 |
| WCA began the Division II boys state tournament with a convincing win over Middletown. (Copyright, Sports on CT-69, 2018 file) |
A change in venue couldn’t stop the No. 11 WCA boys basketball team on Tuesday night.
Neither could No. 22 Middletown.
The Spartans, playing at The Palace at Crosby High School due to the small size of the WCA gym, led by 15 points at halftime and cruised to a 72-54 victory in their Division II first round game. WCA is scheduled to play at No. 6 Glastonbury on Thursday at 7 p.m., weather permitting. A nor’easter is impacting the state today, and it could linger into the early morning tomorrow.
Marquan Watson dunked his way to 20 points plus 10 rebounds and three blocks. Point guard Jadan Battle scored and passed his way to 18 points and 10 assists. Jessah Doctor added 10 points and five rebounds.
WCA is motivated by the heartbreaking loss it suffered against eventual state champion Trinity Catholic in the Class S semifinals last season. The Spartans will need to get through Glastonbury in the second round to advance in this year’s tournament.
STORY: Here’s what Joe Palladino wrote for The Hoop Zone.
Also in Division II, fourth-seeded Bristol Central (18-5) now knows who it is scheduled to host Thursday at 7 p.m. The opponent will be No. 13 Wilton, who knocked off fellow FCIAC school and No. 20 Norwalk 74-53 in the first round Tuesday. The Rams and Warriors both have plenty of height, so interior play could be pivotal on Thursday.
In Division IV, No. 27 Kaynor Tech lost 82-54 to No. 6 SMSA. It was the final game for Panther seniors Christian Daniels, Zach Maisto, Ryan Wilson, Darren Guerrera, James Hannon, Sydney Asiedu and Conor Riley. Kaynor Tech finished with a record of 9-14.
Class S Diving
Marcas Racevicius of Holy Cross finished third in the meet with 371.30 points. Sheehan’s Andrew Buehler won the competition, which was held at Plainville High School.
Nathan Sideris, Madison Smith and Jessica Borduas also competed for Holy Cross.
Class LL Diving
Three locals competed in the meet, held at Hamden High School.
Briana Montoya-Medina and Megan Romaniello took part in the meet for the Crosby/WCA co-op, and Sebastian Rutkowski dove for the Bristol Co-op (Central, Eastern, St. Paul).
Kevin Bradley of Norwalk/McMahon won the title.
