East Catholic Comes From Behind, Then Hangs On For Another Title

UNCASVILLE, CT — On a weekend where the CIAC kept producing top quality championship basketball games, it seems the best was saved for last.

The Division I boys final between second-seeded Notre Dame-West Haven and No. 8 East Catholic contained a little bit of everything: an 11-point lead for the Green Knights, a 3-pointer to tie the score shortly before halftime, an 8-point second half advantage for the Eagles which was trimmed to one on three different fourth-quarter occasions.

In the end, East Catholic held on for a 50-49 victory, earning the program's seventh state crown and becoming the only team in this year's field of 20 finalists to successfully defend its title from 2019, the last time the CIAC was able to complete state tournament competition due to the ensuing coronavirus pandemic.

James Jones paced the win with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Teammates Allyn Wright, Robert Elliott and Preston Fowler each contributed nine points.

For Notre Dame, Andrew Lazarre led all scorers with 16 points.