Bristol Central Wins Overtime Thriller for 2021 Tournament Title

Donovan Clingan rebounded a missed foul shot with 14 seconds left in overtime then raced down the court to set up under the hoop where teammate Victor Rosa found hime with a high pass with five seconds remaining.  With three East Catholic defenders draped around him, the 7 ft 1 junior bounced a layup off the glass for the game winning basket as Bristol Central stunned  top ranked East Catholic 69-68 to win its first CCC tournament title since 2003.

In a clash of uinbeatens in the tournament final, the Rams took control early and led by as many as 21 poiints early in the third quarter. But the defending champion Eagles, who came into the game as the number one ranked team in the state, rallied  in the fourth quarter and eventually tied the game at 55-55 with just under three minutes left. East Catholic took the lead for the first time on a three-pointer by Matt Houde at the two minute mark, but the Rams tied it on a pair of Clingan free throws with just over a minute to play. The Eagles held the ball for the final shot but were unable to convert, sending the game into overtime.

The Rams never led in the extra period until the final seconds although the game was tied several times. Both teams struggled at the free throw line in overtime and the Rams took advantahge as they converted a nmissed shot into the game winning basket.

Clingan finished the game with 33 points,  26 rebounds, seven blocks and five assists. In three tournament games he scored 108 points and had 79 rebounds. Seniors Luke Strole and Brody Limric led the way for East Catholic. Strole had 20 points, 18 of those coming as he led the Eagles to the second half comeback. Limric finished with 19 points,. The East Catholic seniors closed out their careers with an overall 80-4 record over four years that included a state championship and two CCC tournament titles.

To reach the finals the Rams had to beat the state 's number 4 (Windsor) and number 2 (Northwest Catholic) ranked teams. Central beat Windsor 73-59 in the opening round and took care of Northwest Catholic 71-60 in the semi finals. East Catholic reached the finals by beating Middletown 82-40 in the quarterinals and dispatching divisional rival  East Hartford 55-38 in the semis. Central finished the season at 15-0.East Catholic ended at 14-1.

 

For the first time in 2021, the CCC ran four  divisional tournaments. Farmington defeated Hall 58-45 to win he Diuvision 2 title, Plainville beat Conard 45-40 for the Division 3 crown and Tolland won the Division 4 tourney with a 59-43 decision over Hartford Public.

 

Championship Bracket

Round 1 - March 22

#8 EO Smith 45, #1 NW Catholic 75
#5 Windsor 59 at #4 Bristol Central 73
#6 Middletown 40,  #3 East Catholic 82
#7 East Hartford 58,  #2 Maloney 57

Semifinals - March 24

Bristol Central 71, Northwest Catholic 60
East Hartford 38, East Catholic 55

Consolation - March 24

Newington 43, EO Smith 66
Middletown 62, Maloney 70

Finals - March 26

Bristol Central 69, East Catholic 68 (OT)

Bracket No. 2

Round 1 March 22

#16 New Britain 43, #9 Simsbury 45
#13 Hall 50,  #12 Glastonbury 38
#14 Berlin 30, #11 Avon 71
#15 Newington 55, #10 Farmington 66

Semifinals - March 24

Hall 62, Simsbury 56
Avon 40, Farmington 57

Consolation

New Britain at Glastonbury

Finals - March 26

Farmington 58, Hall 45

Bracket No. 3

Round 1 March 23

#24 Manchester 87, #17 Southington 57
#21 Rocky Hill 36, #20 Plainville 56
#22 RHAM 51, #19 Platt 57
#23 Conard 49, #18 Lewis Mills 46

Semifinals - March 25

Manchester 70, Plainville 78
Conard 66, Platt 52

Consolation Round

Rocky Hill at Southington
RHAM at Lewis Mills

Finals - March 26

Conard 40, Plainville 45

Bracket No. 4

Round 1 March 23

#32 BYE at #25 Hartford Public
#29 South Windsior 53, #28 Bristol Eastern 62
#30 Enfield 71, #27 Bloomfield 54
#31 Bulkeley 31, #26 Tolland 60

Semifinals - March 25

Bristol Eastern 51, Hartford Public 59
Enfield 46, Tolland 60

Consolation Rund

Bulkeley at South Windsor