Shelton Seeded Fifth In SCC Girls Basketball Playoffs

The Shelton girls basketball team has earned the No. 5 seed in the Southern Connecticut Conference playoffs and will host No. 12 Hand in the first round on Thursday.

Thirteen teams have qualified for the SCC playoffs under a format adopted  in 2008 in which winning eight league games guarantees a postseason berth.

In 2008, 14 teams qualified and 13 earned berths in 2009. Last season, 12 teams qualified.

The top three seeds - Mercy, Hillhouse and Career - will receive
first-round byes. Mercy is the tournament’s top seed for the third time (2005 and 2008.

Branford is the defending SCC champion, defeating top-seeded Hillhouse, 70-57, as a No. 7 seed in the title game at Quinnipiac’s TD Bank Sports Center.

Branford became the lowest-seeded team to ever win the SCC title, but did not qualify for the 2011 playoffs.

Hillhouse (1999, 2000, 2004, 2005 and 2009) has won a league-best five
titles. Guilford (1997, 2001, 2002 and 2003) has won four SCC titles, while
Career (2006 and 2008) has won two. Shelton (1995), Sacred Heart Academy
(1996), Lyman Hall (1997), Mercy (2007) and Branford (2010) each have won
one title.

Here is the schedule for first first-round games:

Thursday

#12 Hand (9-11) at #5 Shelton (14-6), 6:30  p.m.
#11 Lyman Hall (8-12) at #6 Wilbur Cross (13-7), 6:30 p.m.
#10 Foran (10-10) at #7 Guilford (11-9), 6:30 p.m.
#9 Amity (11-9) at #8 Cheshire (10-10), 6:30 p.m.

Friday

#13 Sheehan (9-11) at #4 Sacred Heart Academy (15-5) – 6 p.m.

Quarterfinals
Saturday at West Haven HS
Game 1 – Winner of 8/9 game vs. #1 Mercy (19-1) – 12 noon
Game 2 – Winner of 5/12 game vs. Winner of 4/13 game – 1:45 p.m.
Game 3 – Winner of 7/10 game vs. #2 Hillhouse (18-2) – 3:30 p.m.
Game 4 – Winner of 6/11 game vs. #3 Career (16-4) – 5:15 p.m.

Semifinals
Monday  at TD Bank SportsCenter, Quinnipiac
Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4, 6 p.m.
Winner of Game 1 vs. winner of Game 2, 7:45 p.m.

Championship game
Tuesday, Feb. 22  at TD Bank Sports Center, 7 p.m.