Looking Ahead as CIAC Girls Basketball Tournaments Unwind

The girls winter sports season has ended in Windsor, Enfield, East Windsor, Suffield, Somers and Vernon, and athletes in those towns must now look forward to when spring practice begins in two weeks. But the month of March is still all about basketball in Manchester, Mansfield, Ellington, Tolland and Windsor Locks.

So let's look ahead as the CIAC girls basketball tournaments unwind.

For Manchester, a spot in the Class LL quarterfinals was expected from the first time Manchester coach John Reiser rolled out the basketballs in December. Reiser was blessed with Ashley Perez, perhaps the best player in the state, but deserves credit for building a cast of solid role players around her.

This is especially true on defense where the Indians frenetic pressure creates the helter-skelter tempo that can lead to the kind of open floor basketball that suits Perez’s strengths. Perhaps the best news for Manchester in their could be found below Perez in the box score.

Zanaija Gibson had 14 points and Talia Gabriel had 10 points in the victory, which will be important as the school, city and state await the most heavily anticipated girls basketball game of the season.

Manchester will play Glastonbury, which has handed the Indians their only two , on Thursday.

Glastonbury’s strategy against Manchester has been effective. The Tomahawks work to get them into a half-court tempo and then extend their big people as Perez tries to rub off screens. They also rotate defenders against Perez, which not only means she faces a fresh set of legs but also must change tactics depending upon the size and speed of her defender.

The gamble in the defense is that allows other players an opportunity. If Gibson and Gabriel are able to contribute as they did against St. Joe’s it will bode well for Manchester. One thing that definitely works in their favor is the extended time between games, which not only allows Perez time to mend a tweaked ankle but gives Reiser time to work on solutions in practice.

The winner of the game may well be at a disadvantage moving forward as Mercy-Middletown, which from the tournament will likely be waiting.

In Class L, E.O. Smith hosts Platt-Meriden on Monday. The Panthers got an unpleasant surprise when Brookfield was waiting for them in the but their victory should give them confidence going forward.

Maggie Sundberg was the difference in the game, finishing with 24 points, but as has been the case with E.O. Smith this season, there were contributions from a number of different players at key moments. One was Murphy Murad, who defended Julia DePoi in a critical last-second possession and forced a turnover.

Platt has beaten Maloney-Meriden and Farmington to reach this game. E.O. Smith will need to contain Danielle Martinez and Elisa Plaza to advance.

And while coach Kirk Murad can’t afford to look ahead, a victory would likely mean a meeting with Torrington, which plays RHAM-Hebron, in the semifinals.

Another intriguing matchup is in Class M, where Weaver-Hartford meets Ellington on Thursday. Ellington has breezed through the first two rounds of the tournament but Weaver will likely offer a more stern challenge.

The Beavers lost seven games during the regular season but consider these losses: 39-34 to Glastonbury, 71-62 to Manchester. No doubt this a team that can play and Ellington will need top performances from Kelly Conley, averaging 16.0 ppg in the tournament, and Julie Gage, who had 21 rebounds in a first round victory over Ledyard and backed that with .

But the Knights have also gotten strong play from Karlee Alves and Claudia Perez in the tournament and that will need to continue.

At the bottom of the bracket, Tolland will host Plainfield, which has gone through two Fairfield County teams, on Thursday. The in a tense game Friday. Kristin Schatzlein has done her part as the main offensive force. She finished with 18 points but Tolland  has a group of players who can offer support.

Against Suffield, it was Jessica Olsen, who did tough work defensively to cool down Suffield’s Brianna Bishop. And in the decisive fourth quarter run Tolland’s scoring was diverse. Allie Gallo, Jenna Lovett, Sarah Anischik and Schatzlein all contributed.

And finally, in Class S are the upset queens of Windsor Locks, who went down to Durham and . The Raiders run through the Shoreline Conference, which began with a victory over Hale-Ray in the first round, will need to continue Monday against Old Saybrook.

Nikki LaPierre led Windsor Locks with 18 points, including a critical late free-throw that gave the Raiders the lead, and Jessica Kuzmickas added another that clinched the game. Mariah Brown scored 12 points and Ellary Douglas and Jenna Wojtas added nine.

Windsor Locks coach Doug Knowe’s focus on defense seems to have paid off, and his team’s ability to control the tempo against Coginchaug will make it a tough one for Old Saybrook, which is working on its own miracle run through the tournament.