Intriguing Matchups Fill CCC Girls Basketball Tournament

The Central Connecticut Conference girls basketball tournament begins today and nearly every game is an intriguing matchup, which is the benefit of accepting only eight teams from the massive, sprawling 24-team conference. There are no easy games.

On paper, the most interesting first-round game would seem to be between No. 2 seed E.O. Smith (19-1) and No. 7 East Catholic (14-6), today at 2 p.m. in Storrs.

The Panthers, who will be seeded No. 2 in the upcoming Class L tournament, have a list of impressive wins against winning teams such as New Britain, RHAM and Tolland. They also have multiple scoring threats and a roster filled with players capable of stepping in and making plays. Murphy Murad, Morgan Stewart, Maggie Sundberg and Morgan Olander are all relied on for scoring and defense.

Opposing them is East Catholic, whose record is not as impressive, although the Eagles have played a more difficult schedule. Of their six losses, five were to top-ranked teams Mercy-Middletown, Manchester and Glastonbury.

The Eagles rely on Taryn Roy for scoring but get points from other players such as Lauren Pachesa and Nicole Ferguson. Coach Al Lewis also preaches an aggressive defense. East Catholic is 2-3 in its last five games but those loses were to Manchester (twice) and Glastonbury…

Manchester, the top seed, will play Farmington (1 p.m. in Manchester). The Indians have reeled off six straight victories since a loss to Glastonbury on the last day of January. Manchester (19-1), the No. 3 seed in the stacked Class LL state tournament, can usually be assured of having the best player on the floor in guard Ashley Perez. But Perez will need help from Miofania Garcia and Megan Cardarelli if the Indians are to go as far as they want in either tournament.

Earlier this season, Perez could be seen helping Cardarelli with her three-point shooting during halftime of games, rushing at the junior as she prepared to shoot. If Cardarelli can provide reliable outside shooting and Garcia is healthy through the month ahead, Manchester will be nearly impossible to defend.

Add in coach John Reiser’s defense, which harasses teams all over the floor, sometimes deploying Perez as a safety ready to intercept hurried passes, and it’s easy to see why Manchester is a long night for any team…The semifinals of the CCC tournament are Monday, starting at 6 p.m. at New Britain High School. The finals are Wednesday…Official pairings for the CIAC girls basketball tournament will be announced Wednesday at noon…

Congratulations to Ellington junior Kelly Conley, who scored her 1,000 career point Thursday in a victory over Stafford…Windsor Locks gained a valuable win Thursday over Somers. Locks shot only 4-of-16 from the free-throw line but muscled to victory behind Jessica Kuzmickas’ 16 points and Nikki LaPierre’s 17 rebounds. These are the games Locks must win if it wants to advance in the state tournament…

OPEN TRACK: Don’t forget, Windsor will try to back up last week’s championship in the Class L girls indoor track meet with a win at the State Open (beginning at noon in New Haven). Senior Chalsea Clarke is the top qualifier in the 55 meters and Windsor has top-ranked relay teams in the 4x200 and 4x400…Manchester native Sarah Gillespie, who attends Northwest Catholic-West Hartford, will go for a double in the meet. Gillespie won the Class S championship in the 1000 meters last week and is the top qualifier in the State Open…Check your local Patch for results.