Canton (17-3) is top seed in NCCC boys basketball tournament

The Warriors celebrate a great play in the big win over SMSA in Hartford in January. (Photo courtesy Paul Amrose)

Two-time NCCC champion Canton (17-3, 14-2 NCCC) is the top seed in the North Central Connecticut Conference’s 45th annual boys basketball postseason tournament that begins Wednesday night.

Canton and Hartford’s Sport Medicine Science Academy (15-5, 14-2 NCCC) shared the league championship but Canton gets the top seed in the tournament thanks to a 58-42 victory over the Tigers in Hartford back on January 12.

For SMSA, it is their third league title in the last four seasons.

The Tigers are the defending tournament champions having beat cross-town rival Hartford Classical in last year’s title game, 66-50.

First round action begins on Wednesday night with three games. The winners advance to Friday’s quarterfinal action. The Warriors will host either No. 8 East Windsor or No. 9 Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy (HMTCA) on Friday night at 7 p.m.

The semifinals are scheduled for Wednesday, February 28 with the championship game on Thursday, March 1. The games will be played at the gym of the higher seed.

2018 NCCC boys basketball tournament
First round
Wednesday, Feb. 21
Game 1: (9) HMTCA 73, (8) East Windsor 69
Game 2: (7) Ellington 53, (10) Somers 45
Game 3: (11) Bolton 58, (6) Windsor Locks 53

Quarterfinals
Friday, Feb. 23
(1) Canton 55, HMTCA 43
(5) Hartford Classical 68, (4) Rockville 64, OT
(3) Granby 36, Bolton 33
(2) SMSA 75, (7) Ellington 73

Semifinals
Wednesday, February 28
Hartford Classical at Canton, 7 p.m.
Granby at SMSA

Championship
Thursday, March 1
At highest remaining seed