Original Story: The two hottest teams in the FCIAC will clash when the unbeaten Danbury Hatters visit the defending league champion Ridgefield Tigers tonight and you can catch all the action live on the HAN Network.
Coverage will tip-off with a pregame show at 6:50, with the game starting at 7 p.m. at what is sure to be a raucous RHS gymnasium.
The game can be seen live on FCIAC.net and han.network, as well as on Frontier Communications’ Vantage Sports Network (Chs. 600/1600). Frank Granito and Kevin Coleman will be on the call.
The clash is a rematch of last year’s wild FCIAC semifinal game which was won by Ridgefield 67-63 in double overtime. The Tigers then went on to defeat Wilton for the FCIAC championship.
This time around, Danbury comes into the game with a perfect 6-0 overall record, while Ridgefield is 4-2. Both teams leads their FCIAC divisions — Danbury in the West and Ridgefield in the East — and they are the only 3-0 teams in the conference. Bridgeport Central, Brien McMahon and Warde are also undefeated in the league at 2-0.
The home team Tigers are coming off a huge week in which they knocked off league playoff contenders Stamford, 79-60, and Trinity Catholic, 64-63 in overtime.
In the OT game, played at Trinity, Ridgefield trailed by 12 points in the third quarter before rallying. Jackson Mitchell tied the game on a layup with 1.1 seconds remaining in regulation, and Brendan McNamara won it on a bucket with three seconds to play in overtime.
McNamara, a 6-foot-6 senior, is the Tigers’ brightest star and was execeptional in the last two games, scoring 47 points, with 29 versis Stamford and 18 against Trinity.
Starting sophomore point guard Luke McGarrity is sidelined with a broken thumb, but junior James St. Pierre has stepped up in that spot, collecting 22 points against Stamford and 18 against Trinity.
Danbury has yet to be slowed this season, as it’s won every game by double digits. Last week, the Hatters routed Staples 77-43, and Ludlowe 70-54.
Danbury features several standouts, including its four captains: Point guard Javon Hernandez, forwards Denali Burton and Jordan Brown, and guard Cameron Snow.
