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 unbeaten in the tournament final, the Rams took control early and led by as many as 21 points 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 advantage as they converted a missed 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.
