#4 Green Dragons at #3 Governors - Goralnik's Guesses

We were on a roll. The keyword there is were. It was a tough loss last night as I lost my first guarantee (2-1) and my overall record slipped to 10-8. And what a perfect game to have to get back on track.... a toss up. It's the SCC Division 1 Championship that is on the line and it's a 3 and 4 seed battling it out. Both teams are coming off of big wins and both teams have girls capable of finishing the task to win it all. It really is going to be a great game! Except if you are trying to predict it....

Let's dive into this one head first because there are a couple of common opponents. Both of these teams dismantled Lauralton Hall during the regular season but Hamden played Lauralton Hall twice. When they met for the second time, it was only a 1 point Green Dragon win. Cross and Hamden also both beat Guilford during the year and the Governors proceed to pummel Guilford a second time later in the season. Wilbur Cross has only one loss on the year but Hamden defeated the #1 seeded Titans by 10 points to get here. Doesn't it feel like this year belongs to the Green Dragons?

On the flip side, Wilbur Cross is the winner of their last 9 games and their only loss of the year was a one point road loss to a great Sacred Heart Academy team. How can I bet against a team that has been that dominant throughout the entire year?! Simple... I pick the team that just knocked off a one-loss #1 seed. Ultimately as much as I go back and forth, I have to make a decision. Make no mistake about, tonight is the furthest thing from a Goralnik Guarantee.

When I tally up all the facts about these two teams, I look at one last deciding factor. The Wilbur Cross boys were "robbed" of a chance to play for a title on Monday night. We covered the game so many of you already know the game came down to foul shots to end regulation. By the officiating rule book, .3 seconds or less on the clock means the only available shot that can be made is a tip attempt. So West Haven should not have had enough time to shoot the ball and only try a tip play near the hoop. Regardless, the man made his free throw shots with all the pressure in the world so West Haven certainly earned the win but by the rule book, that game should've ended with a Wilbur Cross win. With all of that said, there is something to say about school spirit. I think that the Lady Governors are going to use their opportunity to "win it for the boys". Listen, obviously all of the ladies want to win it for themselves but when you throw in an added element of motivation, you have a scary combination. On top of that, yes... Hamden is really good and yes, they are the defending back-to-back champs.... but they are also still fairly young. While they have Senior leaders who have held up that SCC trophy two straight years, they have a number of impactful Freshman and I think the lights of the Championship will expose the youth of the Green Dragons. Tis not the year for a 3-peat!

As always watch the game with Coach DeMaio's play-by-play right here on WELI.COM.


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