NFA, Ledyard take different routes to Div. I title game

Top-seeded Wildcats roll into final while Colonels rally to beat Fitch in OT

Waterford — If any scenario could cause anxiety for an undefeated team, this might have been it:

Playing a conference tournament semifinal in the home gym of a two-time defending league and state champion, also the owner of a 15-game postseason win streak.

And yet top-seeded Norwich Free Academy barely had to perspire Saturday night, earning a berth in the Eastern Connecticut Conference tournament championship game at Mohegan Sun Arena for the second straight season. The Wildcats (220) snapped Waterford's playoff win streak as well during a 65-40 win before 1,300 fans at the Francis X. Sweeney Fieldhouse.

NFA will play No. 3 Ledyard, which advanced with a wild 58-55 win in overtime over No. 2 Fitch. St. Bernard plays Plainfield in the Div. II title game at 6 p.m., followed by NFA-Ledyard at 8. Both games will be streamed live on theday.com

"Ask these guys how many times I've told them they have a special opportunity and how many times I've said the words 'special season'," NFA coach Chris Guisti said.

It might go from special to historic if junior Mason Jackson can duplicate this. Jackson had 26 points and 14 rebounds, as Guisti said, "rebounding like a grown man."

"It's been a really good season," Jackson said, "but we want that 'chip (championship) Tuesday and the state 'chip (championship) too."

Jared Martin and Nolan Molkenthin had 11 apiece for the Wildcats, who led 17-5 early, but struggled in the second period, watching Waterford get as close as four. The fourth-seeded Lancers used a matchup zone that held NFA without a field goal most of the quarter.

One problem: Waterford's offense struggled, too.

"Hats off to NFA. That's one complete team,"

Waterford coach Bill Bassett said. "They play really good defense and with high energy. When you play as hard as we did on defense and don't score, that takes its toll."

Trevor D'Amico led Waterford (10-12) with 14 points while Ryan O'Connell and Sean O'Connell had 11 apiece.

The Wildcats get to see Ledyard next, the last team not named Waterford to win the ECC tournament.

Jabari Jones scored 26 points, including some huge free throws in overtime, to send the Colonels (14-8) to Mohegan Sun for the first time.

"It was the will to win," Ledyard coach Dave Cornish said. "We kept asking the kids 'how bad do you really want this?' Our senior leadership with Omar (Whitmore) and Jaden (Bickham) was big and so was Jabari on the boards."

Jones said succinctly, "Coach said they couldn't stop me."

Whitmore scored all 11 of his points in second half and overtime.

Ajia Brown led Fitch (18-4) with 14 points. D.J. Beaudet had 10. The Falcons, who led by as many as nine in the first half, await their seeding in the CIAC Division IV state tournament. m.dimauro@theday.com