By Michael Letendre
ENFIELD – All eyes are going to be on the finals of the Central Connecticut Conference Boys Tournament come Thursday evening as the two top rated squads in the league will square off over an epic 32-minute showdown.
And there’s more than just the CCC Tournament championship on the line as No. 1 Bristol Central (23-0) tangles against No. 2 Northwest Catholic (22-1) from Enfield high school at 7 p.m.
When you have two teams that carry a combined record of 45-1 at this point of the year, it’s a big deal.
And those two squads aren’t just the two top programs in the CCC but are the top ranked programs in Connecticut.
In the latest GameTimeCT state poll, Bristol Central is number one with all the first-place votes besides one. That lone first place tally belongs to No. 2 Northwest Catholic.
This is going to be a tremendous battle and one heck of a challenge for Central – looking for its first 24-0 start since 1989-90.
Coming into the contest, Central has won a school record 38 straight games while looking to defend its CCC Tournament crown from last year.
The contest will pit two of the top coaches in the state as well, bringing together Central’s Tim Barrette and Northwest’s John Mirabello.
And both coaches share several similar qualities.
The two men are the winningest coaches in their program’s history, both know the game inside and out and the duo are great mentors for the players that compete for them – elevating those young men and the schools they represent.
And, of course, both of those outstanding men love their respective programs and community.
“Every game, I’m blessed to be here and be their coach,” said Barrette. “My guys play really hard.”
Central All-State center Donovan Clingan (29.4 points-per-game) is on the cusp of 2,100 career points and has easily been the tournament MVP through three games.
He’s scored 91 points in CCC Tournament play (30.3 ppg) while posting 38 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 blocks – a slick triple-double – in the 73-58 win over Middletown in quarterfinal round play.
He dropped 28 points, 24 rebounds, and rejected six shots in the semifinal round versus Windsor while opening tournament play against Lewis Mills with 25 points, 17 rebounds, and three blocked shots.
That’s 18.7 rebounds and 6.3 blocked shots-per-game to go along with those 30-plus points in CCC tourney play.
However, it’s hardly a one man show at Bristol Central.
Damion Glasper has been a rock at shooting guard, hitting 10 three-pointers in postseason play while averaging 16.3 ppg.
When double-teams come Clingan’s way, Glasper has been looking to score and doing so at critical times.
Steve Alseph (7.3 ppg, three 3s) directs traffic to near perfection while supplying one 3 per tournament game.
His defense and leadership are certainly underrated.
Victor Rosa, who somehow didn’t make the CCC South All-Conference team, knows his value is on the defensive end and in Central’s passing schemes.
But Rosa will attack the hoop with zest, make his share of 3s, and is capable of double-figure scoring.
And does anyone want the ball more than Carson Rivoira?
He’s posting five points-per-game over the three CCC Tournament games and his rebounding average is nearly double his scoring output.
Throw in forward Jayson VanBeveran, who can put the ball in the hoop, back-up center Julius Powell, and reserve guard Tre Blair and Barrette has troops off the bench that can produce.
Mason Stokes, Jelani Walton, and Aaron Brown can all spell the starters when necessary.
That’s not a bad deal because all hands will have to be on deck against the Lions.
NWC is a dangerous group, boasting plenty of height and skill at every position.
Matt Curtis could explode for 25 points on any given night and dropped in 32 points over a huge win against Windsor back in early January.
Against Conard on Tuesday night, London Jemison netted 17 points while Gianni Mirabello and Badara Diakite each kicked in 11 over the 16-point victory.
Jehyvic Spencer and Hayden Abdullah are also talented while most of those players mentioned can and will shoot 3s.
Mirabello has made half-a-dozen threes in a game earlier this season, Curtis has ability from deep while London Jemison, Abdullah and Diakite can make 3s as well.
Amazingly, when Central won its opening game of the season from Trinity College, that was the same venue that the Lions lost its only contest of the campaign.
Wilbur Cross was the only team to force Central into an overtime session but only Springfield Central lost to the Rams by less than double-digits (53-44).
On the flip side, Northwest fell to Wilbur Cross back on December 18 (72-68) in Hartford but the Lions have won every game since.
NWC pulled out a win at the buzzer against Windsor (81-80) on January 6, beat Conard by nine (52-43) on February 1, and dropped East Catholic (54-51) on February 15.
On February 19, Notre Dame-West Haven gave the Lions a run (69-60) and now, here we are at the finals of the CCC Tournament.
Pay close attention on Thursday because a rematch between the squads could come in the final game of the CIAC Division II Tournament in about 19 days or so.
And that could be another epic confrontation, this time in Uncasville.
“Obviously, I was hoping to see Northwest Catholic or Conard in the Division II final. Hopefully, this is just a repeat of what we see on March 20” at Mohegan Sun Arena said Barrette.
