BY MICHAEL GRIFFIN
The race for the 1983-84 Naugatuck Valley League basketball crown came down to a battle between three city teams, with Sacred Heart, Holy Cross and Kennedy all tied at the top in mid-February.
The Hearts, who had reached the Class M final a year earlier and featured a number of returning starters, were considered favorites to claim the title. But the other two teams in contention were coming off losing seasons in 1982-83 and produced impressive campaigns, resulting in a dramatic final month of basketball.
After a 6-14 showing in 1982-83, Holy Cross returned the bulk of its squad that included 6-4 junior Kelly Monroe, who had led the league in scoring as a sophomore. Kennedy, which endured a 10-11 record the previous year, featured 6-4 seniors Vern Riddick and Billy Evans to lead the Eagles’ challenge against city rivals.
The Hearts cruised through the first half of the the league season with a 7-1 record that included a comeback win over defending NVL champion Ansonia after trailing by double digits. Calvin Glenn hit for 30 points in that game and followed it with 31 in an 88-65 rout of Crosby four nights later.
A Sacred Heart loss to Naugatuck allowed Holy Cross to take over the top spot in the league standings in the first week of February, when the Crusaders claimed two roads wins – edging Ansonia, 68-66, on two free throws by guard Frank Lombardo with four seconds remaining, and topping Torrington, 67-49, behind Monroe’s 27 points.
Holy Cross’ six-game win streak came to an end in its next league outing, as Sacred Heart produced one of its best efforts of the season to run past the Crusaders, 68-47, in a game played at the Crosby Palace. Anthony Perry and Glenn each netted 19 points to lead Coach Ed Generali’s Hearts, avenging an early-season loss to the Crusaders.
Four nights later, Kennedy defeated Naugatuck, 59-53, to improve to 11-2 in the NVL – the identical record of both Sacred Heart and Holy Cross – to secure a temporary three-way tie at the top of the NVL standings. Vern Riddick scored 21 points and point guard Neal Ware added 15 for the Eagles, who survived the back-and-forth affair with a strong fourth quarter.
Sacred Heart needed a buzzer-beating jump shot by Perry to nip Wilby in its next game, the second time the senior guard had delivered a game-winning bucket as time expired that season. Wilby then played a role in determining a regular-season by upsetting Holy Cross, 61-53.
The Hearts capitalized by routing Torrington, 90-59, and clinched the city and NVL championships by holding off Kennedy, 56-55. Coach Jack Taglia’s Eagles used a deliberate pace to claim an early lead in that game, but Glenn and Perry combined for 32 points in the comeback victory.
the Class M title included, back row from left:
Ossie Mejil, Henry Brown, Dave Franks and Calvin Glenn;
and kneeling: Craig Wood and Anthony Perry.
With a 16-4 overall record, Sacred Heart was ranked fifth in the CIAC Class M tournament. Kennedy, also finishing with a 16-4 record, was seeded sixth in the L bracket, while Holy Cross (17-3) earned the third overall spot in the LL tourney.
The Crusaders topped the century mark in running past West Haven, 103-85, in its LL West Region II opener. Monroe collected 33 points and 13 rebounds while Lombardo, Kenny Green and reserve James Monroe also reached double figures.
The Crusaders started slow in their next outing, and a second-half comeback fell short against 15th-seeded Danbury. Monroe hit for 16 points and Steve Northrop scored 10 for Holy Cross in the 65-50 loss.
Kennedy’s postseason run also lasted just two games. The Eagles cruised past Abbott Tech – with Riddick and Billy Evans each scoring 18 points – in the region opener, before falling to Bassick of Bridgeport, 58-51, and ending the 1983-84 campaign with a 17-5 record.
A Bridgeport team was the opening opponent for Sacred Heart’s run in the Class M tournament. The Hearts received a scare from an 8-12 Kolbe-Cathedral squad before prevailing, 62-57. Big men Henry Brown, who scored 18 points, and Dave Franks hit late free throws to secure the win.
Sacred Heart fell behind its next two opponents before rallying for victories. Glenn led the way with 27 points in an 84-67 triumph over Immaculate in the Class M West Region II second round. In the next round, the 6-5 Brown netted 28 points and the Hearts outscored Weston 23-6 in the third period to win going away, 78-57, and claim the region trophy, a first for the school.
In the quarterfinal, seniors Perry, Glenn and Brown all topped 20 points as Sacred Heart held off St. Joseph of Trumbull to earn a rematch against nemesis St. Thomas Aquinas of New Britain, which defeated the Hearts in a regular-season contest and in the M final one season earlier.
Sacred Heart’s strong inside game proved the difference in the semifinal. Glenn, Brown and Franks combined for 50 points in a 78-70 triumph, avenging those two previous losses and ending Aquinas’ attempt at a fourth consecutive state title.
The CIAC Class M final was a rematch of the West Region II final, but it was not much of a contest as Sacred Heat ran Weston out of the Central Connecticut State University gym.
The Hearts built an early 24-6 lead and contained Weston’s pair of 6-5 sophomores, Don Polite and Tony Jackson, to claim the school’s and the city’s first state title since 1967 – when Coach Ed Generali was himself a player in Sacred Heart’s program and its varsity team had defeated Fairfield Prep for the Class L crown.
Glenn notched 24 points and 9 rebounds in the 72-48 victory, while tournament MVP Perry scored 23 points, including the 1,000th points of his high school career.
Both Hearts’ players were named to the All-City and All-NVL first teams for the 1983-84 season. Perry and Glenn were joined on the All-City team by repeat selections Kelly Monroe of Holy Cross and Vern Riddick of Kennedy, along with Kaynor Tech’s Darryl Lovett – who surpassed 1,000 points for his career in a midseason win over Platt of Meriden.
The All-NVL first team included city stars Perry, Glenn, Monroe and Riddick, along with sharpshooter Keith Rado of Naugatuck, who averaged 22 points a game for the Greyhounds.
Perry and Riddick also received two of the three annual awards presented to city seniors. The Sacred Heart guard was honored with the Billy Finn Award as the most outstanding player in Waterbury. Kennedy’s Riddick was presented with the Lt. Jack Cullinan Award for sportsmanship, and Art Burrus of Crosby was recipient of the Doc McInerney Award as top scholar-athlete among city seniors.