CT GIRLS BASKETBALL LEAGUE TOURNEYS

Trying to find the seedings and results from the postseason conference basketball tournaments is like trying to hack through an Amazon jungle.  No wonder they call them websites.

Therefore, I have spent the morning making progress methodically but successfully, turning over every stone, dodging the obnoxious pop-up ads that pay the salaries of a lot of good people and sifting through articles.

Here is what I found. I’m missing the Hyde-Morgan score. If anybody has it, send it to my email: kenlip@aol.com.  If I’ve made any mistakes, I’m sorry.  Please correct me.

CONSTITUTION STATE CONFERENCE

Seedings

1.      Capital Prep

2.      Platt Tech

3.      Cheney Tech

4.      Wilcox Tech

5.      Putnam

6.      Kaynor Tech

7.      Parish Hill

8.      Windham Tech

Quarterfinals

Capital Prep 63, Windham Tech 25

Cheney Tech 42, Kaynor Tech 38

Parish Hill 40, Platt Tech 31

Putnam 46, Wilcox Tech 39

Semifinals
Capital Prep 55, Putnam 18
Parish Hill 30, Cheney Tech 29

Final

Capital Prep 76, Parish Hill 34

CENTRAL CONNECTICUT CONFERENCE

Seedings

1.      E.O. Smith

2.      Weaver

3.      Tolland

4.      Weaver

5.      Berlin

6.      East Catholic

7.      RHAM

8.      Northwest Catholic

9.      Hall

10.  Glastonbury

11.  Bloomfield

12.  South Windsor

13.  Farmington

14.  Bristol Eastern

15.  Plainville

16.  Windsor

First Round

Northwest Catholic 41, Hall 37 OT

E.O. Smith 64, Windsor 29

Weaver 46, Plainville 25

East Catholic 68, Bloomfield 43

Berlin 42, South Windsor 22

Manchester 58, Farmington 29

Tolland 69, Bristol Eastern 36

Glastonbury 63, RHAM 38

Quarterfinals

E.O. Smith 64, Northwest Catholic 42

Glastonbury 52, Weaver 38

Tolland 59, East Catholic 39

Manchester 62, Berlin 42

Semifinals
Manchester 61, E.O. Smith 50

Glastonbury 53, Tolland 51

Final

Glastonbury 58, Manchester 52

NORTH CENTRAL CONNECTICUT CONFERENCE

Quarterfinals

Avon 49, SMSA 46

Ellington 56, Coventry 28

Granby 62, Bolton 45

Suffield 41, Windsor Locks 40

Semifinals
Suffield 59, Granby 49

Ellington 59, Avon 42

Consolation
Granby 37, Avon 26

Final

Ellington 48, Suffield 45

SHORELINE CONFERENCE

Seedings

1.      Coginchaug

2.      Cromwell

3.      Portland

4.      Morgan

5.      Hyde

6.      Old Saybrook

7.      Haddam-Killingworth

8.      Hale-Ray

Quarterfinals

Coginchaug 67, Hale-Ray 38

Cromwell 60, H-K 34

Old Saybrook 44, Portland 33

Hyde over Morgan

Semifinals

Coginchaug 56, Hyde 31

Cromwell 58, Old Saybrook 37

Final

Cromwell 59, Coginchaug 56

EASTERN CONNECTICUT CONFERENCE

Seedings

1.      Plainfield

2.      Waterford

3.      Bacon Academy

4.      Montville

5.      NFA

6.      East Lyme

7.      Ledyard

8.      St. Bernard

9.      Lyman Memorial

10.  Stonington

Play-In Round

St. Bernard 53, Lyman Memorial 45

Ledyard 48, Stonington 41

Quarterfinals

NFA 43, Montville 21

Plainfield 47, St. Bernard 44

East Lyme 45, Bacon 43

Waterford 50, Ledyard 45

Semifinals
Waterford 57, East Lyme 51
NFA 68, Plainfield 59

Final

NFA 39, Waterford 36

FAIRFIELD COUNTY INTERSCHOLASTIC ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

Seedings

1.      Danbury

2.      St. Joseph

3.      Trumbull

4.      Wilton

5.      Norwalk

6.      Trinity Catholic

7.      Stamford

8.      Darien

Quarterfinals

Wilton 49, Norwalk 47

Danbury 63, Darien 40

Trumbull 52, Trinity 46

Stamford 44, St. Joseph 25

Semifinals

Trumbull 40, Stamford 33

Danbury 51, Wilton 38

Final
Danbury 54, Trumbull 39

NAUGATUCK VALLEY LEAGUE

Seedings

1.      Holy Cross

2.      Torrington

3.      Watertown

4.      Ansonia

5.      Wolcott

6.      Naugatuck

7.      Sacred Heart

8.      Seymour

Quarterfinals

Torrington 54, Sacred Heart 41

Naugatuck 53, Watertown 51 OT

Ansonia 55, Wolcott 43

Holy Cross 62, Seymour 38

Semifinals

Torrington 42, Naugatuck 41

Holy Cross 72, Ansonia 50

Final
Holy Cross 57, Torrington 54

BERKSHIRE LEAGUE

Seedings

1.      Thomaston

2.      Nonnewaug

3.      Wamogo

4.      Northwestern Regional

5.      Shepaug

6.      Lewis Mills

First Round

Wamogo 49, Lewis Mills 46

Northwestern 34, Shepaug 32

Semifinals

Wamogo 47, Nonnewaug 40

Thomaston 49, Northwestern 40

Final 

Thomaston 49, Wamogo 41

SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT CONFERENCE

Seedings

1.      Career

2.      Hillhouse

3.      Mercy

4.      West Haven

5.      Cheshire

6.      Daniel Hand

7.      Sacred Heart Academy

8.      Sheehan

9.      Jonathan Law

10.  Amity

11.  East Haven

12.  Hamden

13.  Foran

First Round

Sacred Heart Academy 62, Amity 41

Foran 66, West Haven 59

Cheshire 57, Hamden 55

East Haven 49, hand 48

Jonathan Law 56, Sheehan 45

Quarterfinals

Career 54, Law 41

Cheshire 40, Foran 32

Hillhouse 74, Sacred Heart Academy 34

Mercy 52, East Haven 34

Semifinals

Hillhouse 65, Mercy 61

Career 63, Cheshire 51

Final

Career 63, Hillhouse 61

SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE

Seedings

1.      Lauralton Hall

2.      Pomperaug

3.      Newtown

4.      Notre Dame-Fairfield

5.      Masuk

6.      Joel Barlow

7.      Kolbe Cathedral

8.      Bunnell

Quarterfinals

Masuk 37, ND-Fairfield 35

Lauralton Hall 73, Bunnell 47

Pomperaug 63, Kolbe 39

Barlow 58, Newtown 54

Semifinals

Lauralton Hall 55, Masuk 44

Pomperaug 65, Barlow 44

Final
Lauralton Hall 59, Pomperaug 54

LIVES LOST TOO SOON

A baseball player died before his time on Jan. 16.

They called Gary Carter “The Kid” because he played a child’s game with the pure, untainted vigor that generally fades when the complexities of maturity and the allure of financial gain set in.

Carter was afflicted with inoperable brain cancer. He was a Hall-of-Fame player, an exceptional teammate, and from all reports, a model husband and loving father. He was 57.

Why? How? Are there answers to those questions?

A childhood friend died before his time on Jan. 16.

Cliff Zolot was 54. We grew up one house away from each other and as our teenaged years and early 20s melted away shared a love for sports and music.

We went to Mets games together long before Carter arrived to watch our beloved Cincinnati Reds when they came to Shea. We bent the rabbit ears of his TV antenna in every which way, peering between black-and-white snowflakes, tuning in through static-filled interference, as a young pitcher named Nolan Ryan was striking out hitter after hitter.

We played basketball. We played baseball. He was a pretty good athlete. I remember him saying, “I could get a hit off Tom Seaver.”

We howled. Then he explained, “Hey, if I just stick out the bat, maybe I’d get lucky and get a hit. It could happen.” He never lived that one down.

We played game after game of chess while we listened to the music we loved, predominantly the Grateful Dead. Our battles were one-sided at first. I was the better player. But gradually Cliff learned the strategies and the games became time-consuming classics. He wasn’t much for school so it surprised me that he had the intelligence to improve so quickly and thoroughly. The fundamentals were in place, but where Carter lived an exemplary life, Cliff tempted fate.

As we learn more about life from day to day, we find how difficult it becomes to successfully navigate its eddies and currents, its ebbs and flows, without bringing on problems that don’t need to be there.

If Carter and Cliff were sailing on separate rafts in the middle of the ocean, Carter would face his destiny nobly while trying everything in his means to save the day. Cliff would have put a pin prick in the raft the way he put a needle in his arm.

The day Cliff experimented with heroin he separated himself from those who truly loved him. Faced with an inexorable need for money to feed his habit, he invaded the sanctity of his neighbors’ homes. He inflicted pain on my mother by looting anything of value from her modest antique collection.

There would be no forgiveness on my mother’s part. She went to her grave cursing his name, and God apparently took notice.

The last time I heard Cliff’s voice was somewhere around 1984. I wasn’t much into hearing it, told him as much and that was it, a childhood friendship dashed on the rocks of drug addiction.

Word trickled in from family and friends how his life took a turn when he followed his mother and father to Florida. Apparently he was in a car accident and subsequently endured the amputation of a leg.

More years passed. I guess there were weddings, funerals, etc. to which I wasn’t privy, but my sister and others who lived in our amazing post-WWII, Baby Boomer special, humble housing development in Hamden we came to know as Belden Road, passed on bits of news.

Time didn’t take kindly to Cliff’s indiscretions. The body that he chose not to maintain began to give way. More than one person told me that he looked more like he was in his 80s than his 50s. I never saw him again. He’s got to be in a far, far better place now than he was last week.

The heroin needle punctured the periphery of my life when Cliff brought it into his. I had some choices then. You can pick and choose your friends but you can’t pick and choose your family. The needle invaded our happy home when my son allowed the pressures of his young life to break down the barriers we all tried so hard to make impenetrable. He is clean now, and making an honest effort to transform his life.

The hole in the raft is patched, but is the patch temporary? Only time will tell, and all I can promise is that time will be filled with boundless love. I believe I can make a difference. I wish I could have for Cliff.

SAD NEWS FROM CONARD; GET WELL SOON, JACKIE

The news drove a stake through my heart.

I’ve had the pleasure of working closely with Conard High gymnastics coach Laurie Scinto on the coverage of her magnificent team when one the saddest emails I’ve received came in.

Jackie Palermo, as talented a freshman as I’ve ever covered, suffered a broken bone in her hand and is lost for the season.

I saw Jackie perform against RHAM in her very first varsity meet January 5. An accomplished club gymnast, she was particularly captivating on her floor exercise. As the season has gone along, Jackie has diligently worked on increasing the degree of difficulty in her events

In Conard’s landmark victory over multiple state and New England champion Southington on January 26, Jackie recorded a 9.4 on the floor, a 9.2 on the bars and 9.0 on the beam en route to scoring 36.0 in the all-around.

As Coach Scinto said, Jackie was making the necessary adjustments to high school gymnastics, which pose different requirements than those at the club level.

Conard will not yield in Jackie’s absence as it vies for a lofty spot in the state championships. Scinto indicated that the team’s depth is exceptional. Senior captain Ellen Bridgman and a talented core of juniors – Shannon Bouvier, Taylor Hadra, Katie Newton and Amanda Sloan – will do well through the second half of the season and the postseason. …

Another Conard athlete who has captivated me is sophomore distance runner Lizzy Lagoy.

When Lizzy’s cross country numbers began to diminish despite her dedication to training, an alarm went off. It turns out she was suffering from an iron deficiency, an easily correctable condition that requires patience.

I’m thrilled to say that Lizzy has returned to form in the indoor track season. She had an eye-opening duel in the 3,200 meters recently with Glastonbury’s Reid Watson, the Gatorade Cross Country Runner of the Year in Connecticut. She had the lead until dropping behind Watson in the final two laps.

Lizzy also plays for Tom Verrengia’s defending-champion softball team. …

Edwards brings "Sunshine" to The Kate

Kate would have been proud.

Jonathan Edwards has been among the most frequent artists to play the exquisite Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center on Main Street in Old Saybrook. His most recent visit Saturday night radiated warmth and sincerity and showcased one of American music’s finest singing voices in a style that crosses between the genres of folk and what we used to call country rock.

Jonathan exploded into public view in the early 1970s with a song that most Americans should recognize. “Sunshine” hit the charts during the turbulent days of the Vietnam War and the protests that followed, but its soothing sound are anything but unruly.

In fact, the works of Jonathan Edwards exude love -- love for each other, love for our planet – and appreciation – appreciation for the 250 strong who filled "The Kate," appreciation for nature, appreciation for the artists he covered – the Beatles, Bob Dylan and the Youngbloods.

Edwards’ fingers traverse the strings of his folk guitar with a lightning-like precision while at the same time, his cheeks rapidly puff in and out as he breathes magic into his harmonica.

Edwards was accompanied by two magnificent musicians – Tom Snow on piano throughout the performance and Phil Rosenthal, providing an occasional lift on mandolin. Three people filling the room with music like that had a stunning effect on an audience that wished they'd go on forever.

My first introduction to Jonathan was at Ohio University in Athens circa 1970. He had attended school there two years prior and the impact he made on the local music scene still rang out in the Applalachian air. Some of the lyrics on his first album, most notably “Athens County,” established his legacy along the banks of the Hocking River.

But Jonathan, a native of Minnesota who spent his boyhood in Virginia, is an adopted son of New England. His popularity in the region thankfully brings him back here again and again.

I saw him for free on the Glastonbury green when our 20-something sons were youngsters and in a Groton park when he shared the stage with Aztec Two-Step. Most memorably, we saw him in an intimate show at the Roaring Brook Nature Center in Canton, a spot that’s filled our hearts with folk music and must fill the performers’ hearts with some consternation knowing that those covered cages behind them house snakes. Now those are some musically educated reptiles.

Going to Roaring Brook is always special but seeing Jonathan there was one of those moments in my 40-plus years as a concert-goer that I’ll remember as one of my best experiences. It was among the Roaring Brook Museum artifacts that I got to meet him for the first time and talk about the days at OU that surely changed us both forever.

Change.

I find it more difficult and, from a standpoint of popular music, more agonizing every day. The screeching guitars punctuated by the monotonal droning of singers spewing lyrics echoing hate and defiance.

What happened to love? When did the love go out of our music? More importantly, why?

But an evening with Jonathan Edwards restores the faith and strengthens the heritage of our generation within my heart and soul. He closes his eyes, his voice vibrates with the same beauty that it did more than 40 years ago. His authenticity and integrity cannot be mistaken.

Yes, I dare say that Kate Hepburn may not have understood sitting “around the Shanty and putting a good buzz on,” but she surely would have cherished the thought of the earnestness with which Jonathan Edwards entertains.

COXON TAKES CT SOCCER TO NEW LEVEL

HAMDEN – Steve Coxon has been synonymous with soccer in central Connecticut for the better part of two decades.

The native of Newcastle, United Kingdom, first earned acclaim as a player for Central Connecticut State University. He went on to play for the former New Britain-based A-League side, the Connecticut Wolves, turned in an ultra-successful stint as girls coach at Farmington High School and was an assistant coach at Quinnipiac University.

All the while, Coxon was formulating strategy to grab the lead in the field of youth soccer instruction and development, which he has done as one of the founders of the Connecticut Football Club (CFC).

Coxon’s latest endeavor is CFC AZUL, the newest addition to the United Soccer Leagues’ Premier Development League for 2012 and the sole franchise in Connecticut. In addition to being co-owner, Coxon will serve as president. Since the announcement was made Dec. 12, he is diligently working on providing a solid foundation for the club.

“I played in the A-League (now USL PRO, USL’s professional division) for more than six years with the Connecticut Wolves and I learned a great deal about how to run a USL team,” Coxon said.

“Many of my former teammates are still involved in the game and we are going to lean on them and many others in the Connecticut soccer scene to help make this into a top-notch franchise.”

The team has yet to decide on a home venue or coaching staff.

The AZUL will become the pinnacle team in the CFC family, which harbors more than 70 youth teams. Incorporating a PDL team, Coxon said, will enable the CFC’s top players an opportunity to return to the organization during and after competing in college.

The AZUL will play a 16-game schedule between May and August in the PDL, the top supplier of talent for professional soccer in North America.

In 2011, 37 of the 54 players selected in Major League Soccer’s SuperDraft graduated from the PDL. Eight of the first 10 selections in the draft had PDL experience, including 2011 MLS Rookie of the Year C.J. Sapong of Sporting Kansas City, who previously played for Reading United AC.

The team is co-owned by Costas Flessas.

“I believe sometimes things are just meant to happen,” Coxon said.

“Out of the blue I received a phone call from Costas asking me if I was interested in discussing some soccer expansion plans. The next day I received an email form the USL asking us if we were interested in putting a PDL team together. Six months later a new PDL franchise was born and we can't be more excited.”

CFC AZUL will hold open tryouts.

Coxon guided the Farmington High girls to a 116-10-7 record from 1999-2005. The Indians shared a 2003 Class L title with Guilford and defeated Wilton outright to gain the 2005 crown. Farmington advanced to the final four times in Coxon’s seven years.