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Curtis scores 35 to help No. 3 Northwest Catholic get past No. 2 Windsor in CCC showdown

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Joe Morelli / Hearst Connecticut Media
Mirabello Court at Northwest Catholic High hosted Monday night’s CCC showdown between Northwest Catholic and Windsor. Third-ranked Northwest Catholic defeated second-ranked Windsor 78-74.

WEST HARTFORD – There is no state tournament to be played this season and right now in the CCC, there has been no determination as to what the league tournament will even look like.

But even in a shortened 12-game regular season playing in regions, these games matter: to the coaches who come to work every day and the kids who want to do whatever it takes to get through it without issue.

And when you have a game of state interest, in the conference that has been the best for several seasons now, it does matter to plenty of people. Windsor and Northwest Catholic both came into Monday night’s showdown undefeated and ranked second and third respectively, in the latest GameTimeCT poll.

Much like last year’s 1-2 matchup between East Catholic and Windsor, this also lived up to the hype. It didn’t have the dramatic ending – a circus shot by Windsor’s Corey McKeithan before a sold-out crowd last year – but you had plenty of back and forth action and one player who stood up above the rest.

Matt Curtis finished with a game-high 35 points as third-ranked Northwest Catholic defeated second-ranked Windsor 78-74 at Mirabello Court Monday night.

“We say every day, ‘Cherish every day we are in here,’” Northwest Catholic coach John Mirabello said. “To have a game like this is worth the sacrifices the kids have made.”

Said Curtis: “We were so thankful. We took advantage of it. I’m not sure how many big games we will be able to play.”

An 18-0 run in the third quarter helped the Lions (7-0) go from 10 down to ahead by eight, 69-51. 

“During the timeout, we told the guys, ’Keep fighting, keep working hard, keep believing, make a play, play some defense’” Mirabello said. 

During that run, Curtis had, in succession: an assist, a basket, a layup off a steal, an assist and back-to-back 3-point shots.

“I got a little excited, maybe a little too excited (after the second three),” Curtis said. “I had to calm down a little bit, get back into my game plan and play how I play.”

Windsor was able to shake that off and get as close as one, but could never tie or take the lead again.

“Their guards were snatching balls from us. It’s the others who beat us, not him (Curtis),” Windsor coach Ken Smith said.

Prince Samuels led the Warriors (6-1) with 21 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter.

Rhandyn Bair hit a huge 3-pointer from the corner to put the Lions up 75-67 with 2:37 left. The Warriors still weren’t done. Troy McKoy and Samuels both came up with baskets off steals the latter with 22 seconds left. The resulting 3-point play put Windsor down 75-72.

After Curtis was fouled and made a free throw, Quintin Floyd scored with 5.4 seconds left to make it a 2-point game.

Two free throws by Bair (17 points) with 3.6 seconds left put Northwest Catholic up by four. Then the Lions came up with a steal and ran the clock out.

“It was a great team effort. We needed that and we got it,” Mirabello said..

McKoy, who had a pair of 31-point games last week, finished with just 10 points.

Northwest Catholic was able to prevail without senior guard Amarre Spence, the team’s second-leading scorer, who injured his right knee late in the first quarter. He had his knee wrapped as he watched the game in the second half. 

Mirabello didn;t know his status afterwards. “We need him obviously,” Mirabello said.

 Hayden Abdullah, a 6-foot-7 junior forward, finished with 14 points, all in the second half, for the Lions.

 

NORTHWEST CATHOLIC 78, WINDSOR 74

(at West Hartford)

Windsor 21 20  16 17 – 74

NWC     15 23  21  19 – 78

Windsor (74)

Jarrell Pettway 5 0-0 13, Troy McKoy 4 1-4 10, Quintin Floyd 2 0-0 4, Ray Rodriguez 1 0-0 2, Rashawn Tibby 3 0-0 6, Tyler Betsey 4 0-0 10, Quallis Williams 3 1-1 7, Prince Samuels 6 5-9 22. Totals 28 7-14 74.

Northwest Catholic (78)

Jehyvic Spencer 1 0-0 2, Justin Asberry 2 1-2 5, Rhandyn Bair 4 8-9 17, Elijah Botnick 1 0-0 3, Matt Curtis 14 5-7 35, Amarre Spence 1 0-0 2, Hayden Abdullah 5 2-3 14. Totals 28 16- 

3-pointers: Pettway 3, Betsey 2, Samuels 2, McKoy. Technical foul: McKoy.