Kathryn Rodrigues of Wolcott won the 1,600 meters (5:12.75) and the 3,200 meters (11:24.60) at the Class M indoor track and field championships at Floyd Little Athletic Center Saturday.
Watertown’s Kelsey DeJesus was third in the pole vault (9 feet) and teammate Emma Zaccagnini came in sixth in the 300 meters (43.68) and sixth in the 600 meters (1:42.63).
Watertown’s 4×400 relay of Emily Gursky, Kaitlynn Thrall, Malina LaCapra and Zaccagnini was sixth (4:22.69).
In the shot put, Sydney Mello of Lewis Mills was second (39 feet, 2 inches).
In trhe Class M boys meet, Aidan O’Connor of Lewis Mills win the pole vault (14 feet).
Watertown’s Keith Caouette was fourth in the 600 meters (1:26.97) and the Indians’ 1,600 sprint medley of Ian Judd, Joseph Skowronski, Caouette and Johnathan Polletta was fifth (3:51.96).
In the 3,200 meters, Nicholas Bendtsen of Wolcott was sixth (10:00.48).
BOYS BASKETBALL
Derby 51, Bristol Eastern 31: Jahwan Cody had 15 points to lead the Red Raiders in nonleague game in Bristol as they qualified for CIAC postseason in the final regular-season game.
Chase Collegiate 77, Marvelwood 69: Anthony Molina netted 29 points to lead the Highlanders.
Rafael Mahario and Jaiden Paniagua scored 17 and 15 points, respectively.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Kennedy 62, Wilby 36: Javilet Soto scored a team-leading 17 points for the Eagles.
Amaryllies Rivera had 11 points for Kennedy and Aniyyah Watson chipped in with 12.
Jonaira Garcia scored 23 points, including six 3-pointers for Wilby.
Woodland 55, Bulkeley 42: Gabby Mastropietro scored a game-high 17 points to pace the Hawks. Hana Bojka chipped in 10.
Bristol Eastern 57, Rocky Hill 40: Jordan Ouellette led all scorers with 24 points to pace the Lancers.
Ciara Collins added 11 points.
Taft 53, Hotchkiss 30: Natalie Hodak and Kayla Robinson each had 15 points for visiting Taft.
Chase Collegiate 50, Master’s 25: Sophomore Maddie Patrick poured in a game-high 25 points and added nine rebounds and Ella Atkins had a team-high seven steals for the Highlanders, who rallied from a 26-19 halftime deficit. Chase outscored Master’s, 31-6, in the second half.
RIFLERY
North Haven 946, Crosby 642: Bulldogs captain Hunter Aubrie shot a 158 and Christean Crespo compiled a score of 139 in a match at Blue Trail Range in Wallingford.

By JOE PALLADINO

There is only one place where Mark Douglass belongs: in a gymnasium, front row, or better, walking the sideline, shouting, encouraging, cajoling and engaging an official in lively discussion.

Douglass, 60, can’t do that right now. The head boys basketball coach for The Gilbert School suffered a heart attack on Feb. 1, not long after his Yellowjackets defeated Litchfield, 68-67, in double overtime.

“My prognosis is great,”said Mark Douglass

“That had nothing to do with it,” Douglass joked.

He went out to dinner after the game with his wife, Belinda, and then went home. He had chest pains. He thought it was indigestion, at first.

“I knew something wasn’t right,” Douglass said.

Off they went to Charlotte Hungerford Hospital in Torrington, first, and then Hartford Hospital. He had blockage in a coronary artery. They performed an angioplasty. On Monday, Feb. 4, Douglass was released.

“My prognosis is great,” said Douglass, now in his 15th season as head coach of Gilbert. He has been with the program for more than 30 seasons.

The first day that Douglass was allowed to leave the house was this past Saturday. Belinda is an RN. She calls the shots. She said OK. There was some of that trademark Douglass cajoling involved. “She knows what I can do and what I can’t,” said the coach. “It was hard to convince her that I could go.”

And where did the coach go on a cold, blustery February afternoon? To a game of course, in Litchfield, to see Wamogo play Classical Magnet in a meeting of two unbeaten state teams.

“It was great to just watch a game and not go through what (Wamogo coach) Gregg Hunt went through,” Douglass said.

To say that Douglass is animated on the sideline is to say what you already know. He must change now, and he knows it. But that’s good news. He can coach again, and will, soon, maybe this week, maybe next, most certainly by the BL tournament, and no doubt by the state tournament.

Until then he is not allowed near a Gilbert game. Belinda knows. The coach would not, could not, just sit and cheer. She doesn’t even want him to watch game video. But that doesn’t stop him from thinking basketball.

“You know, I even got a game out of this,” he said. “One of my nurses at Hartford Hospital, her husband (Dean Parkington) is the head coach at the Academy of Aerospace and Engineering. We spent a lot of time talking basketball. She said, ‘So, your wife must be a saint.'”

Assistant coach Dan Jones handles the team as the coach recovers. Douglass will see his doctor on Thursday and find out when he can return. He hopes for Friday.

Belinda, I don’t know how you do it.

“The first thing I thought about in all of this was my family,” Douglass said, “my wife, my daughters, and my four granddaughters.”

And what else?

“How much I love this,” he said. “How much I love the game, and how much I would miss it if I could’t coach again.”

But you don’t have to miss it, coach. You will still dandle grand kids on your knee, you will still coach basketball, and as you probably know now better than you knew before, there is nothing better than that.

Send comments to jpalladino@rep-am.com, and follow on Twitter at @RAOffTheRecord.

Coming off a victory over Classical Magnet Saturday, the Wamogo boys have moved into the state’s Top 10 in the media poll. It is the first time this season that the Warriors have been in the Top 10 and it is rare for a Berkshire League team to do so.

As has been the case all season, the Sacred Heart boys are ranked No. 1.

Others receiving votes: Immaculate (14-3), 164; Trumbull (13-3), 164; Old Lyme (14-1), 154; Wilton (13-3), 139; Danbury (12-4), 99; Prince Tech (16-1), 83; Classical Magnet (15-1), 57; St. Bernard (14-3), 47; Farmington (14-3), 36; Newtown (12-4), 25; East Hartford (11-6), 10; Ridgefield (12-4), 8.

Among voters: Joe Palladino, Republican-American and Dave Grant, WATR-AM (poll is compiled by New Haven Register)

NAUGATUCK 74, KENNEDY 56
Naugatuck (14-5): John Lukau 5 0 12, Derrick Jagello 8 1 21, Avery Hinnant 5 0 10, Gwayne Fisher 3 1 7, Ese Onakpoma 5 2 12, Shane Carey 0 2 2, Keywan Garris 0 0 0, Justin Barth 0 0 0, Andrew Robertson 2 0 4, Jay Mezzo 0 0 0, Chris Jackson 0 0 0, Robert Sanders 2 0 6. Totals: 30 6 74.
Kennedy (7-11): Kyle Brown 0 0 0, Jay Turner 5 2 13, Jaquane Jones 2 1 5, Synciere Dozier 1 0 2, Manny Beamon 1 0 2, Matt Torres 12 0 29, Aaron Brioso 0 0 0, Derek Yates 0 0 0, Chris Cora 0 0 0, Dayven Zielinski 2 0 5. Totals: 23 3 56.
Naugatuck 18 19 22 15 — 74
Kennedy 15 16 15 10 — 56
3-point goals: N — Lukau 2 Jagello 4, Sanders 2; K — Torres 5, Turner 1 Zielenski 1.

TORRINGTON 81, DERBY 64
Torrington (14-4): Dontae Thomas 3 3 9, Nick Balducci 2 0 5, Tyreek Davis 8 4 20, Joel Villanueva 5 2 12, TJ Calabrese 2 0 4, CJ Root 4 0 12, Matt Rylander 2 0 5, Kevin Dixon 7 0 14. Totals: 33 9 81.
Derby (8-10): Shymar Robinson 6 2 14, Davont Addison 1 2 5, Monte Peppers 1 0 2, Tim Jordan 3 2 9, Jahwan Cody 11 4 32, Zerion Montgomery 1 0 2, Dennis Hicks 0 0 0. Totals: 23 10 64.
Torrington 8 19 28 26 — 81
Derby 22 18 8 16 — 64
3-point goals: D — Addison 1, Jordan 1, Cody 6; T — Balducci 1, Root 4, Rylander 1

ANSONIA 76, SEYMOUR 64
Ansonia (9-7): Martin Antoine 7 5 19, Glenn Hines 6 4 17, Sheldon Schuler 6 0 13, Alfonso Smith 6 1 16, , Devonte Weaver 0 0 0, Seth Roselle 4 0 11. Totals: 29 10 76.
Seymour (4-13): Dion Perkins 8 7 23, Max Gayle 5 2 13, Ian Sadick 4 0 9, Daniel Manente 1 1 3, Markel McKnight 0 0 0, Matt Oczkowski 0 0 0, Dhruv Kapadia 2 0 4, Luke Venier 0 0 0, Chris Seara 4 0 12. Totals: 24 10 64.
Ansonia 20 15 28 13—76
Seymour 21 14 11 19—64
3-point goals: A—Smith 3, Roselle 3, Hines 1, Schuler 1. S—Seara 4, Sadick 1, Gayle 1.
Of note: S—Gayle 18 rebounds.

WATERTOWN 75, WHITNEY TECH 52
Watertown (2-14): Moni Jusufi 3 1 8, David Aquavia 7 0 16, Camden Garcia 5 6 20, Tyson Torsiello 2 0 4, Matthew Morrissey 5 0 10, Brian McWhirt 6 1 13, Nasim Pocesta 0 0 0, Danny Toroveci 0 0 0, Jake Gambee 1 0 2, Patrick Mazzamaro 1 0 2. Totals: 30 8 75
Whitney Tech (1-16): Derrick Wardlaw 1 0 3, Tony Jarvis 3 0 7, Tom Vann 5 0 10, Jayden Troutman 8 2 20, Ken Silva 1 0 3, Qi Wilkins 0 2 2, Kam Ventura 1 5 7. Totals: 19 9 52.
Watertown 27 13 10 25—75
Whitney Tech 13 15 15 9—52
3-point goals: W—Jusufi 1, Aquavia 2, Garcia 4. WT—Wardlaw 1, Jarvis 1, Silva 1, Troutman 2.

WOODLAND 71, WILBY 65, OT
Woodland (8-11): Zack Bedryczuk 4 3 14, Tyler Bulinski 2 0 5, Trey Mastropietro 0 2 2, Justin Marks 6 3 15, Stephen Persico 0 0 0, Nick DeLucia 0 0 0, Mick Meier 8 4 20, Jason Palmieri 3 3 9, Nate Bodnar 2 1 6. Totals: 25 16 71.
Wilby (1-17): Andres Urena 5 2 13, Shariffdeen Bilewu 3 0 6, Raekwon James 2 1 5, Jonathan Matias 3 0 6, Jeremiah Tripp 7 1 18, Zaharius Shelton 2 0 4, Giovanni Cruz 5 0 13, Yetyem DeJesus 0 0 0. Totals: 27 4 65.
Woodland 20 6 18 16 11 — 71
Wilby 7 16 17 20 5 — 65
3-point goals: Wo.—Bedryczuk 3, Bulinski 1, Bodnar 1; Wi.—Tripp 3, Cruz 3, Urena 1.

TERRYVILLE 64, WOLCOTT TECH 56
Terryville (5-11): Dominick Dao 5 0 10, Albert Molina 1 0 3, Zack Rinkavage 1 3 5, Dylan Matulis 3 0 6, Devonne Dao 4 1 10, Colin Barnick 8 2 18, Sean O’Donnell 3 2 8, Kyle Miranda 2 0 4. Totals: 27 8 64.
Wolcott Tech (1-15): Jordan Schaer 1 0 2, Anthony Peterson 4 2 11, Jacob Fogarty 0 0 0, Connor Tyrian 7 2 16, Jayden Ortiz 0 0 0, Chris Speaker 6 5 17, Blake Sanford 2 2 6, Rob Stockno 2 0 4. Totals: 22 11 56.
Terryville 18 18 16 13 — 64
Wolcott Tech 15 14 10-17 — 56
3-point goals: T Molina 1, Dao 1; WT — Peterson 1.

HOUSATONIC 65, NORTHWESTERN 58
Northwestern (8-10): Levi Delaney 7 9 23, Clay Maloney 1 0 2, Cam Mulligan 0 0 0, Owen Maltby 1 1 4, Colin Wilson 2 0 4, Curtis Blische 2 0 4, Trent Valliere 5 0 10, Brandon North 3 3 9, Joe Ogonoski 1 0 2. Totals: 22 13 58.
Housatonic (5-12): Caleb Shpur 3 6 12, Charlie Kaufman 0 0 0, Zach Ongley 5 6 18, Evan Miller 5 4 15, Troy Brazee 1 2 5, Mike Peirce 3 4 12, Briceson Barry 1 1 3. Totals: 18 23 65.
Northwestern 10 17 14 17 — 58
Housatonic 20 15 16 14 — 65
3-point goals: N — Maltby 1; H — Ongley 2, Milller 1, Brazeee 1, Peirce 2.

KAYNOR TECH 63, O’BRIEN TECH 42
Kaynor Tech (11-6): Nashua Lovett 8 1 19, Saijon McIntosh 4 2 10, Quinten Asiedu 1 2 5, Fernando Cerda 7 0 17, Masai Johnson 2 2 6, Jared Gomez 1 2 4, Richard Erem 0 2 2, John Roscoe 0 0 0. Totals: 23 11 63.
O’Brien Tech (6-9): Zach Rodriguez 1 0 3, Jamesyn Brothers 2 0 6, Nashua Colon 3 0 7, Elijah Moore 2 1 5, Marquis James 1 0 2, Xavier Gonzalez 2 0 4, Ozzy Priar 1 0 3, Rian Newkirk 1 0 2, Stuar Vargas 2 1 7, Jonathan Champagne 1 0 3. Totals: 16 2 42.
Kaynor Tech 14 13 18 18—63
O’Brien 18 9 5 10—42
3-point goals: KT—Cerda 3, Lovett 2, Asiedu 1. OT—Vargas 2, Brothers 2, Rodriguez 1, Champagne 1, Colon 1, Priar 1.
Of note: KT—Lovett 18 rebounds.

NONNEWAUG 60, LEWIS MILLS 39
Lewis Mills (7-11): Josh Schibi 5 5 17, James Nestor 0 2 2, Matt Geissler 3 2 8, Colby Norton 1 0 2, Matt Fitzsimons 0 1 1, Nate DiChiara 0 0 0, Aidan Sullivan 4 1 9. Totals: 13 11 39.
Nonnewaug (14-2): Jarrett Michaels 9 4 26, Colby Steinfeld 5 0 12, Tyler Lindberg 1 0 2, Jon Khazzaka 4 1 11, Mitch Colby 0 1 1, Ben Burke 1 0 2, J.D. Gengenbach 2 2 6. Totals: 22 8 60.
Lewis Mills 11 6 10 12—39
Nonnewaug 14 13 17 16—60
3-point goals: LM—Schibi 2. N—Michaels 4, Steinfeld 2, Khazzaka 2.

KOLBE CATHEDRAL 46, POMPERAUG 41
Kolbe (8-10): Ty Santos 0 0 0, Dan Wellington 0 0 0, Jaden McLellan 0 0 0, Evan Coleman 1 0 3, Quinton Sneed-Lott 9 9 27, Taeshaun Sanchez 0 2 2, Michael Olivencia 0 0 0, Justin Leigh 1 0 2,Eudell Mason 2 5 9, Jalen Sullivan 1 1 3. Totals: 14 17 46.
Pomperaug (2-16): Cam Collette 3 1 8, Chris Moreira 0 0 0, Andrew Doan 2 0 4, Dan Minchella 1 0 3,Jack Messina 2 0 4, Chase Breyer 6 0 14, James Ortale 1 0 2, Spencer Dragone 0 0 0, Noah Fradkin 2 2 6. Totals: 17 3 41.
Kolbe 12 10 11 13 — 46
Pomperaug 2 11 15 13 — 41
3-point goals: KC — Coleman; P — Breyer 2, Minchella, Collette 1.

ABBOTT TECH 71, SHEPAUG 69 (OT)
Shepaug (10-8): Michael Perachi 0 0 0, Cole Donaghey 3 1 7, Owen Hibbard 9 3 22, Jack Schneider 4 0 11, Cole Davenport 0 0 0, Jayden Cornwall 0 0 0, Dominic Perachi 0 0 0, Tiernan Crossley 0 0 0, Joseph Brunelli 4 0 11, Ethan Hibbard 8 2 18. Totals: 28 6 69.
Abbott Tech (13-5): Nazeer Priar 11 12 38, Marcos Gonzalez 2 0 5, Stanley Roman 1 3 6, Derek Taveras 1 0 2, Nolan Lopez 0 0 0, Damar Whitaker 5 2 15, Jared Alvarez 0 1 1, Blake Taylor 0 0 0, Anthony Fraiser 2 0 4. Totals: 22 18 71.
Shepaug 6 16 8 31 8—69
Abbott Tech 22 12 12 15 10—71
3-point goals: S—Brunelli 3, Schneider 3, O. Hibbard 1. AT— Priar 4, Whitaker 3, Gonzalez 1, Roman 1.

CHASE 68, CENTRAL CHRISTIAN 52
Chase (9-7): Rafael Mahario 3 0 6, Anthony Molina 8 0 17, Jamal Clarke 1 0 2, Rob Jones 4 1 12, Stefanos Bilis 2 0 4, Jaiden Paniagua 2 1 5, Neel Avancha 3 0 9, Colby Calabrese 2 0 6, Rohan Singh 2 0 5, Asher Gao 1 0 2. Totals: 28 2 68.
Central Christian: James Townsley 2 0 4, Jack Matney 4 2 11, Caleb Shick 9 0 19, Eddie Hest 2 1 5, Zach Labroed 4 0 11, Sam Shirk 0 2 2. Totals: 21 5 52.
Halftime: Chase, 41-20.
3-point goals: Chase—Jones 3, Avancha 3, Calabrese 2, Molina 1, Singh 1; Central—Labroed 3, Shick 1, Matney 1.

Mick Meier led all scorers with 20 points as the Woodland boys basketball team took a 71-65 overtime victory against Wilby on Monday night. Justin Marks and Zack Bedryczuk chipped in 15 and 14 points, respectively. Jeremiah Tripp led the Wildcats with 18 points.

Torrington 81, Derby 64: Tyreek Davis had a team-high 20 points for Torrington in Derby. Jahwan Cody had a game-high 32 points for Derby.

Naugatuck 74, Kennedy 56: Derek Jagello and Ese Onakpoma combined for 12 of the team’s 22 points in the third quarter for the Greyhounds. Jagello had a team-high 21 points to lead four double-figure scorers. Matt Torres had a game-high 29 points for the Eagles.

Ansonia 76, Seymour 64: Martin Antoine scored a team-high 19 points to lead the Chargers. Glenn Hines chipped in 17 points and Alfonso Smith 16. Dion Perkins scored a game-high 23 points for the Wildcats. Max Gayle added 13 points with 18 rebounds.

Nonnewaug 60, Lewis Mills 39: Jarrett Michaels poured in 26 points to lead the Chiefs. Colby Steinfeld added 12 points and Jon Khazzaka had 11. Josh Schibi scored 17 points for the Spartans.

Watertown 75, Whitney Tech 52: Camden Garcia scored 20 points while David Aquavia added 13 in a non-league win for the Indians, only their second of the season. Brian McWhirt contributed 13 points, five assists and five steals.

Kaynor Tech 63, O’Brien Tech 42: Nashua Lovett led all scorers with a game-high 19 points for the Panthers. Fernando Cerda chipped in 17 points.

Housatonic 65, Northwestern 58: Zach Ongley scored 18 points to lead the Mountaineers in Falls Village. Levi Delaney had a game-high 23 points for the Highlanders.

Terryville 62, Wolcott Tech 52: Colin Barnick had 18 points for Terryvile. Chris Speaker had a team-high 17 points for the Wildcats.

Kolbe Cathedral 46, Pomperaug 41: Chase Breyer had 14 points for the Panthers.

Chase Collegiate 68, Central Christian 52: Anthony Molina netted 17 points to help the Highlanders earn their third straight win.

Abbott Tech 71, Shepaug 69 (OT): Owen Hibbard led the Spartans with 22 points. Ethan Hibbard chipped in 18 points. Jack Schneider and Joseph Brunelli added 11 points each.

Hillhouse 53, Cheshire 48 (OT): Aidan Godfrey scored a team-high 20 points to lead the Rams. Ian Battipaglia added 13 points.

ANSONIA 65, WOLCOTT 61
Ansonia (10-7): Sheldon Schuler 6 2 15, Martin Antoine 4 3 17, Alfonso Smith 4 0 9, Glenn Hines 9 0 20, Devonte Weaver 2 2 4, Seth Roselle 0 0 0. Totals: 26 7 65.
Wolcott (12-7): Dylan Tumel 0 0 0, Sean Cepelak 0 0 0, Ty Goldberg 0 0 0, Jeffrey Nicol 1 0 2 , Enis Maksudoski 0 0 0, Christopher Harris 2 2 6, Dane Hassan 0 0 0, Brian Perzhilla 4 0 9, Elmin Redzepagic 10 1 24, Jack Drewry 9 1 20, Dean Howell 0 0 0. Totals: 26 4 61.
Ansonia 14 13 17 21—65
Wolcott 11 17 21 12—61
3-point goals: A—Smith 1, Antonine 4, Hines 2, Schuler 1. W—Perzhilla 1, Redzepagic 3, Drewry 1

TERRYVILLE 74, GILBERT 61
Gilbert (9-9): Joe Brugmann 2 2 6, Hunter Smith 7 0 17, Connor Bailey 0 0 0, Dylan Crowley 2 0 5, Matt Ma 1 0 2, Carlos Sarmiento 3 0 6, Juan Sarmiento 6 0 15, Riley Weiss 4 0 10. Totals: 25 2 61.
Terryville (7-11): Sean O’Donnell 6 3 16, Dominick Dao 5 2 15, Dylan Matulis 0 0 0, Devonne Dao 3 0 7, Colin Bamrick 7 0 14, Zack Rinkavage 6 2 18, Kyle Miranda 2 0 4. Totals: 29 7 74.
Gilbert 4 18 17 22—61
Terryville 20 16 19 19 — 74
3-point goals: G—Smith 3, J. Sarmiento 3, Weiss 2, Crowley 1. T—Rinkavage 4, Dom Dao 3, Dev. Dao 1, O’Donnell 1.
Note: Dom. Dao 7 rebounds, 6 assists.

MIDDLETOWN 68, BRISTOL EASTERN 42
Middletown (5-12): Jamarius Russell 2 0 6, Tejan Lanser 2 0 6, Tyron Scharborough 1 0 3, Mekhi Toler 2 0 6, Kenny fountain 3 0 8, Jonathon Nkonoki 5 0 10, Donte Pope 8 7 23, Elijah Winborn 2 0 4, Mike Foster 1 0 2. Totals: 26 7 68.
Bristol Eastern (4-14): Carter Dziedzic 6 5 18, Jahcyrus Lawrence-Bynum 3 0 8, Bryce Curtin 0 2 2, Dylan Woodsome 1 0 2, Elijah Parent 2 0 5, Jordyn Tate 0 0 0, Drew Fries 0 0 0, Isaac Dubay 1 0 3, Tyler Donohue 0 2 2, Ben Chiasson 0 2 2. Totals: 13 11 42.
Middletown 14 21 15 18—68
Bristol Eastern 9 17 4 12—42
3-point goals: M—Russell 2, lancer 2, Scharborough 1, Toler 2, Fountain 2. BE—Bynum 2, Parent 1, Dubay 1, Dziedzic 1.

WOLCOTT TECH 104, VINAL TECH 74
Vinal Tech: Mason Rosa 0 0 0, Kevin Palmer 2 0 4, Franco Sorrentino 6 3 17, J.J. Fountain 4 3 11, Nate Figueroa 1 0 3, Will Trojanowski 14 2 36. Totals: 27 8 74.
Wolcott Tech (2-13): Chris Speaker 20 7 48, Connor Tyrian 15 3 36, Jordan Schaer 0 0 0, Anthony Peterson 3 2 8, Jacob Fogarty 1 2 4, Blake Sanford 4 0 8, Jaden Ortiz 0 0 0. Totals: 43 14 104.
3-point goals: VT—Sorrentino 2, Trojanowski 6, Fountain 1. WT—Speaker 1, Tyrian 3.

THOMASTON 64, WINDSOR LOCKS 59
Windor Locks: Trey Saavedra 3 0 6, Victor Trinidad 7 2 19, Tyler Masse 4 3 11, Adam Haglund 4 0 10, Caden Saavedra 2 0 4, Elijah Ortega 3 1 7, Calvin Ampofo 0 2 2. Totals: 23 8 59.
Thomaston (2-15): Chad Suckley 7 3 20, Keegan Daigle 8 4 20, Brendan Fainer 1 0 2, Dan Paul 0 0 0, Ty Harkness 5 0 12, Matt Fabiano 1 1 4, Isaiah Johnson 1 3 6, Ryan Bethin 0 0 0, Ian Bethin 0 0 0. Totals: 23 11 64.
Windsor Locks 19 15 12 13—59
Thomaston 13 18 16 17—64
3-point goals: W—Trinidad 3, Haglund 2. T—Harkness 2, Fabiano 1, Johnson 1, Suckley 3.

CHASE 67, HARVEY 55
Chase (10-7): Anthony Molina 4 2 11, Rafael Mahario 6 8 23, Rohan Singh 0 0 0, Stefanos Bilis 1 0 2, Jamal Clarke 7 0 14, Jaiden Paniagua 1 3 5, Robbie Jones 3 3 12. Totals: 22 16 67.
Harvey (10-6): Everton Brown 8 2 19, Tre Felder 5 5 15, Mason McComb 1 0 3, Syreal Watson 0 1 1, Ryan Horowitz 0 0 0, Alex Kaplan 3 0 7, Aaron Dupree 2 0 4, Noah Chance 1 0 2, Alex Ogg 1 0 2, Tommy Wang 0 2 2. Totals: 21 10 55
Halftime: C, 36-13.
3-point goals: C—Mahario 3; Jones 3, Molina 1; H—Brown 1, Kaplan 1, Mccomb 1.

By STEVE BARLOW

The dominance of Wamogo in the Berkshire League boys basketball race has overshadowed something this winter: Besides the unbeaten Warriors, there is remarkable parity in the conference.

Nonnewaug (13-3 in the BL) has wrapped up the second seed for the BL tournament that begins next weekend, but the Chiefs haven’t been immune from the upset bug, losing to Northwestern and Litchfield.

Right behind Nonnewaug in the standings is a logjam consisting of Shepaug (9-7 BL), Litchfield (8-8), Gilbert (8-8), Lewis Mills (8-9) and Northwestern (7-9). And not too far behind are Terryville and Housatonic, both 5-11 and fighting for the final spot in the BL tournament as well as the state tournament.

“It’s exactly the way I thought it would be at the beginning of the season, with the two through nine teams being really even,” said Shepaug coach Matt Lefevre, who was scouting the Litchfield-Lewis Mills game Thursday night.

Litchfield had hoped to halt a four-game skid by duplicating its earlier win over Mills, but instead the Spartans prevailed, 52-43, as the Cowboys’ late comeback was stopped short.

“The way we fought, I can put my name behind that, for sure,” said Litchfield coach Dan Goscinski. “We’ve just got to find a way to play 32 minutes that hard. We’re capable of it. We’ve proven it this year. We’re just struggling right now.”

With the regular season finishing next Wednesday, no one has much momentum. Shepaug, which plays at Gilbert tonight, has lost three straight, although one defeat was by a point to Nonnewaug and the most recent was in overtime to Abbott Tech.

Gilbert was upended at Terryville on Wednesday, snapping a two-game win streak, and Northwestern has dropped two straight.

Lewis Mills coach Jim Barone was happy to see his team pull out of a two-game lull. He knows playing at Terryville (7-11 overall) next week won’t be easy.

“They’ll probably be as desperate as we were tonight,” he noted.

Indeed, two of the hotter teams in the league are the Kangaroos (three straight wins) and Housy (two straight). They meet tonight with a spot in the BL tournament and their state tournament hopes on the line as well.

TONIGHT’S BL SCHEDULE
Gilbert at Shepaug, 7 p.m.
Wamogo at Northwestern, 7 p.m.
Housatonic at Terryville, 7 p.m.
Thomaston at Nonnewaug, 7 p.m.

LEWIS MILLS 52, LITCHFIELD 43
Litchfield (8-10): Miles Chapman 1 0 2, Tom Brady 1 0 2, Tripp Melk 3 2 9, Jared Guilmart 8 2 19, Matt Gostokowski 2 0 5, Ajani Campbell 0 0 0, Evan Fischthal 3 0 6. Totals: 18 4 43.
Lewis Mills (8-11): Matt Geissler 2 2 7, Matt Fitzsimons 0 0 0, Alex Gallagher 0 0 0, Nate DiChiara 2 1 5, Aidan Sullivan 4 3 11, Josh Schibi 9 7 26, Colby Norton 1 0 3. Totals: 18 13 52.
Litchfield 13 2 13 15—43
Lewis Mills 14 9 14 15—52
3-point goals: L—Melk 1, Guilmart 1, Gostkowski 1. LM—Geissler 1, Schibi 1, Norton 1.

WCA 72, ANSONIA 46
WCA (10-8): Marquan Watson 8 4 20, Langstun Racine 2 3 7, Jaden Stallworth 0 0 0, Khalil Simon 5 0 13, Kobi Hunter 1 0 3, Gerald Council 0 0 0, Jonathan Edwards 3 0 6, Rafael Prado 0 0 , Darrell Coombs 0 0 0, Zion Lott 3 0 7, Lawrence Lazaro 6 0 15, Justin Parker 1 0 3, Taj’amar Vines 0 0 0, Cyrus Smith 0 0 0, Trevone Hightower 0 0 0. Totals: 28 7 72.
Ansonia (10-8): Martin Antoine 7 2 18, Sheldon Schuler 0 0 0, Alfonso Smith 2 0 5, Glenn Hines 4 0 8, John Nimons 1 0 2, Devonte Weaver 3 0 6, Jaylen Johnson 0 0 0, Seth Roselle 3 0 7, Elijah Ellis 0 0 0, James Boland 0 0 0, Brenden Palmer 0 0 0, Noah Wagnblas 0 0 0. Totals: 20 2 46.
WCA 19 16 21 16—72
Ansonia 17 6 17 6 —46
3-point goals: WCA—Simon 3, Lott 1, Lazaro 3, Parker 1, Hunter 1. A—Smith 1, Antoine 2, Roselle 1.
Of note: WCA—Watson 18 rebounds, 7 assists

TORRINGTON 98, KENNEDY 60
Kennedy (7-12): Kyle Brown 1 0 3, Jay Turner 4 7 17, Jaquane Jones 6 2 14, Synciere Dozier 2 3 7, Manny Beamon 1 0 3, Matt Torres 4 1 11, Aaron Brioso 1 0 2, Derek Yates 1 0 3, Chris Cora 0 0 0, Dayven Zielinski 0 0 0, Chris Echavarria 0 0 0. Totals: 20 13 60.
Torrington (15-4): Tyreek Davis 12 0 26, Dontae Thomas 9 1 20, Joel Villanueva 7 6 24, C.J. Root 0 0 0, Kevin Dixon 3 3 9, Zach McLaughlin 0 0 0, Nick Balducci 4 1 11, T.J. Calabrese 0 0 0, Matt Rylander 2 1 6, Ben Smith 1 0 2, Justin Mattiello 0 0 0. Totals: 38 12 98.
Kennedy 19 10 15 14—60
Torrington 19 24 23 32—98
3-point goals: K—Beamon 1, Brown 1, Torres 2, Yates 1, Turner 2. T— Thomas 1, Balducci 2, Davis 2, Villanueva 4, Rylander 1.

WILBY 74, WATERTOWN 66
Watertown (2-16): Moni Jusufi 4 2 11, David Aquavia 2 0 6, Camden Garcia 6 5 19, Tyson Torsiello 3 2 8, Matthew Morrissey 5 0 10, Brian McWhirt 1 0 2, Nasim Pocesta 3 0 7, Danny Toroveci 0 0 0, Jake Gambee 0 0 0, Cameron Guerrera 1 0 3. Totals: 25 9 66.
Wilby (2-17): Jeremiah Tripp 6 1 16, Zaharius Shelton 6 0 14, Andres Urena 2 2 7, Shariffdeen Bilewu 4 3 11, Raekwon James 4 6 14, Jonathan Matias 1 1 3, Giovanny Cruz 2 0 6, Yetyem Dejesus 1 0 3. Totals: 26 13 74.
Watertown 20 9 16 21—66
Wilby 19 13 14 28—74
3-point goals: Wa.—Aquavia 2, Garcia 2, Jusufi 1, Pocesta 1, Guerrera 1. Wi. —Tripp 3, Cruz 2, Shelton 2, Urena 1, Dejesus 1.
Of note: Wi.—Bilewu 11 rebounds.

SEYMOUR 76, DERBY 60
Derby (8-11): Shymar Robinson 8 1 20, Tim Jordan 6 3 15, Jahwan Cody 7 0 16, Zerion Montgomery 1 0 2, Davont Addison 3 1 7, Monte Peppers 0 0 0, Telly Vasquez 0 0 0. Totals: 25 5 60.
Seymour (5-13): Dion Perkins 12 8 33, Max Gayle 6 3 15, Ian Sadick 6 3 15, Daniel Manente 1 2 4, Markel McKnight 0 0 0, Matt Oczkowski 1 1 3, Dhruv Kapadia 0 0 0, Luke Venier 1 0 2, Chris Seara 1 1 4. Totals: 27 18 76.
Derby 16 19 6 19—60
Seymour 15 25 19 17—76
3-point goals: D—Robinson 3, Cody 2. S—Perkins 1, Seara 1.
Of note: S—Gayle 15 rebounds; Manente 12 rebounds; Perkins 9 rebounds, 4 steals.

WOLCOTT 70, WOODLAND 64
Wolcott (13-7): Ty Goldberg 2 0 5, Jeffrey Nicol 2 4 10, Enis Maksudoski 0 0 0, Christopher Harris 2 5 11, Dane Hassan 0 0 0, Brian Perzhilla 5 4 16, Elmin Redzepagic 6 2 16, Jack Drewry 3 6 12. Totals: 20 21 70.
Woodland (8-12): Zack Bedryczuk 10 6 29, Tyler Bulinski 2 0 4, Trey Mastropietro 1 0 2, Justin Marks 3 2 9, Nathanel Smith 0 0 0, Nick DeLucia 3 0 6, Jason Palmieri 5 3 14, Nate Bodnar 0 0 0. Totals: 24 11 64.
Wolcott 17 16 11 26 —70
Woodland 16 12 20 16 —64
3-point goals: Wolc.—Nicol 2, Harris 2, Perzhilla 2, Redzepagic 2, Goldberg 1; Wood.—Bedryczuk 3, Marks 1, Palmieri 1.

HOLY CROSS 67, ST. PAUL 48
Holy Cross (11-7): Akili Evans 11 4 28, Qaron Brown 0 0 0, Kyle Moser 4 0 10, Gaely Etienne 1 0 2, Jack Greene 7 1 16, Alex Ward 0 0 0, Arthur Pappas 1 0 2, Kyle Lombardi 4 0 9. Totals: 28 5 67.
St. Paul (8-11): Jack Noli 2 3 7, Ryan Sulvester 1 0 2, Noah Waters 4 2 12, Donovan Symes 5 1 12, A.J. Brooks 2 0 5, Christian Peterson 0 1 1, Tom Lorenzetti 0 0 0, Rudy Otero 0 0 0, Joe Leone 0 0 0, Tyler Garry 4 0 9. Totals: 18 7 48.
Holy Cross 20 11 19 17—67
St. Paul 15 10 12 11—48
3-point goals: HC—Evans 2, Moser 2, Lombardi 1, Greene 1. SP—Waters 2, Brooks 1, Symes 1, Garry 1.

CLASSICAL 75, KAYNOR TECH 61
Classical (17-1): Tyreese Jones 3 2 8, Tremel Frank 1 1 3, Matt Rivera 5 4 14, Josh Smith 1 0 2, Jarred Griffin 1 2 4, Robert Simmons 15 4 34, Justin Oller 3 4 10. Totals: 29 17 75.
Kaynor Tech (11-7): Fernando Cerda 9 0 20, Nashua Lovett 6 2 14, Saijon McIntosh 6 3 15, Quinten Asiedu 3 0 6, Masai Johnson 0 1 1, Richard Erem 0 0 0, John Roscoe 2 0 5, Miguel Matos 0 0 0 . Totals: 26 6 61.
Classical 23 16 14 22—75
Kaynor Tech 10 22 15 14—61
3-point goals: KT—Cerda 2, Roscoe 1.
Of note: KT—Lovett 10 rebounds, 10 blocked shots; Asiedu 8 assists, 5 steals.

MASUK 71, POMPERAUG 61
Pomperaug (2-17): Chase Breyer 6 7 21, Jack Messina 5 1 13, Cam Collette 2 2 7, Andrew Doan 2 2 6, Noah Fradkin 4 0 9, Dan Minchella 1 0 2, James Ortale 1 1 3, Spencer Dragone 0 0 0, Chris Moreira 0 0 0. Totals: 21 13 61.
Masuk (8-11): Mateo Esmeraldo 3 0 7, Carson Swift 4 4 12, Ryan Winkler 8 5 24, Aren Cummings 4 2 10, Jacob Leisawitz 0 4 4, Jake Rosati 3 0 6, Zachary Forte 4 0 8. Totals: 26 15 71.
Pomperaug 14 16 13 18—61
Masuk 20 21 11 19—71
3-point goals: P—Messina 2, Breyer 2, Collette 1, Fradkin 1. M—Winkler 3, Esmeraldo 1.
Of note: P—Messina 7 rebounds.

Jordyn Forte scored 26 points to reach 1,002 for her career to lead Watertown past Crosby, 61-32, on Thursday night.
Forte also pulled down 15 rebounds for the Indians. Tiahna Pulliam led the Bulldogs with 20.
Weaver 56, Holy Cross 41: Cayla Howard had nine points for the Crusaders.
Naugatuck 59, Kennedy 23: Sara Macary led all scorers with 16 points to pace the Greyhounds. Vivian Bunker scored nine for the Eagles.
Ansonia 54, Platt Tech 22: Natasha Rivera led the Chargers with a game-high 11 points.
Nonnewaug 40, Thomaston 34: Nicole Mercer netted 12 points and Tori Maclean added 11 for the Chiefs. Emma Sanson had 12 points for the Bears.
Housatonic 42, Terryville 31: Caroline Hurlburt had 12 points and Sydney Segalla added nine for the Mountaineers.
Lauren Jacobs had 11 points and 11 rebounds for the Kangaroos.
Lewis Mills 34, Litchfield 25: Sammy Chadwick poured in a game-high 26 points to lead the Spartans.
Molly Lennon scored 11 points for the Cowboys.
Northwestern 49, Wamogo 35: Emma Propfe scored 24 points and Natalie Lederman chipped in 10 to lead the Highlanders. Lexi Weik totaled 13 points for the Warriors.
Gilbert 42, Shepaug 24: Dileysi Sarmiento scored a game-high 19 points and Marcie Moreira contributed 10 for the Yellowjackets.
East Catholic 43, Bristol Eastern 38: Ciara Collins led the Lancers with 11 points in CCC tournament action.

Boys basketball
Lewis Mills 52, Litchfield 43: In his final home game, senior Josh Schibi fired in 26 points as the Spartans qualified for the state tournament with their eighth win. Aidan Sullivan added 11 for Mills, which held the visitors to two points in the second period. Jared Guilmart had 19 points to lead the Cowboys.
WCA 72, Ansonia 46: Marquan Watson led the Spartans with a game-high 20 points. Lawrence Lazaro chipped in 15 points and Khalil Simon had 13.
Martin Antoine scored a team-high 18 points for the Chargers.
Torrington 98, Kennedy 60: Tyreek Davis led the Raiders with a game-high 26 points. Joel Villanueva chipped in 24 points and Dontae Thomason had 20.
Jay Turner scored 17 points for the Eagles and Jaquane Jones added 14.
Wolcott 70, Woodland 64: Brian Perzhilla and Elmin Redzepagic scored 16 points apiece to pace the Eagles. Zack Bedryczuk scored a game-high 29 for the Hawks.
Wilby 74, Watertown 66: Jeremiah Tripp scored a team-high 16 points to lead the Wildcats. Zaharius Shelton chipped in 14 points and Shariffdeen Bilewu had 11.
Camden Garcia scored a game-high 19 points for the Indians.
Seymour 76, Derby 60: Dion Perkins poured in 33 points to lead the Wildcats. Max Gayle and Ian Saddick chipped in 15 points each.
Shymar Robinson scored a team-high 20 points for the Raiders. Jahwan Cody added 16 points and Tim Jordan had 15.
Holy Cross 67, St. Paul 48: Akili Evans had 28 points for the Crusaders.
Jack Greene added 16.
Noah Waters and Donovan Symes had 12 points each for the Falcons.
Classical 75, Kaynor Tech 61: Fernando Cerda led the Panthers with 20 points. Saijon McIntosh added 15 points and Nashua Lovett had 14.
Masuk 71, Pomperaug 61: Chase Breyer led the Panthers with 21 points. Jack Messina chipped in 13 points.

NVL cheer finals set for Saturday
The Naugatuck Valley League cheerleading championships will be held Saturday at Crosby at 11 a.m. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students.

CROSBY 92, WATERTOWN 47
Crosby (11-6): Kerwin Prince 10 10 31, Rahmel Reid 1 0 3, Tyler Spears 10 1 26, Justin Davis 6 0 14, Jonathan Rivera 1 0 2, Alex Batista 1 0 2, Jose Soares 2 0 6, Jordan Santos 2 0 6, Shakyle Barnaby 1 0 2. Totals: 34 11 92.
Watertown (2-17): Moni Jusufi 4 0 8, David Aquavia 3 0 8, Camden Garcia 7 3 17, Tyson Torsiello 1 0 2, Matthew Morrissey 1 0 2, Nasim Pocesta 1 0 2, Danny Toroveci 1 0 2, Jake Gambee 0 0 0, Cam Guerrera 3 0 6, Austin Dixon 0 0 0, Pat Mazzamaro 0 0 0, Lamont Ward 0 0 0. Totals: 21 3 47.
Crosby 17 33 29 13—92
Watertown 16 8 9 14—47
3-point goals: C—Spears 5, Davis 2, Santos 2, Soares 2, Prince 1, Reid 1; W—Aquavia 2.

WCA 95, SEYMOUR 63
Seymour (4-14): Max Gayle 5 1 11, Dion Perkins 10 2 23, Ian Sadick 3 0 7, Daniel Manente 0 0 0, Markel McKnight 0 2 2, Matt Oczkowski 1 0 3, Dhruv Kapadia 1 0 3, Luke Venier 1 0 3, Joe Orlando 0 0 0, Kevin Harmeling 0 0 0, Chris Seara 3 0 9, Alex Okula 0 2 0. Totals: 24 7 63
WCA (11-8):
Langstun Racine 5 0 11, Jaden Stallworth 3 2 9, Khalil Simon 3 0 8, Kobi Hunter 5 0 11, Gerald Council 1 0 2, Marquan Watson 8 3 19, Jonathan Edwards 2 0 4, Rafael Prado 0 0 0, Darrell Coombs 0 0 0, Zion Lott 4 0 12, Lawrence Lazaro 6 2 15, Justin Parker 1 0 3, Taj’amar Vines 0 0 0, Cyris Smith 0 1 1, Trevonne Hightower 0 0 0. Totals: 38 8 95
Seymour 13 7 24 19—63
WCA 19 24 28 24—95
3-point goals: S—Perkins 1, Sadick 1, Oczkowski 1, Kapadia 1, Seara 3, Venier 1. WCA—Racine 1, Simon 2, Lazaro 1, Lott 4, Stallworth 1, Parker 1, Hunter 1.
Note: Watson 17 rebounds, 5 steals, Racine 7 steals, 5 assists.

TERRYVILLE 52, HOUSATONIC 40
Housatonic (5-13): Caleb Shpur 3 7 13, Charlie Kaufman 1 0 2, Zach Ongley 1 0 2, Evan Miller 2 0 5, Mike Peirce 2 1 5, Cameron Ackerman 5 0 11. Totals: 15 8 40.
Terryville (8-11): Albert Molina 2 1 6, Dominick Dao 2 0 4, Dylan Matulis 0 0 0, Devonne Dao 1 0 2, Colin Bamrick 6 7 19, Zack Rinkavage 4 0 9, Jacob Zappone 0 0 0, Sean O’Donnell 4 0 8, Justin Carasone 0 0 0, Kyle Miranda 2 0 4. Totals: 21 8 52.
Housatonic 20 4 7 9—40
Terryville 6 19 14 13—52
3-point goals: H—Ackerman 1, Millers 1. T—Molina 1, Rinkavage 1.

SHEPAUG 84, GILBERT 76
Gilbert (9-10): Hunter Smith 14 0 33, Joe Brugmann 2 2 6, Ryley Weiss 5 1 13, Juan Sarmiento 7 0 15, Dylan Crowley 3 1 7, Carlos Sarmiento DeJesus 1 0 2, Tyler Tucker 0 0 0, Matt Ma 0 0 0, Conor Bailey 0 0 0. Totals: 32 4 76.
Shepaug (11-8): Joe Brunelli 5 6 19, Owen Hibbard 3 4 11, Ethan Hibbard 9 3 21,Jack Schneider 5 6 18, Cole Donaghey 1 1 4 , Dominic Perachi 4 0 8, Jayden Cornwall 0 0 0 , Tiernan Crossley 1 0 3 , Michael Perachi 0 0 0, Cole Davenport 0 0 0 , Noah Levine 0 0 0. Totals: 25 20 84.
Gilbert 16 18 16 26—76
Shepaug 24 17 25 18—84
3-point goals: G—Smith 5, Weiss 2, J. Sarmiento 1. S—Brunelli 3, Schneider 2, O. Hibbard 1, Donaghey 1.

NONNEWAUG 88, THOMASTON 39
Thomaston (2-16): Brendan Fainer 1 2 4, Chad Suckley 7 4 19, Keegan Daigle 2 1 5, Ty Harkness 3 1 9, Matt Fabiano 0 0 0, Isaiah Johnson 1 0 2. Totals: 14 8 39.
Nonnewaug (15-3): Colby Steinfeld 10 0 23, Jackson Baker 3 1 8, Ben Conti 0 0 0, Tyler Lindberg 0 0 0, Jon Khazzaka 7 0 14, Jarrett Michaels 7 3 19, J.D. Gengenbach 6 1 13, Anthony Bambino 3 1 8, Ryan Tomkalski 0 0 0, Cosmo Lovig 0 0 0, Justin Southard 1 0 3. Totals: 37 6 88.
Thomaston 14 5 13 7—39
Nonnewaug 24 15 21 28—88
3-point goals: T—Harkness 2, Suckley 1; N—Stenifeld 3, Michaels 2, Baker 1, Bambino 1, Southard 1.
Note: Lindberg 7 blocks.

ABBOTT TECH 66, O’BRIEN TECH 35
O’Brien (6-12): Jamesyn Brothers 0 0 1, Elijah Moore 7 1 18, Zach Rodriguez 0 0 0, Ozzy Priar 1 0 3, Xavier Gonzalez 4 1 9, Marques James 1 0 2, Kyle Rogers 1 0 2. Totals: 14 3 35.
Abbott Tech (14-5): Nazeer Priar 10 1 26, Stanley Roman 1 2 5, Derek Taveras 2 0 4, Damar Whittaker 2 0 5, Nolan Lopez 1 2 4, Tony Aversano 1 0 2, Blake Taylor 3 0 8, Anthony Frasier 4 2 10, Elder Lemus 1 0 2. Totals: 25 7 66.
3-point goals: OT—Moore 3, Priar 1, AT—Priar 5, Taylor 2, Whitaker 1, Roman 1.

CROSBY 90, NEWTOWN 73
Crosby (12-6): Jordan Santos 1 0 2, Kerwin Prince 16 6 39, Rahmel Reid 4 0 8, Tyler Spears 9 2 25, Justin Davis 6 3 16, Shaq Barnaby 0 0 0, Jonathan Rivera 0 0 0, Jose Soares 0 0 0. Totals: 36 11 90.
Newtown (14-5): Riley Ward 3 6 13, Tucker Garrity 5 2 12, Todd Petersen 1 1 3, Jack Mulligan 0 0 0, Jack Petersen 5 2 14, Robert Disibio 10 8 31. Totals: 24 19 73.
Crosby 19 19 20 32 — 90
Newtown 23 15 18 17 — 73
3-point goals: C—Spears 5, Prince 1, Davis 1; N—Disibio 3, Petersen 2, Ward 1.
Highlights: C—Prince 26 rebounds; Spears 6 assists; Davis 6 assists.

KENNEDY 71, KAYNOR TECH 63
Kaynor Tech (11-8): Nashua Lovett 9 2 20, Saijon McIntosh 8 3 19, Quinten Asiedu 3 1 7, Fernando Cerda 4 0 8, Masai Johnson 2 0 4, Richard Erem 0 0 0, John Roscoe 0 0 0, Miguel Matos 0 0 0, Jared Gomez 2 0 5. Totals: 28 6 63.
Kennedy (8-12): Kyle Brown 0 0 0, Jay Turner 7 2 18, Jaquane Jones 4 1 9, Synciere Dozier 2 1 6, Manny Beamon 1 2 4, Matt Torres 11 2 29, Derek Yates 0 0 0, Chris Cora 2 1 5, Chris Echevirra 0 0 0, Taevon Moshier 0 0 0. Totals: 27 9 71.
Kaynor Tech 14 14 12 23 — 63
Kennedy 12 22 27 10 — 71
3-point goals: KT — Gomez 1, K — Torres 5, Turner 2, Dozier 1.

LITCHFIELD 67, THOMASTON 55
Thomaston (2-17): Keegan Daigle 8 0 16, Brendan Fainer 0 5 5, Ty Harkness 2 0 6, Dan Paul 0 0 0, Matt Fabiano 3 2 8, Isaiah Johnson 0 2 2, Ian Bethin 1 1 3, Ryan Bethin 2 0 4, Chad Suckley 5 0 11. Totals 21 10 55.
Litchfield (9-10): Tom Brady 3 0 8, Tripp Melk 9 7 27, Jared Guilmart 6 0 12, Matt Gostowski 1 0 3, Zajans Crapo 2 0 4, Evan Fischthal 5 3 13, Miles Chapman 0 0 0, Matt Rousseau 0 0 0. Totals 26 10 67.
Litchfield 14 11 20 22 — 67
Thomaston 12 10 13 20 — 55
3-pointers: L — Brady 2, Melk 2, Gostkowski 1. T — Harkness 2, Suckley 1.

CHASE 66, SOUTH KENT 47
Chase (11-7): Rob Jones 5 0 12, Anthony Molina 5 1 14, Rafael Mahario 5 1 12, Jamal Clarke 9 1 19, Neel Avancha 4 0 9, Evan Harte 0 0 0, Asher Gao 0 0 0. Totals: 28 3 66.
South Kent (9-9): Sawyer Beyer 2 0 5, Will Gero 0 0 0, Jaylan Buchanan 5 1 11, Noah Holczinger 3 0 6, Chris Lim 9 0 21, Josh Reeves 2 0 4. Totals: 21 1 47.
Halftime: Chase, 34-24
3-point goals: C — Molina 3; Mahario 1; Avancha 1; Jones 2; SK — Lim 3, Beyer 1.

BY JOE PALLADINO

The NVL boys basketball championship tournament tips off on Saturday at Wilby High’s Reggie O’Brien Gymnasium and George Tirado Court, and with a few games to go we have it all figured out.

Just kidding. We know more about The Big Bang than we do about what will happen on Saturday.

We do know, however, the eight qualifying teams:

• Sacred Heart
• Naugatuck
• Torrington
• Wolcott
• Crosby
• Holy Cross
• Waterbury Career
• Ansonia.

We also know one game: No. 1 Hearts and No. 8 Chargers.

After that, kaboom.

Iron Division business

Naugatuck, Torrington, and Wolcott finished tied with 6-2 records. Tiebreak procedures cannot be applied until regular season games are complete, but we know that the Eagles have tumbled out of contention for the title.

Naugatuck and Torrington split regular-season games and have 14-3 records, which are the first two tiebreakers. Naugy plays Crosby to end the season and Torrington finishes with Sacred Heart. If the Greyhounds and Raiders remain tied, they will be co-Iron champs.

But the drama is in the NVL tourney. The teams are also tied for the No. 2 seed, and the NVL goes deeper into tiebreak scenarios for tourney seeds. This is unofficial, but based on my tiebreak noodling it is looking like a coin toss to determine the two and three seed. That’s just me guessing.

This much is clear: Sacred Heart is No. 1, Naugy/Torrington next in one form or another, and Ansonia No. 8. After that, forget it. Wolcott is complete with a 12-6 record for NVL games. Crosby is the only team that can pass the Eagles. With wins over Oxford and Naugatuck this week the Bulldogs could go No. 4.

However (this is a great however): Wolcott, Crosby, Holy Cross, and Waterbury Career can ALL finish at 12-6. If that happens, I have: no idea.

Holy Cross split with WCA; the Spartans beat Crosby twice; Crosby split with Cross; Wolcott beat WCA; Cross beat Wolcott; Crosby did not play Wolcott. This might come down to rock, paper, scissors.

The final determination comes from NVL Tournament Mastermind and Holy Cross athletic director Jerry Ciarleglio. Really, that’s what it says on his office door, NVL Tournament Mastermind. He deals with tiebreak minutiae.

Let’s just say this: assign any seed you’d like. The number changes nothing. The boys first round will be flat-out amazing. Yes, the Hearts are the overwhelming favorite in the game with Ansonia, but the other three games are gems, end of story.

If you are not in the Wilby gym on Saturday, then you and I have a real problem.

State tourney drama

There isn’t any.

When Kennedy High won on Saturday against Kaynor Tech to secure an eighth victory, all NVL and Berkshire League teams with a shot at eight victories have got eight victories, and unlike the girls, boys must win eight.

The only school in our region that still has a shot is 6-12 Emmett O’Brien Tech, but with games against the Ansonia and Oxford, it’s a long, long shot.

BL tourney

The BL boys tourney also tips off on Saturday with four games in the gym of the higher seed. Wamogo is the top seed, Nonnewaug the second seed, and Terryville the eighth. All other teams can still rise or fall.

There is a good BL game in this final week: Nonnewaug is at Wamogo on Tuesday at 7 p.m. The Warriors are the BL champions, Nonnewaug is No. 2, and it could be a preview of the BL tourney final.

By MARK JAFFEE

After a midseason lull, the Chase Collegiate boys basketball team has rebounded well, having won five in a row.
The Highlanders will have plenty of momentum heading into today’s Housatonic Valley Athletic League tournament quarterfinal.
No. 4 Chase hosts No. 5 Master’s at 5:30 p.m. at Goss Field House in Waterbury. The semifinals will be Thursday against the winner of Wooster and Watkinson with the finals slated for Saturday.
When the Highlanders (11-7) lost three in a row and five of six before their recent win streak, they were dealing with injuries to leading scorer Rafael Mahario and center Jamal Carke.
Chase coach Tim Fitzpatrick praised senior co-captain Rob Jones of Waterbury for keeping players focused during the skid.
“Rob helped get a positive message out to his teammates,” said Fitzpatrick, in his third year at the helm since succeeding Jay Paul Vance Jr., now at Watertown High. “He is always hustling and giving a great effort. He’s a true leader by example, and that legitimate effort rubs off on his teammates.”
Two bench players, sophomore guard Neel Avancha of Southington and senior center-forward Stefanos Bilis of Watertown, filled in admirably during Mahario and Clarke’s absences, Fitzpatrick said.
“Neel has really worked on his shooting touch,” said Fitzpatrick. “Against South Kent (last Saturday), he was in a little slump in the first half, but at halftime, I told him the only way to get out of a slump is to keep shooting. He scored nine second-half points, including a 3-pointer late in the game, that really helped us seal the (66-47) win.”
Against South Kent, the Highlanders were down to only seven players as three players — Bilis, freshman Jaiden Paniagua of Naugatuck, who Fitzpatrick described as the team’s most improved player, and junior Colby Calabrese of Watertown, were in New York representing Chase at the Model United Nations.
At Monday’s practice, the Highlanders were back at full strength.
Chase’s last loss was to Master’s on Feb. 6. Chase won the previous meeting. Last year, the Highlanders lost to Watkinson in the league tournament quarterfinals.

BRISTOL EASTERN 57, BRISTOL CENTRAL 51
Bristol Eastern (5-15): Carter Dziedzic 4 5 13, Jahcyrus Lawrence-Bynum 1 1 3, Bryce Curtin 2 0 5, Elijah Parent 6 7 23, Jordyn Tate 0 0 0, Trini Otero 0 1 1, Isaac Dubay 1 0 3, Ben Chiasson 0 0 0, Matt D’Amato 0 0 0, Tyler Donohue 4 0 9, Ryan Fradette 0 0 0, Elijah Borgelin 0 0 0. Totals: 18 14 57.
Bristol Central (8-12): Victor Rosa 0 0 0, Royan Buchanan 1 0 3, Austin Brown 0 1 1, Nathan Rosa 0 0 0, Shane Ouellette 1 0 2, Damion Glasper 0 0 0, Sean Wininger 0 0 0, Donovan Clingan 12 11 35, Ryan Rodriguez 5 0 10. Totals: 19 13 51.
Bristol Eastern 9 16 19 13—57
Bristol Central 8 11 20 12—51
3-pointers: BE—Parent 4, Curtin 1, Dubay 1, Donohue 1.

The Wamogo High boys basketball team wrapped up an undefeated regular season Tuesday night, beating Nonnewaug, 67-31. The Warriors finish 20-0, just the eighth Berkshire League team since 1984 to go the whole regular season without a loss.

Wamogo advanced to the state final last year and will be the top seed in Division III this season.

First up, though, will be the BL tournament that begins Saturday.

BY JASON LEVY

LITCHFIELD – Tuesday night provided the perfect exclamation point to what so far has been a perfect season for the Wamogo High boys basketball team.

In front of a packed home crowd, the Warriors cruised past Nonnewaug, 67-31, to finish the regular season with a 20-0 record after previously clinching the program’s first outright Berkshire League regular season title since 1973.

“This was our goal at the beginning of the year and now that we’re here, it’s surreal,” said senior Reid Turtoro, who scored 18 points to surpass the 1,000-point mark (1,008) for his career. “We’re the first team in Wamogo history to do it, so obviously that’s a huge honor. I’m just really proud of all my teammates and everyone. We played together all year. Our chemistry is amazing and that’s what got it done for us.”

Ethan Collins scored a game-high 19 points, including 12 in the first quarter to help push Wamogo (18-0 in the BL) to a 23-3 edge after eight minutes. James Gengenbach led Nonnewaug (15-4, 14-4) with 12 points. The Chiefs entered the game locked into the No. 2 seed in the BL.

“I think my teammates did a good job of finding me when I was open and I was able to hit layups,” Collins said about his hot start.

The Warriors dominated their opponents all season, with the smallest margin of victory coming in the last game of 2018, a 63-56 decision over Somers. They followed with a 60-51 win over Shepaug to start 2019 and 13 of the ensuing 14 contests were won by at least 21 points.

“I never expected that we would be in a situation where it would be night after night that we would be holding people down like this,” Wamogo coach Gregg Hunt said. “And the key to everything is how we play defense.”

It’s been a long uphill climb for the senior class that includes Turtoro, Garrett Sattazahn, Sean Coffey, Jasper Broadhead and Jesse Grffin. Wamogo won two games in 2013-14 and five in 2014-15 before the current class joined the program.

“As freshmen, we took our fair share of beatings,” Turtoro said. “We lost games a lot of games, by 40 or 50, so to be able to turn it around, I don’t think any of us really expected this as freshmen, but we all worked hard and it’s a perfect way to go out. But we’re not done yet.”

Wamogo will host a to-be-determined No. 8 seed to open the BL tournament at 4 p.m. Saturday. Hunt knows no one on the team wants to walk away from the tourney empty handed.

“We’ve been on the other end, upsetting league champions in the league tournament the last two years,” Hunt said. “We want to make sure that it doesn’t happen a third year in a row.”

Turtoro surpassed 1,000 points on a pull-up jumper with 1:31 remaining in the second quarter — a feat he was eager to get out of the way early. The game was paused momentarily so his teammates and fans could celebrate.

“Reid has come a long way as a basketball player,” Hunt said. “He’s always made big shots, he had some clutch shots even as a freshman and he’s just kept going. He’s gotten better as a basketball player on both ends of the floor every year. This is as much the way he plays defense as he shoots the ball.”

ST. PAUL 74, WILBY 40
Wilby (2-18): Andres Urena 2 0 6, Shariffdeen Bilewu 0 2 2, Raekwon James 5 1 12, Jonathan Matias 1 0 2, Jeremiah Tripp 4 1 11, Zaharius Shelton 1 0 2, Gio Cruz 1 0 2, Yetyem DeJesus 1 1 3. Totals: 15 5 40.
St. Paul (9-11): Jack Noli 1 2 4, Ryan Sulvester 1 0 2, Noah Waters 2 2 6, Donovan Symes 4 4 12, A.J. Brooks 0 2 2, Will Barton 0 0 0, Christian Peterson 1 0 2, Tom Lorenzetti 0 0 0, Rudy Otero 0 1 1, Alex Partka 0 1 1, Joe Leone 5 4 18, Quentin Conner 1 0 2, Tyler Garry 8 3 24. Totals: 23 19 74.
Wilby 7 10 11 12—40
St. Paul 19 21 12 22—74
3-point goals: W—Urena 2, Tripp 2, James 1. SP—Garry 5, Leone 4.

SACRED HEART 61, TORRINGTON 51
Torrington (15-5): Dontae Thomas 2 1 6, Joel Villanueva 1 0 2, C.J. Root 1 0 3, Kevin Dixon 10 1 21, Zach McLaughlin 0 0 0, Tyreek Davis 6 3 16, Nick Balducci 1 0 3, Ben Smith 0 0 0, Brian Ballesteros 0 0 0. Totals: 21 5 51.
Sacred Heart (19-1): Omar Rowe 5 0 11, Connor Tierney 6 1 14, Caleb Sampson 1 0 2, Jamaal Waters 8 7 24, Steve Alseph 0 0 0, Justice Carter 0 0 0, Tre Duncan 1 0 2, Nyron Drunnamanio 0 0 0, Brady Perrotti 1 0 3, Lorenzo Washington 2 0 5. Totals: 24 8 61.
Torrington 15 8 12 16—51
Sacred Heart 20 14 15 12—61
3-point goals: T—Thomas 1, Balducci 1, Davis 1, Root 1. SH— Rowe 1, Tierney 1, Waters 1, Perrotti 1, Washington 1.
Note: Waters 17 rebounds.

NAUGATUCK 75, CROSBY 66
Naugatuck (15-5): John Lukau 11 7 35, Derrick Jagello 2 0 5, Avery Hinnant 0 1 1, Gwayne Fisher 3 2 8, Ese Onakpoma 2 2 8, Shane Carey 1 0 2, Keywan Garris 3 2 11, Justin Barth 0 0 0, Andrew Robertson 2 0 6, Jay Mezzo 0 0 0, Chris Jackson 0 0 0. Totals: 24 15 75.
Crosby (12-7): Jordan Santos 0 0 0, Kerwin Prince 15 6 36, Rahmel Reid 4 2 11, Justin Davis 7 2 19, Jonathan Rivera 0 0 0, Alex Batista 0 0 0, Jose Soares 0 0 0, Shaq Barbabee 0 0 0. Totals: 26 8 66.
Naugatuck 14 18 24 19—75
Crosby 11 22 14 19—66
3-point goals: N—Lukau 6, Jagello 1, Onakpoma 2, Garris 3; C—Reid 1, Davis 3.

WAMOGO 67, NONNEWAUG 31
Nonnewaug (15-4): Colby Steinfeld 0 0 0, Brendan Burke 0 0 0, Jackson Baker 0 1 1, Benjamin Conti 1 1 3, Ryan Tomkalski 1 2 4, Tyler Lindberg 3 1 7, Jon Khazzaka 0 2 2, Jarrett Michaels 1 0 2, Cosmo Loving 0 0 0, Justin Southard 0 0 0, James Gengenbach 6 0 12, Kellen Herman 0 0 0, Anthony Bambino 0 0 0. Totals: 12 7 31.
Wamogo (19-0): Sean Coffey 2 0 4, Reid Turtoro 8 0 18, Cole Higgins 0 0 0, Ethan Collins 8 3 19, Ben Roy 1 0 2 Matt Mazzarelli 3 0 7, Garret Sattazahn 5 0 10, Jesse Griffin 0 0 0, Eric Odenwaelder 3 0 7, Jasper Broadhead 0 0 0, Colin Ferrer 0 0 0, Logan Marti 0 0 0, Jeff Mosimann 0 0 0, Charlie Coffey 0 0 0. Totals: 30 3 67.
Nonnewaug 3 7 8 13—31
Wamogo 23 15 14 15—67
3-point goals: W—Turtoro 2, Mazzarelli 1, Odenwaelder 1

WCA 95, DERBY 63
Derby (8-12): Zerion Montgomery 6 1 13, Shymar Robinson 2 0 5, Tim Jordan 2 1 5, Jahwan Cody 11 1 27, Davont Addison 2 1 6, Monte Peppers 2 0 4, Ken Little III 0 0 0, Dennis Hicks 0 0 0, Telly Vasquez 1 1 3, Deondre Foggie 0 0 0. Totals: 26 5 63.
WCA (12-8): Langstun Racine 9 1 21, Jaden Stallworth 1 2 5, Khalil Simon 0 0 0, Kobi Hunter 1 0 2, Gerald Council 1 1 3, Marquan Watson 16 3 36, Jonathan Edwards 2 3 7, Rafael Prado 0 0 0, Darrell Coombs 0 0 0, Zion Lott 5 0 12, Lawrence Lazaro 3 1 7, Justin Parker 0 0 0, Taj’amar Vines 1 0 2, Cyris Smith 0 0 0, Trevonne Hightower 0 0 0. Totals: 39 11 95.
Derby 11 19 19 14—63
WCA 25 22 30 18—95
3-point goals: D—Cody 4, Robinson 1, Addison 1; WCA—Racine 2, Lott 2, Stallworth 1, Watson 1.
Note: Watson 5 steals, Racine 8 rebounds, 6 steals.

OXFORD 69, WATERTOWN 66
Oxford (5-13): Tanner Soracco 7 0 14, Charles Flowers 10 3 26, Hunter Keller 1 0 3, Cayden Mitchell 3 0 9, Patrick Mucherino 4 4 12, Jared Pettinella 0 0 0, Nicholas Wheeler 0 2 2, Matt Michaud 1 0 3. Totals: 26 9 69.
Watertown (2-18): Moni Jusufi 4 2 11, David Aquavia 1 2 4, Camden Garcia 8 5 23, Tyson Torsiello 1 2 4, Matthew Morrissey 6 1 13, Brian McWhirt 0 0 0, Nasim Pocesta 3 0 6, Danny Toroveci 0 0 0, Cameron Guerrera 2 0 5. Totals: 25 12 66.
Oxford 16 16 15 22—69
Watertown 17 16 15 18—66
3-point goals: O—Flowers 3, Mitchell 3, Keller 1, Michaud 1. W—Jusufi 1, Garcia 2, Guerrera 1.

HOLY CROSS 54, ANSONIA 52
Ansonia (10-9): Sheldon Schuler 2 0 4, Martin Antoine 2 5 9, Alfonso Smith 6 4 16, Glenn Hines 6 2 14, John Nimons 0 0 0, Devonte Weaver 0 0 0, Seth Roselle 3 2 9. Totals: 19 13 52.
Holy Cross (12-8): Akili Evans 6 0 16, Jahvon Myrthil 1 0 3, Qaron Brown 0 0 0, Kyle Moser 3 1 8, Gaely Etienne 1 1 4, Jack Greene 4 0 8, Alex Ward 2 1 6, Sam Henderlite 0 0 0, Arthur Pappas 1 2 5, Kyle Lombardi 1 0 2, Jack Schiavone 0 1 1, Andre Stevenson 0 0 0, Will Greene 0 0 0. Totals: 19 6 54.
Ansonia 13 12 18 9—52
Holy Cross 9 14 10 21—54
3-point goals: A—Roselle 1; HC—Moser 1, Etienne 1, Evans 2, Ward 1, Pappas 1, Mythil 1.

CHASE 76, MASTERS 71
Chase (12-7): Rafael Mahario 7 2 16, Anthony Molina 10 0 26, Rob Jones 4 0 10, Stefanos Bilis 2 0 4, Jamal Clarke 9 2 20, Rohan Singh 0 0 0, Evan Harte 0 0 0, Neel Avancha 0 0 0, Howard Fu 0 0 0, Colby Calabrese 0 0 0. Totals: 32 4 76.
Masters (10-10): Troy Mckoy 9 4 28, Luke Roman 0 0 0, Joe Markelon 6 1 16, Brandyn Garcia 8 1 19, Robbie Shelansly 3 0 8; Nathan Lagan 0 0 0. Totals: 26 6 71.
Halftime: Chase 33-28.
3-point goals: C — Jones 2, Molina 6; M — Mckoy 6; Markelon 3; Shelansly 2

PLAINVILLE 81, WOLCOTT TECH 38
Wolcott Tech (2-16): Anthony Peterson 1 0 2, Jacob Fogarty 1 1 3, Connor Tyrian 1 0 2, Chris Speaker 11 5 27, Blake Sanford 1 13, Jaden Ortiz 0 0 0, Luis Sanchez 0 0 0. Totals: 15 7 38.
Plainville (9-11): Sam Lestini 2 4 8, Dave Stephens 5 1 19, Ryan Snyder 3 2 8, AJ Lestini 2 0 4, Ben Dougherty 3 0 6, Brody Collum 2 1 5, Peyton Warmat 5 2 12, Javan Paradin 3 1 7, Alec Couture 6 0 17. Totals: 26 11 81.
Wolcott Tech 14 5 14 5—38
Plainville 19 30 13 19—81
3-point goals: P—Couture 5, Stephens 3.

POMPERAUG 47, JOEL BARLOW 43
Pomperaug (3-17): Dion Zhuta 4 5 14, Cam Collette 4 0 8, Andrew Doan 0 2 2, Dan Minchella 1 0 3, Jack Messina 2 2 7, Chase Breyer 3 2 9, Spencer Dragone 0 0 0, Noah Fradkin 0 0 0. Totals: 16 11 47.
Joel Barlow (6-14): Danny Mangieri 6 0 15, Clark Gilmore 3 3 10, Debby Hurlbut 0 0 0, James Menapace 1 0 3, Jake McNamara 1 0 3, Carter Janki 0 1 1, Austin DeLuca 0 0 0, Thomas Richetelli 4 1 9, Jarrid Moriber 0 2 2. Totals: 15 7 43.
Pomperaug 11 10 11 15—47
Joel Barlow 5 19 11 8—43
3-point goals: P—Zhuta 1, Minchella 1, Messina 1, Breyer 1. JB—Mangieri 3, Gilmore 1, Menapace 1 , McNamara 1.
Note: Ortale 9 rebounds.

With one game left in the regular season, there are only two certainties for the Berkshire League boys basketball tournament that starts Saturday: Wamogo is the top seed and Nonnewaug No. 2. All of the other seeds are up for grabs.

There are four games Thursday night: Northwestern at Litchfield, Thomaston at Gilbert, Shepaug at Housatonic and Lewis Mills at Terryville.

Here are the current standings: Wamogo 18-0, Nonnewaug 14-4, Shepaug 10-7, Litchfield 9-8, Gilbert 8-9, Lewis Mills 8-9, Northwestern 7-10, Terryville 6-11, Housatonic 5-12, Thomaston 1-16.

The first BL tiebreaker is head-to-head competition, including “mini-leagues” if more than two teams tie. The next tiebreaker is comparing records against top teams in descending order.

Here are the possible scenarios depending on what happens Thursday night:

If Litchfield and Shepaug tie for third place at 10-8:
They split in the regular season, so Litchfield would be third seed for its win over second-place Nonnewaug.

If Litchfield, Gilbert and Lewis Mills all tie for fourth place at 9-9:
Each was 2-2 in their mini-league, so …
Litchfield would be fourth seed because of its win over Nonnewaug …
Gilbert would be fifth seed because it was 2-0 vs. Northwestern while Lewis Mills was 1-1.

If Gilbert and Lewis Mills tie for fifth at 9-9 or 8-10:
They split in the regular season, so Gilbert would be fifth seed because it was 2-0 vs. Northwestern while Lewis Mills went 1-1.

If Gilbert, Lewis Mills and Northwestern tie for fifth place at 8-10:
Gilbert was 3-1 in their mini-league and would be fifth seed; Lewis Mills was 2-2 and would be sixth seed; Northwestern was 1-3 and would be seventh seed.

If Gilbert and Northwestern tie for sixth place at 8-10:
Gilbert would be sixth seed because it was 2-0 vs. Northwestern.

If Lewis Mills and Northwestern tie for sixth place at 8-10:
They split in the regular season, so Northwestern would be sixth seed because of its win over Nonnewaug.

If Northwestern and Terryville tie for seventh place at 7-11:
Northwestern would be seventh seed because it was 2-0 vs. Terryville.

If Housatonic and Terryville tie for eighth place at 6-12:
They split in the regular season, so Housatonic would get the eighth seed because of a win over Shepaug (which it would have to beat Thursday to get into the tie).

BY MARK JAFFEE
REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN
The Naugatuck High boys basketball team needed a win on the road Tuesday at Crosby to secure the Iron Division title with defending division champion Torrington and Wolcott both within striking distance.
“It was definitely on our minds,” Greyhounds coach Mike Wilson said. “We wanted it very badly. We lost some heartbreakers in the past, and some tough battles, and this year, too.”
Naugatuck’s John Lukau scored 35 points to lead the Greyhounds to a 75-66 win over the Bulldogs.
The Greyhounds (15-5, 15-3 NVL) have won 10 in a row and 13 of their last 14 games after a lackluster 2-4 start.
Though Naugatuck, Torrington (15-5, 14-4 NVL) and Wolcott (13-7, 12-6 NVL) all had 6-2 Iron Division records and the Greyhounds split the season series with both schools, the Greyhounds won the tie-breaker with the better NVL record.
“The kids are playing together,” Wilson said. “They’re playing for the name on (the front of the) jersey instead of the name on their back. They have been very unselfish. We have had seven or eight different players leading us in scoring in games. We played nine or 10 guys on a given night, including two freshmen (Avery Hinnant and Ese Onakpoma). That has been a big benefit.”
Another plus has been the overall play of junior captain Derrick Jagello, the lone captain.
“Derrick Jagello is my steady Eddie and calming influence,” Wilson said. “He doesn’t get too high or too low. He’s always effective in all facets of the game. He brings big value to our team. Individual numbers don’t mean much. Derek is a lunchpail type of kid. He comes to work and makes a difference every time he steps on the court and everyone else is buying into what we are doing.”
Including Lukau. The team’s leading scorer the past two seasons has seen his numbers drop this season, but his overall game has improved. That has made the Greyhounds better.
Besides Lukau, the other seniors are Gwayne Fisher, Andrew Robertson, Shane Carey, Jesse Lanci and Michael Amankwah.
The Greyhounds, who had the day off Wednesday because of the weather, have a short turnaround in preparation for another meeting with Crosby.
The teams play in the Naugatuck Valley League tournament Saturday at 12:45 p.m. at Wilby High.
“I received that surprise (Wednesday),” Wilson said. “Oh, goodness gracious. We’ve beaten Crosby maybe twice in 10 years and we have to try to do it again back-to-back. We have to play 10 times better than we did Tuesday. I don’t think we executed well or handled game situations well. Another win would give us a confidence boost. Last year, we lost to Waterbury Career Academy in the first round. That is definitely still on our minds.
“But in the NVL tournament, we are playing with house money. We’re already invested. We made it and were given the opportunity and it can only help us for the CIAC Division III tournament. We have a shot to do well.”
Reach Mark Jaffee at mjaffee@rep-am.com or follow him on Twitter@TheRealJaffman

Berkshire League boys basketball tournament
Saturday’s first round
Terryville at Wamogo, TBA
Northwestern at Nonnewaug, TBA
Lewis Mills at Shepaug, TBA
Gilbert at Litchfield, 6 p.m.
Tuesday’s semifinals
at Lewis Mills, 5:30, 7 p.m.
Final, Friday, March 1
at Lewis Mills, 6 or 7 p.m.