Boys Basketball Matchups Set for Granby, East Granby

Postseason basketball is in the air in The Granbys, as the CIAC released the boys basketball tournament schedule recently.

(10-11) is the No. 22 seed and will face No. 11 Wilcox Tech (14-6) on the road in the first round of the state Class M tournament on March 6.

The Bears have enjoyed a bit of a bumpy ride this season, starting off 6-10 before going on a four-game winning streak to qualify for the NCCC and state tournaments. The Bears, however, lost to Coventry in the first round of the conference tourney.

It’s not so much an issue of talent as it is depth for the Bears, who regularly use just seven players in its rotation. Indeed, outside of the first two games (blowout losses to Capital Prep and University), Granby Memorial has kept every game within striking distance. Six of the Bears’ losses have been by an aggregate of 16 points.

Forward Nick Mazzotta (17.6 ppg, 7.2 rpg), swing man Carlin Champion (13.3 points, 5.9 rpg, 2.9 apg) and point guard Mike Noyes (12.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 3.3 apg) lead the Bears, who also see significant contributions from Dan Clark, Curt Field, Jake Yankauskas and Ken Joslyn.

(12-9) earned the No. 18 seed in the state Class S tournament and will play No. 15 Putnam (13-7) in the first round on the road on March 5.

It’s been a successful season for East Granby, who had key victories over Class M opponents Suffield, Ellington and Granby Memorial.

The Crusaders are led by their All-conference caliber guards, leading scorer Ryan Aeschliman and spark plug Noah Fersch at the point, with a lineup rounded out by Brian Watterlond, Kyle Bowers and Jack Beatty.