Notre Dame Prep rolls over Bunnell for third straight SWC boys basketball championship
DANBURY - For the third straight season and eighth time since 2016, Notre Dame Prep is the SWC boys basketball champion.
The No. 1-seeded Lancers used a strong second half to run away from No. 2 Bunnell 65-44 on Monday at Western Connecticut State University, beating the Bulldogs for the second straight season in the league final.
Notre Dame and Bunnell have been the class of the SWC for over a decade, winning 12 of the last 14 league titles.
Notre Dame led all the way, but turned a six-point halftime margin into a 42-28 lead after three, and were up by 20 less than two minutes into the fourth quarter behind a swarming defense and commitment to rebounding on the defensive end.
"It never gets old, you can never play in enough championship games," Notre Dame coach Brian Kriftcher said. "We turned up the defensive intensity in the second half and we held them to one shot. They did an unbelievable job of slowing us down and getting offensive rebounds in the first half, but when we limited them to one shot, it allowed us to pick up the tempo."
Senior Jameer Reed led the Lancers with 21 points, with Josh Charlot adding 14.
"It feels good to win again, and I appreciate it. It was a good team win and I couldn't have done it without the guys," Reed said. "It's always good to go out on a happy note in my last SWCs."
Notre Dame, ranked No. 3 in the GametimeCT Boys Basketball Top 10 Poll, will likely be the No. 5 seed in the upcoming CIAC Division I tournament.
Bunnell was led by Rody Ricketts with 21 points.
The Bulldogs, the defending D-III champion, are now up in D-II where they will likely be the No. 7 seed when the brackets are released Tuesday.
Player of the Game
Jameer Reed, Notre Dame Prep:
Quotable
"We don't have that many seniors, but we have a really strong culture and a great culture left behind by guys the last four or five years that really set the tone. Jameer Reed coming here has been a great, great kid and an elite athlete and elite academics." - Notre Dame coach Brian Kriftcher.
Notre Dame Prep 65, Bunnell 44
BUNNELL 10 8 10 16-44
NOTRE DAME 17 7 18 23-65
Bunnell: Brandon Acosta 3 0-0 7; Rody Ricketts 7 3-4 21; Rickie Miller 0 1-2 1; Lucas Bowman 1 0-0 2; Shelby Pitard 3 1-2 9; Brady Biggs 1 0-2 2; Jaden Cameron 0 2-2 2. Totals: 16 7-12 44.
Notre Dame: Jameer Reed 8 4-6 21; Jaise Greaves 4 0-0 9; Myles Coleman 4 0-0 9; Kieran Blake 3 0-0 6; Josh Charlot 7 0-2 14; Travish Burnett 1 2-4 4; Zion Ali 1 0-0 2; Craig Bostick 0 0-0 0.
3-point field goals: B-Ricketts 3, Acosta; ND-Reed, Coleman.
This article originally published at Notre Dame Prep rolls over Bunnell for third straight SWC boys basketball championship.
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