By Michael Letendre 

NEW HAVEN – Are you ready for the CIAC boys Division II Championship game?

Well, the crew over at Bristol Central sure is and as of Wednesday night, the time and date for the championship tilt against No. 2 Northwest Catholic has been revealed.

And the title bout, the most anticipated championship showdown in the state of Connecticut winter, will be the final event from the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville on Saturday night.

The Division II boys championship has been slated for March 19 at 8:15 p.m.

And after a long day of scholastic basketball play, was there any other way to cap off night one from Uncasville?

Central enters the showdown with a perfect 27-0 ledger while the Lions (25-2) aren’t far off that mark.

Northwest’s two losses this season have come against Wilbur Cross (72-68) on December 18 and against Central (63-56) in the title game of the Central Connecticut Conference finals back on March 3 (63-56).

Frankly, this championship showdown is a no-miss event and hopefully, the city of Bristol makes its presence known in Uncasville.

We’ll focus a little more on what Central should expect against Northwest over the next couple days in The Bristol Edition.

This Weekend’s Big Games…

While the Central/Northwest contest is slated as the main event on Saturday, the final game of the tournament on Sunday will feature the boys Division I title bout.

And some way, somehow, East Catholic is back in the championship fray after a grueling regular season.

No. 8 East Catholic takes its shot at No. 2 Notre Dame-West Haven in what should be a very good game.

In other boys title bouts in boys play, top-rated Kolbe Cathedral is in the finals in Division III, taking on third ranked Daniel Hand at 3 p.m. on Saturday and in Division IV, it’s a bit of a surprise.

No. 4 Granby and No. 6 Bloomfield made it to the championship round (Sunday, 12:30 p.m.) and Sports and Medical Sciences Academy (ranked second) is in its first ever title showdown and drew No. 8 Windham in what should be a competitive title contest in Division V.

That Division V showdown will be the first title game played in Uncasville on Saturday, starting at 10 a.m.

The Bracket

Just in case you haven’t been paying attention, here’s the complete bracket – a road map – of Bristol Central’s journey to the finals in Uncasville this year over postseason play:

DIVISION II – FIRST ROUND

No. 1 Bristol Central – Bye; Amistad 65, Amity 62; Waterford 65, Enfield 31; Staples 70, Sheehan 23; No. 4 Wilton – Bye; Newtown 50, Avon 38; No. 5 Holy Cross – Bye; St. Joseph 77, Newington 61

No. 2 Northwest Catholic – Bye; Greenwich 43, Simsbury 34; No. 7 Crosby – Bye; Stamford 65, Stratford 62; No. 3 Conard – Bye; Westhill 70, Xavier 47; No. 6 Prince Tech – Bye; Middletown 58, Jonathan Law 47

SECOND ROUND

Bristol Central 65, Amistad 38; Waterford 51, Staples 48 (OT); Wilton 57, Newtown 49; Holy Cross 69, St. Joseph 58

Northwest Catholic 72, Greenwich 45; Crosby 62, Stamford 57; Conard 70, Westhill 61; Middletown 71, Prince Tech 52

QUARTERFINALS

Bristol Central 70, Waterford 48; Wilton 63, Holy Cross 62

Northwest Catholic 101, Crosby 63; Conard 55, Middletown 43

SEMIFINALS

Bristol Central 54, Wilton 52 (OT); Northwest Catholic 62, Conard 35

FINALS

No. 1 Bristol Central (27-0) vs. No. 2 Northwest Catholic (25-2) at Mohegan Sun Arena, 3/19, 8:15 p.m.