Top 10 Connecticut High School Girls Basketball State Rankings

Conference tournament season is over in Connecticut for boys and girls high school basketball, with state tournaments underway. Play-in rounds began yesterday with the first-round of state tournaments beginning tomorrow for Divisions III and V.

For a second week in a row, the Northwest Catholic Lions hold the top spot in High School on SI Top-10 Girls Basketball rankings in the state of Connecticut.

Here is this week’s rankings heading into state tournament play:

1. Northwest Catholic (23-1)

Outlook: After defeating Rocky Hill 68-56 in the regular season, Northwest Catholic showed its dominance by defeating Rocky Hill 72-34 in blowout fashion for the CCC title. They enter the DI State Tournament as the No. 1 seed and host crosstown-rival Conard in the first round of the playoffs.

2. Sacred Heart Academy (19-2)

Outlook: Since its loss to Mercy on February 3, Sacred Heart Academy has won eight straight games, including a low-scoring 34-27 win over Sheehan for the SCC title, repeating as conference champions. The Sharks enter the DI State Tournament as the No. 5 seed and host No. 12 Newington on Monday.

3. Greenwich (20-2)

Outlook: The Cardinals are currently riding an 11-game win streak heading into the DI State Tournament. Greenwich defeated Fairfield Warde to win this year’s FCIAC title and enters the state tournament as the No. 3 seed, hosting Glastonbury on Monday.

4. East Catholic (19-4)

Outlook: Despite a quarterfinal loss in the CCC Tournament, East Catholic comes in at No. 4 after giving No. 1 Northwest Catholic its closest in-state game, with a 57-48 loss in the quarterfinals. Prior to the loss, East Catholic was riding an eight-game win streak and enters the DI State Tournament as the No. 6 seed, hosting Bristol Eastern on Monday.

5. Mercy (20-3)

Outlook: Mercy falls down a few spots after being upset by a talented Sheehan team in the SCC semifinals, 34-32. The Tigers enter the DI State Tournament as the No. 4 seed and host NFA on Monday in the first round.

6. Staples (19-3)

Outlook: Staples picked up a few wins in the FCIAC Tournament before falling to Greenwich in the championship. They enter the DII State Tournament as the third seed and host Lyman Hall in the first round on Saturday.

7. Rocky Hill (22-2)

Outlook: Rocky Hill’s two losses this season have come to No. 1 Northwest Catholic. The first loss was a close 68-56 game, but the second loss was more lopsided, with Northwest Catholic earning a 72-34 win in the CCC title. Rocky Hill enters the DII State Tournament as the No. 1 seed and has a first-round bye.

8. Trumbull (18-3)

Outlook: After an 18-2 regular season, Trumbull looked to contend for the FCIAC title. They were upset in the first round of the tournament by Stamford, a team they beat by 15 points in the regular season. Trumbull enters the DII State Tournament as the No. 2 seed and has a first-round bye.

9. Sheehan (19-5)

Outlook: Sheehan entered the SCC Tournament with a 16-4 record and picked up two impressive tournament victories: defeating North Haven, who defeated them twice in the regular season, and taking down a talented Mercy team in the semifinals. They lost a low-scoring, competitive 34-27 game to Sacred Heart in the title game. They enter the DII State Tournament as the No. 9 seed and host Foran on Saturday.

10. Coventry (21-2)

Outlook: Playing in one of the quiet corners of the state, Coventry repeated as NCCC champions, running through the NCCC this season. Its two losses have come to Rocky Hill and East Catholic, two teams that are bigger in size and play in a more competitive conference. Coventry enters the DIII State Tournament as the No. 2 seed and has a first-round bye.