Capital Prep’s Kiah Gillespie throws her basketball jersey into the crowd of fans after the Trailblazers defeat Northwest Catholic, 87-59, for the CIAC Class L girls basketball championship, Sunday, March 22, 2015, at Mohegan Sun. (Catherine Avalone/New Haven Register)
Capital Prep celebrates their, 87-59, victory over Northwest Catholic for the CIAC Class L girls basketball championship, Sunday, March 22, 2015, at Mohegan Sun. (Catherine Avalone/New Haven Register)
UNCASVILLE >> Capital Prep was not happy on Saturday. Hoping to play its Class L final game, the Trailblazers instead had to wait until Sunday, since that’s when its game was scheduled for.
That meant they had to practice.
“We look at it (during practice) like (coach Tammy Millsaps) hates us,” said Trailblazers senior forward Kiah Gillespie. “She wants to kill us. But all in all its for this. The glory at the end.”
Gillespie and the Trailblazers got the glory, the title and completed the three-peat with an 87-59 beat down of Northwest Catholic to capture its second straight LL title,the first was in Class S, behind the Maryland-bound forward’s game highs of 42 points and 22 rebounds.
PHOTOS: Capital Prep vs. Northwest Catholic Class S girls final
Capital Prephas not lost to a Connecticut team since the 2012 Class S final when it fell to Coginchaug. Millsaps had tears in her eyes when the clock was ticking down to zero, and more came when the game ended. She said the last practice and game were special, but bittersweet.
“I’m more emotional right now because of the seniors I have,” she said.
NWC’s Erin Feeney tries to drive against Capital Prep’s Dazha Ward in the Class L girls championship game (Photo Catherine Avalone)
And Gillespie said despite Millsaps tough exterior, she’s never been shy about showing them how much she cares.
“She’s emotional, nobody knows that,” Gillespie said. “It’s really good that they’re tears of joy and not anything else.”
The Trailblazers also got 30 points, 17 rebounds and eight assists from Syracuse-bound junior forward Desiree Elmore. Desiree Davis (five points), Liz Morgan (six points) and Dazha Ward (four points) were the only other Trailblazers to score.
CIAC WINTER CHAMPIONSHIP SCOREBOARD
Northwest Catholic was led by Haley Connors with 12 points, but on four of 13 shooting and Erin Feeney added 12 points of her own. However Northwest Catholic coach Sean O’Brien said the height disparity was just too much to overcome. No one on Northwest is taller than 5-foot-9, only five players on Capital Prep are under 5-foot-9
“We’ve been undersized against every opponent,” he said. “Today it was almost comical.”
Kiah Gillespie goes up for a shot during the Class L girls basketball championship. She scored 42 for the Trailblazers (Photo Catherine Avalone)
The Trailblazers got control early jumping out to a 13-0 lead. Northwest Catholic scored off a jumper and Millsaps immediately called time out. The Trailblazers closed the first quarter up 30-9 and 28 out of their 30 points came in the paint. The other two were free throws.
In the second half, it was more of the same as Trailblazer after Trailblazer swooped into the lane untouched for easy lay ups. The starters came out of the game to standing ovations from the crowd and yet again, Capital Prep was the Class of Class L. To Elmore, it never gets old.
“We worked real hard,” Elmore said. “Each year is like our first time being here.”
CAPITAL MAGNET PREP 87, NORTHWEST CATHOLIC 59
(at Mohegan Sun Arena)
Northwest Catholic 9 16 12 22 – 59
Capital Magnet Prep 30 18 22 17 – 87
NORTHWEST CATHOLIC (59)
Mackenzie Collyer 1 0-0 3, Lauren Murphy 3 3-7 10, Mackenzie Tibbal 3 2-2 8, Madi Borowiec 2 0-2 4, Haley Connors 4 2-4 12, Erin Feeney 4 3-6 12, Elysia Calloway 4 2-2 10. Totals: 21 12-23 59
CAPITAL MAGNET PREP (87)
Lizahya Morgan 2 2-2 6, Kiah Gillespie 20 2-6 42, Desiree Elmore 12 6-7 30, Desiree Davis 2 1-2 5, Dazha Ward 2 0-0 4. Totals: 38 11-17 87
3-point goals: Northwest Catholic 5 (Collyer 1, Murphy 1, Connors 2, Feeney 1);
Updates every minute – View full tournament
A very special team with really wonderful players. Head and shoulders over any girls teams from Connecticut in the past 30 years. Great job.
Congrats to the best team in CT in any sport for 2014-2015. They won with grace and style.
Congrats C-Prep!!! Number 1 again, State champion again, and now top 15 in the Nation!!! Phenomenal Season Ladies!!!
TRUTH!!!
Congrats to Capital Prep, they are truly the best girls team in the state and one of the best in the country. In the bigger scheme of things, I second what the Weaver girls coach has said in so many words. The CIAC must decide how they can better bring balance to the various divisions in the face of schools of choice (magnet schools, private and parochial schools) that essentially draw from a 25-mile radius rather than the local town and city. Otherwise, might as well put the Capital Preps and Mercys in their own divisions, award them the state championships during the pre-season, and let the rest of the schools compete on a more equal footing.
Good thing they didn’t do that with Mercy this year – considering they got beat by a PUBLIC school in the semifinal.
Agreed – Lots of public schools at Mohegan. Didn’t all win, but they made it to the finals. Lots of great public school teams in the FCIAC, and in Hartford area. CPREP was an exception – can’t plan for a team like that coming along. Might not see another team like that for 20 years.