Bloomfield has some extra motivation to repeat

The Bloomfield boys basketball team is back in the state championship game and the Warhawks are thinking about the man who coached them to a Division IV title last year, Kevin Moses, who died of colon cancer last September.

“We set out this year, our goal was to honor Kevin Moses the right way and make sure we represented Bloomfield and the way he loved the school,” said Brooks Sales, who took over as coach. “I’m very proud of the way our guys have handled that. But Wednesday night in the locker room, I said, ‘We got one more to give him.’”

Bloomfield, last year’s Division IV state champion, is the top seed in Division III and will face second-seeded Waterbury Career Academy Sunday at 3 p.m. in the state championship game at Mohegan Sun.

“The whole team, we were all close with Coach Mo and losing him was hard, but we’re definitely doing this all for him,” Bloomfield senior Howard Simpson said.

Bloomfield lost to Windsor Dec. 17 and Northwest Catholic Dec. 19, a week after a group of Bloomfield football players, including Simpson and junior twins Davion and Davien Kerr, joined the team after playing in the state championship game against Ansonia.

The Warhawks went on to beat Windsor Jan. 16 and advance to the CCC tournament final, where they lost to East Catholic.

“They’re focused, they’re ready,” Sales said. “They’ve been here before. They’ve been to the state championship in football. They’re familiar with the big stage.”

No scouting report needed in Division IV

Top-seeded Cromwell and No. 3 Ellington will face each other in the Division IV championship game and the two coaches don’t have to do a lot of scouting before the 10 a.m. Sunday contest.

Ellington coach Bob Freitas is a good friend of Cromwell coach John Pinone after serving as an assistant coach at Cromwell for four years between 2002-06. The two talk almost every day and are very familiar with each other’s teams.

“I wish it was somebody else but I’m glad Ellington and Bobby are in the finals,” said Pinone, whose team lost to runner-up Granby in the semifinals last year.

“I’m in the same boat,” Freitas said. “I don’t want to see him lose.”

The last time the Knights played in the state championship was 1972, when they had to face Cromwell in Class S (Ellington won 53-44).

“I think the chemistry is the main thing for us,” Freitas said. “We have a couple kids who played on the state championship soccer team.”

Another player, senior Brad Sawka, is heading to Uconn to play golf.

Pinone has won two titles with Cromwell (2009, 2018) but the current group of players has not been to a final. The Panthers have six seniors, including 6-foot-4 Tyler Daniele, who has contributed in double digits in the postseason.

“He’s been a big help; he’s been giving us an inside presence, taking pressure of our outside guys and he’s been finishing at the rim. He’s another option we didn’t think we would have at the start of the season.”

More familiar opponents in Division I

Northwest Catholic, last year’s Division II runner-up, lost to defending Division I champion East Catholic, 70-49, on Feb. 14. A little over a week later the secondseeded Lions were knocked out of the CCC tournament in the first round by 15th-seeded Conard, 57-55.

They had over two weeks to think about that before the state tournament started.

“I don’t know if we lost focus,” Northwest Catholic coach John Mirabello said. “It was just a lot of fundamental things we weren’t doing well. We watched film and talked about it.

“We had two great weeks of practice leading up to the state tournament and we’re playing our best now.”

Saturday night at 8:15 p.m., the Lions will get another shot at top seed East Catholic (26-1) in the Division I championship game.

“Those two weeks, it was good for us to regroup and develop better as a team, come back together,” Northwest junior London Jemison said. “Our chemistry is getting where it’s supposed to be at. Everybody’s contributing. We’re at our best now, for sure.

“East is a good team but I feel we’re right there with them. I feel like we can compete with any team in the state.”

East Catholic, which won the CCC championship, is also ready.

“No two games are the same,” East Catholic coach Luke Reilly said. “It’ll be a great matchup. They’re a very good team.”