The New Britain girls basketball team won a state tournament game last season. This year, the Hurricanes hope to go further.
The Hurricanes are in the newly-formed Division I this year (there are five new divisions instead of Class LL-S) so the task could be more difficult, but they were 7-0 and on top of the rankings before Monday night’s game against Lewis Mills.
Coach Michael Jones, formerly an assistant at Capital Prep, is in his fourth year with the program.
“When I took over our goal was to put New Britain back on the map,” he said. “Right now, they’re playing well. They’re still young, they’re still making young mistakes. But we’re getting there. New Britain seems to be back on the map again.
“I don’t know how Division I is going to work but if we can at least win two games, make a run, make some noise … it would be great to shock somebody. I think we’re one year away but if we can shock someone now, that would be great.”
First, the Hurricanes have to get through the regular season. They have three seniors, including Sha’nya Roberts, whom Jones calls “an undersized post player who does all the dirty work,” and a group of underclassmen who are providing scoring.
Sophomore guard Amelia Faienza is the team’s leading scorer (14 ppg) but junior Jazzy Garcia is right behind her (12 ppg) and sophomore Kayla Roberts (11 ppg) is not far behind both. Last week, sophomore forward Journee Christie had three double-digit games in three New Britain victories.
Northwest Catholic’s Casper close to record
Northwest Catholic senior Abby Casper is closing in on the school scoring record. Casper needs 35 points to break the record (1,629 points) set by Sarah Gaspar in 1993.
Casper is averaging 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Lions, who were 7-0 before Monday’s game against Rocky Hill, are the three-time defending state champions.
Northwest Catholic will play in the Hoophall Classic for the first time Friday against Springfield Central, the top-ranked team in Massachusetts.
“This is a big week for us coming up,” Northwest Catholic coach Allison Connors said Monday afternoon.
Top performances of the week
De’Mya Barrett, Comp Sci: Barrett scored 27 points in a 57-21 win over HMTCA Friday and 25 points in a 76-44 loss to Weaver Wednesday.
Kiley Bohn, St. Paul: Bohn scored 24 points and had seven steals and seven rebounds in a 74-31 victory over Kennedy Wednesday.
Journee Christie, New Britain: Christie scored 16 points in back to back games – in a 64-61 win over Plainville Friday and a 69-39 win over Innovation Saturday in the Coach Marco Classic at New Britain High Saturday and Christie was also named Classic MVP.
Chloe Crawford, Cromwell: Crawford had a double-double (12 points, 12 rebounds), shot 6 for 6 from the free throw line and had four assists in Cromwell’s 57-44 win over North Branford Friday.
Mia Crunden, Granby: Cruden scored 26 points, including six 3-pointers, in a 56-16 win over Stafford Wednesday.
Sybil Neary, Old Lyme: Neary had 13 points, 11 rebounds and seven blocks in a 42-34 loss to Hale Ray Thursday.
Sadie Passante, Morgan: Passante scored 35 points and had five assists, six rebounds and six steals in Morgan’s 67-27 win over East Hampton Friday and 27 points and five steals in a 44-37 win over Haddam-Killingworth Tuesday.
Taeleyona Ramey, Weaver: Ramey had 24 points in a 76-44 win over Comp Sci Wednesday.
Maiara Rodriguez, Innovation: Rodriguez posted 30 points in a 63-18 win over Capital Prep Friday.
Abi Weidman, Mercy: Weidman scored 21 points in a 50-41 win over Law Friday.
Games to Watch
South Windsor (5-1) at New Britain (7-0), Thursday, 6:45 p.m.: South Windsor handed Windsor its first defeat on Jan. 3 and is a threat to break the Hurricanes’ win streak.
Northwest Catholic (7-0) vs. Springfield (Mass.) Central, Hoophall Classic, Springfield, Friday, 1 p.m., Springfield College: One of the top teams in Connecticut, three-time state champions, goes up against one of the top teams in Massachusetts.
Sheehan (6-1) at North Haven (7-1), Friday, 6:30 p.m.: Sheehan will be looking to bounce back from a 42-33 loss to Sacred Heart last week; North Haven has won four straight since losing to Trumbull.