Week 6 boys basketball recap: Windsor Locks is undefeated, Platt’s Anthony Nimani has 44 points in win over Maloney
Windsor Locks went all the way to the Division V semifinal game last season, where the 20th-seeded Raiders lost to eventual champion Windham 53-50 on a buzzer-beater. But the Raiders are back this season and undefeated at 9-0.
“We took a lot from that last year, figuring out and finding a way to win and we came together as a unit,” Windsor Locks coach Dan Copes said. “We have some great leadership this year from our seniors.”
Austin Smith and Evan Courtney are the senior captains. Senior Malike Alassani is the team’s second leading scorer (12.1 ppg) and leading rebounder (6.9 rpg), while sophomore point guard Sincere Monroe leads the team in scoring (14.3 ppg) and steals (2.9). Alassani had 14 points in the Raiders’ 45-43 win over Ellington Tuesday and 15 in their 60-37 win over South Windsor Thursday.
Windsor Locks beat Suffield in the Division V quarterfinals 54-39 last year and the two NCCC teams will face each other again Friday night at Suffield.
“It’s a great experience now, what we’re doing, and hopefully we can continue,” Copes said.
Top performances of the week
Trevor Buchanan, Bolton: Buchanan had 27 points and seven rebounds in a 49-44 win over Lyman Memorial Wednesday and 21 points in a 62-61 win over SMSA Tuesday.
Riley Fox, Conard: Fox had 17 rebounds and 25 points as Conard beat East Hartford 63-47 Tuesday and 33 points and 19 rebounds in a 59-47 win over Hall Thursday.
Donovan Koukal-Kollie, Suffield: Koukal-Kollie had a career-high 30 points in a 79-62 victory over Montville Monday.
Weston LaBreque, Rockville: LaBrecque scored 36 points in a 78-57 win over Bolton Friday.
Jamie Leggett, St. Paul: Leggett had 30 points, including his 1,000th, in a 69-65 overtime win over Oxford Friday.
Troy Miller, RHAM: Miller had 34 points in a 76-53 victory over Stafford Wednesday.
Anthony Nimani, Platt: Nimani scored a career-high 44 points in an 89-74 win over crosstown rival Maloney Friday. He had 31 points at halftime for Platt.
Ryan Orzolek, Bolton: Orzolek hit two free throws with 2.4 seconds left as Bolton beat SMSA 62-61 Tuesday and had six of his 10 points from the free throw line.
Chris Wilson, Weaver: Wilson had 17 rebounds, 16 points and eight blocks in a 67-48 win over HMTCA Thursday.
Andrew Yermensen, Valley Regional: Yermensen (17 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, three steals) hit the go-ahead free throw with 4.1 seconds left in overtime to boost Valley over Westbrook 50-49 Friday.
Storylines of the week
- Bloomfield got a big win over Windsor, 92-88, in a Martin Luther King Day afternoon matinee game. Howard Simpson led the Warhawks with 29 points and Jayshawn Williams hit three 3-pointers and went 6 for 6 from the free throw line Monday. Bloomfield (8-2) will travel to play Weaver (8-1) Wednesday.
- Cheney Tech, led by junior Dam’nic Gittens’ double-double (28 points, 10 rebounds) got a 53-45 win over Glastonbury (8-3) Monday. Gittens is averaging 25 points and 10.3 rebounds per game along with 3.3 assists and 3.5 steals.
- Platt (9-2) has won five straight games after losing back to back games to Bloomfield Dec. 29 and Middletown Jan. 3. Platt will face Bristol Central on Friday after its Monday game against Southington was postponed due to snow.
Games to watch
Windsor Locks (9-0) at Suffield (8-3), Friday, 6:45 p.m.: Windsor Locks knocked Suffield out of the Division V tournament last year in the quarterfinals and the two NCCC teams will go at it again Friday.
Notre Dame-West Haven (10-2) at Xavier (9-2), Friday, 7 p.m.: Xavier lost to Notre Dame-West Haven 54-50 Dec. 22 and has only lost to Wilbur Cross since. Notre Dame-West Haven has won seven straight.
Lori Riley can be reached at lriley@courant.com.
