That’s right, there’s more than one event of the day today. Both involve Holy Cross, and both are big. The first one is swimming and diving at 4 p.m., followed by a boys basketball showdown at 7 p.m. Here are some details:
Naugatuck at Holy Cross boys swimming and diving
4 p.m., Kennedy High School
As pointed out by Mark Jaffee in his preview for the Waterbury Republican-American, this is a big meet. Both teams come in undefeated in the NVL, and Holy Cross senior tri-captain Zach Mason looked to drum up support from his fellow students on Twitter.
“Come support swimming at 4:00 tomorrow vs Naugy at Kennedy,” Mason wrote Thursday. “This is our biggest meet of the season and we need the support!”
Holy Cross won the league title last year, but Naugatuck is looking to take it back for the first time since 2010.
On a side note, this meet is the first of two at Kennedy today. Sacred Heart hosts Torrington at 7 p.m.
Holy Cross at Sacred Heart boys basketball
7 p.m., Alumni Hall
Well, it’s Holy Cross’ turn to see where it stands against the best the NVL has to offer. The Crusaders are 10-2 and have won five straight games, but this will be the biggest challenge they have faced all season. Holy Cross has a very balanced scoring attack, led by six-foot-three senior guard Jonathan Mowatt’s 13.4 points per game (MaxPreps stats). Six-foot-two senior forward Justin Strielkauskas comes in at 12.8, followed by six-foot-three sophomore guard Nyzair Rountree (11.4), and six-foot-two sophomore forward DeAndre Wallace (10.5), and those are just the guys averaging double figures. Two other players hit for 7.1 or more points per contest.
Sacred Heart also comes in with two losses (11-2), but both were against tough foes out of state. The Hearts have yet to be dented in the NVL, and there’s a chance they could go undefeated through the league. They are that good. Auburn-bound senior Mustapha Heron leads the way, averaging nearly 30 points per game, but there’s more to contend with than just him. There’s UMass-bound senior Tyrn Flowers, a threat anywhere on the floor. Oh yeah, there’s also senior guard Charles Fisher, sophomore guard Raheem Solomon, and senior forward John Riddick. The Hearts have one of the tallest teams in the state (Riddick 6-foot-9, Flowers 6-8, Heron 6-6, Solomon 6-2, Fisher 6-0), and their height and length will be difficult for any team to overcome.
It’s the renewal of a city rivalry tonight, except this one has much more spark than games of recent years. We’ll see if Holy Cross can hang with Sacred Heart. No one in the NVL has been able to yet.
