard Mikelyn Messina. Could be a big season for the Woods.

Sacred Heart-Lots of questions and lots of new faces for the Hearts but they are said to be talented if raw. If anybody can mold a winning season it is Ryan Sullivan so don't overlook them.

Summary:The Copper Division is pretty much loaded top to bottom.

Opening Night

2007-12-03T18:56:00.000-05:00

Well, opening night is upon us! Seems like just yesterday we were talking about Holy Cross winning the State Championship. How fast time flys!

Every week I will be making a post which previews each game and gives me predictions. This will be the place to talk about the games before the games actually begin. So basically this is for predictions.

On game night, I will create a Scores post, which obviously, is where you post the scores of the night.

So, here we go with a preview of Wednesday's game!

Ansonia @ Sacred Heart
As you know, Ansonia is going to be very strong this year, and at this point Sacred Heart is a bit of an unknown. I know that they have a few very good freshmen who could make an impact at the Varsity level this year, but what we don't know is how ready they really are. This early in the season, I don't think the freshmen for SH will be quite as ready as they will be. I'm going to give with Ansonia by 10-15 in this one.

Crosby @ Holy Cross
This one is going to be a blowout. Holy Cross will be just as good as always. Crosby will struggle again this year, but could win a game or two. It is nice to see Ryan McDonald back this year. Holy Cross by a lot.

Wilby @ Naugatuck
I don't really know much about Naugatuck this year. Jody Ruccio takes over after Keith Raczkowski resigned about a month ago. I do know that Wilby will struggle again this year, possibly worse than last year. Naugatuck wins it by 20+.

Seymour @ Kennedy
Depending on how ready Seymour actually is, this should be a pretty good game. Kennedy will be a pretty good team again, just like last season. As you know, Seymour lost quite a bit of talent from last years team, and could struggle at times during the beginning of the year. Under new coach Mike Collins, they will have an adjusting period right now, so I see Kennedy taking this one.

Wolcott @ Torrington
Wolcott is still a very young team and I believe that they are still a few years away. Torrington will be good once again and likely will take 2nd in the Copper this year. Torrington in a blowout.

Watertown @ Woodland.
This is the game of the night. Woodland is going to be very good this year. As you recall, Woodland began to really gel at the end of last year and they started playing very well after a rough start. They should be really good. As for Watertown, they return 3 of its best players from last year and they could win the Brass this year. Their only weakness could be height or bench depth. Time will tell. I am going to go with Woodland in this one by less the 10, mainly because of their depth off the bench.

The first night of games in the NVL should be pretty rough. None of the teams got much time to practice after tryouts, so early on, I expect the teams to be less than stellar.

Also, Bob Sagendorf and Steve Gesseck will be broadcasting the Crosby @ Holy Cross game on WATR.

Post any predictions or thoughts on the games in the post.

BH

Here we go!!!

2007-11-27T14:25:00.000-05:00

Now that practices have started for real now, the fun is season is right around the corner. I wanted to take the chance to tell everyone to have a great season and best of luck to all the coaches and players!!!

Brass Division Preview

2007-11-25T17:17:00.000-05:00

As hoops season rolls around the corner, I figured it would be a good idea to give a preview of each division. I really hope to get some discussion going about each division. I will be posting the Brass Division, and Steve will be posting the Copper Division in the coming days. So here it goes..

Ansonia Chargers

Head Coach - Heather Yablonski

Key Returning Players - Christiana Kachoulas (Sr.-G), Jessi Mengold (Sr.-G), Brittany Shortell (Sr.-F), Teresa Rodriquez (Jr.-C)

Summary - After an 8-12 NVL season last year, the Chargers will come back even stronger this year. Led by seniors Christiana Kachoulas, Jessi Mengold, and Brittany Shortell, the Chargers will compete for the Brass Division title. The core of the team has been playing together for 4 years and this year, I believe they will finally come together as a unit for a full season. Watch out NVL!

Prediction - 11-9, 2nd place

Crosby Bulldogs

Head Coach - Ryan McDonald

Key Returning Players - Tyra Brooks (Jr.-F), Breanne Morrison (Jr.-F)

Summary - Crosby loses some decent players, but in all honesty, it doesn't matter. The Bulldogs are years away from winning. However, Tyra Brooks is a player, watch out for here. I am going to go out on a limb here and say that the Bulldogs will beat Wilby this year, you watch.

Prediction - 1-19, 6th place

Seymour Wildcats

Head Coach - Mike Collins

Key Returning Players - ??

Summary - In my opinion, this is going to be a long year for Seymour. They lose an all-star in Heather Lee and other big contributors from the past year in Nicole Dow and Sarah Stevens. As you can see from the key returning players, I don't really know who will lead this team. What I do know is that new head coach Mike Collins will need to pull some big tricks out of his hat to make a winner out of Seymour this year.

Prediction - 7-13, 3rd place

Watertown Indians

Head Coach - Ed Lopes

Key Returning Players - Hannah Collier (Jr.-F), Kelly Blake (Jr.-G), Sambina Farese (Jr.-F)

Summary - In 06-07 the Indians turned the corner and went 8-12 in the NVL season. The Indians return three key players in juniors Hannah Collier, Kelly Blake, and Sambina Farese. The only major loss from last season is Lizz Finneran. Depending on the incoming freshmen class and last years JV squad the only weakness I see in this team could be depth and height. However, I think there big 3, along with others, will bring Watertown HS a Brass Division title!

Prediction - 14-6, 1st place

Wilby Wildcats

Head Coach - Cazzie Iverson

Key Returning Players - Victoria Robinson (Sr.-G)

Summary - Wilby had a really bad season last year, and I think this season will be even worse. The only real player they have on this team is senior Victoria Robinson, and one player cannot be relied on to win games for you. As I said before, I even think they will lose to Crosby this season. A coaching chance, in my opinion, is needed after this season.

Prediction - 2-18, 5th place

Wolcott Eagles

Head Coach - Rick Laferriere

Key Returning Players - Carly Murphy (Jr.-F), Chrissy Benson (Jr.-G)

Summary - Wolcott had a very young team last season and will most likely have a young one this year as well. Last season, 9 out of 19 players on the roster were freshmen, and you just can't win that way, and frankly, your not expected to. Carly Murphy and Chrissy Benson will lead this team, but like Wilby, they do not have enough quality players to win on a consistent basis.

Prediction - 3-17, 4th place

--------------------------------------------------

That pretty much wraps up the Brass Division. Without even looking at the Copper Division that much, you can see that the Brass Division is the weaker division. In my mind, only Watertown and Ansonia could compete with some of the talents in the Copper Division.

Steve will have the Copper Division Preview for you in the coming days, so stay tuned for that. In the meantime, lets discuss the Brass Division in the comment window of this post.

BH

It's Basketball Time!

2007-11-25T09:32:00.000-05:00

Wow, how quickly fall sports season passes. It is now time to turn our attention to NVL Boys and Girls Hoops.

With girls hoops season quickly approaching, Steve and I will be posting our season preview's for each division. I will be posting the Brass and Steve will be posting the Copper. Check back soon for your season preview!

As for boys hoops, tryouts have just began. I also have a boys hoops site at www.freewebs.com/nvlhoops. That website brings a lot of information including a discussion forum. Please visit often!

So as we say goodbye to football season, we say hello to basketball!

BH

Schedules Announced

2007-07-01T08:58:00.000-04:00

Summer Leagues

2007-06-08T15:06:00.001-04:00

Taking my own suggestion, I am posting some of the AAU teams NVL players are with this Spring and summer.

It appears Holy Cross has placed a large number of their girls on teams. They include:

Sarah Herlihy, CT Starters 16U Red

Katherine Conard, Julia Shea, Nicole Sills-CT Magic 15U

Devvon Deliberto, Amanda Jones-CT Magic 14U

Andrea Crocco, Nevva Dorkin(sp?)-CT Spirit 14U

Others I found include Sam LaCroce(Woodland)-CT Starters 16U Red

Michelle Royals(Torrington)-CT Shamrocks 16U

Jess Webber(Naugatuck)-CT Starters 14U Red

Anybody else have any?

Welcome!

2007-06-02T07:32:00.001-04:00

Welcome to the NVL Girls Hoops Blog! Here is where you can find all your information about NVL Girls Hoops, like scores, stats, game previews, and perspectives from our fellow bloggers. I understand that Girls Hoops isn't exactly a populated sport, so if you know anyone who may be interested please let them know, I want as much people as possible, and please if you have something to comment on, please do. We will welcome all information.

If anyone has any off-season news they will would to share, please post in the comment window of this post. Also, if anyone would to have to ability to post instead of just comment, please contact me at spurs72094@sbcglobal.net .

BH