State tournament doubleheader Tuesday night for Canton basketball

Ethan Burke (23) and the Canton High boys basketball team open the CIAC Class S tournament on Tuesday at 5:45 p.m. in the opener of a basketball state tournament doubleheader at the high school. The girls basketball team plays in the quarterfinals at 7:30 p.m.

CANTON, March 6 – A unique basketball doubleheader will be held at Canton High. For the first time, the Canton boys basketball and girls basketball teams will be hosting CIAC tournament games together on Tuesday night.

The boys basketball team, coming off their first league championship in 35 years, are ranked No. 2 in the CIAC Class S tournament. The Warriors (18-4) will host No. 31 St. Bernard of Uncasville (11-12) beginning at 5:45 p.m. It will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools in boys basketball.

St. Bernard has won three straight, taking the Eastern Connecticut Conference Division II tournament with a 58-54 overtime win over Windham.

The girls basketball team, the defending Class S champions, will be looking to advance to the Class S semifinals for the third straight year. The No. 3 Warriors (20-3) will host No. 22 Windsor Locks (13-10) in a Class S quarterfinal game that begins at 7:30 p.m.

The Canton girls have already beaten Locks three times this season – 61-35 in late January, 49-23 a week later in early February and a 72-39 win in the quarterfinals of the NCCC Tournament about two weeks ago. It’s the first state tournament game between the two schools since 1995.