Notre Dame Holds off Foran to Advance to Seventh Straight SCC Final
Playing in its first-ever SCC semifinal, the fourth-seeded Foran Lions gave top-seeded Notre Dame all it could handle for before the Green Knights prevailed, 73-56, in the SCC boys basketball semifinals before a sold-out crowd at Branford High School.
Notre Dame used an 11-5 run to close out the first quarter and take an eight-point lead. The Green Knights extended their lead to 10, 28-18, but the Lions responded with a 9-6 run to cut the lead to five, 34-29 at halftime. Abdul Toure and Eli Ssenyange each had eight first-half points for the Green Knights, while Jaxson Staples had nine for the Lions.
Foran remained in within five points until Notre Dame went on a 9-3 run to close out the third quarter. Landon Krygier’s three layups sandwiched a Toure dunk to give the Green Knights a comfortable 60-44 lead 2:30 into the final quarter. Foran’s Riley Young (8 points) and John Johnson kept the Lions within 11 with key baskets, but Notre Dame scored the final six points for the final 17-point margin of victory.
“Credit to Foran for executing their game plan. We came out a little slow, but showed more intention in the second half,” Notre Dame head coach Jason Shea said.
The Green Knights (20-2) advance to their seventh straight SCC title game on Wednesday versus the winner of Hillhouse and West Haven. Notre Dame is the three-time defending league champion and will seek to win its fourth straight title – a league record. Wilbur Cross won three straight titles from 1998 to 2000.
“It means a lot to everyone in this program to sustain this level of success,” Shea explained. “We look forward to the challenge on Wednesday at Quinnipiac.”
Four ND players finished in double figures, led by Toure’s 18 points. Krygier scored 13 of his 14 points in the second half, and Ssenyange and Kadrian Reeves each added 11.
Foran (18-5) was led by Johnson’s 13 points. Joe Meade contributed 11 points, including three three-pointers, and Jackson Doyle added 10.
“It was a great experience in this environment, and we battled them for three-plus quarters,” Foran head coach Ian Kirkpatrick said. “Notre Dame is very good, but I am really proud of our team. We can focus now on learning from this and get ready for the state tournament (Division III).”
Notre Dame 23-11-18-21 = 73
Foran 15-14-12-15 = 56
Leading Scorers
Notre Dame – Abdul Toure (18 points)
Foran – John Johnson (13 points)
Records:
Notre Dame (20-2), Foran (18-5)
Hillhouse Uses Second-Half Explosion to Defeat West Haven
After a back-and-forth first half that ended with a 30-30 tie, second-seeded Hillhouse outscored West Haven, 40-18, in the final 16 minutes to earn a 70-48 victory in the SCC semifinals before a packed crowd at Branford High School.
The Academics scored the first nine points of the contest before the Blue Devils scored their first points with 4:08 left in the first quarter. Hillhouse extended its lead to 21-12 before West Haven used a 18-9 run over the last six minutes to make it 30-30 at halftime.
Lohson Roman and K’naan Morris each scored nine first-half points for the Blue Devils. Jared Coleman had nine first-half points for Hillhouse.
The Academics opened the second half by scoring 10 straight points in the first three minutes to take the lead for good. Hillhouse extended its lead to as many as 25, 64-39, with 4:40 left in the contest.
Hillhouse (18-4) will make its third straight SCC championship game appearance, facing top-seeded Notre Dame again. It will be the Academics’ league-best 18 championship game and they will seek their eighth league title. Hillhouse’s last SCC title came back in 2017, when it defeated Notre Dame before a packed crowd at Quinnipiac.
“It is a credit to the seven seniors on this team to get back to the SCC final,” Hillhouse head coach Renard Sutton said. “They showed leadership and resilience, and you saw that in the second half.”
Coleman finished with a game-high 20 points for Hillhouse, while Jordan Sirabionian scored 15 and Avery Sutton added 11 points.
West Haven (17-6), which was making its second straight SCC semifinal appearance, was led by Morris (team-high 13 points). Bryan Tillman contributed 10 points.
“It was a tale of two halves,” West Haven head coach Ty Sullivan “We showed a lot of fight in the first half and put ourselves in a great position. Credit to Hillhouse; this is a great rivalry and we will now set our sights on getting back to the state final.”
Hillhouse 19-11-18-22 = 70
West Haven 10-20-4-14 = 48
Leading Scorers
Hillhouse – Jared Coleman (20 points)
West Haven – K’naan Morris (13 points)
Records:
Hillhouse (18-4), West Haven (17-6)
