Yesterday was the Central Connecticut Conference Championship (CCC), a face-off between the Donovan Clingan-led Bristol Central Rams, and Matt Curtis and the star-studded Northwest Catholic Lions. The final score at Enfield High on Thursday was 63-56, with Bristol Central finishing on top.
Bristol Central sits at 24-0 going into the State Tournament, while the number two seeded Northwest Catholic is 22-2.
The title game proved to be Bristol Central's closest game yet, a constant back and forth battle between Clingan and Curtis. Clingan's stat line was borderline impossible, putting up 45 points, 28 rebounds, and six blocks on the night. He told the Hartford Courant, "It means a lot to win this, 24-0 on the year, it means a lot." The driving force for the Rams this year, Clingan hopes to keep up his impeccable play for a chance to hit the court at the Mohegan Sun Arena later this month.
Curtis put up 38 points in the effort, yet "it wasn't enough to get the job done." Curtis also stated that he believes that his team fought hard, but the Rams ultimately overpowered the Lions in the end. We'll see if Curtis and the Northwest Catholic squad can bounce back after this loss and go on an early state tournament run.
Badara Diakite was in early foul trouble for NC, as he picked up two fouls in the first four minutes guarding Clingan one-on-one. Yet, Northwest Catholic truly held their own throughout the whole game, keeping it tight through the fourth quarter. Clingan had 14 in the final stretch to close out the game.
The Class L state tournament begins next week, and my early prediction is that Bristol Central wins it all. They are looking unstoppable this season, Donovan Clingan has proved that nobody can stop him at the high school level.
Gabe Barile
Gabriel Takes
(edited by Andrew Fleig)
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