(Photos couresy of Todd Dandelske)
The West Haven High School boys’ basketball team reached the CIAC Division II State Championship Game for the first time since 1987, as the 12th-seeded Blue Devils took on No. 2 Windsor on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Mohegan Sun. Despite a valiant effort, West Haven came up short in a thrilling overtime classic, 59-57.
> Click here to view photos from the championship game against Windsor.
West Haven’s incredible 2024 season comes to an end with a 20-8 overall record, including three upset wins in the CIAC Tournament to reach the finals.
HOW THEY GOT THERE:
West Haven earned the No. 12 seed in the CIAC Division II Bracket and hosted the No. 21 seed, Norwalk, on Monday, March 4th in the first round of the tournament. The Blue Devils cruised to a 75-49 victory behind 24 points from senior Michael Singleton.
> Click here to view photos from the first round game against Norwalk.
With the win, West Haven advanced to the second round and traveled to Waterbury on Wednesday, March 6th to face No. 5 Holy Cross. The Blue Devils led from the end of the first quarter, 17-13, and never looked back as they pulled away to win 65-54, upsetting the higher-seeded Crusaders. Singleton led West Haven in scoring again as he dropped 15 points.
> Click here to view photos from the second round game against Holy Cross.
On Friday, March 8th, the Blue Devils traveled to New Britain to face the fourth-seeded Golden Hurricanes in the quarterfinals and narrowly defeated the home team in a thriller, 63-62. West Haven trailed 58-56 with 52 seconds left in the game before senior Bernett Scott hit the go-ahead three. Singleton would later hit four clutch free throws to give West Haven a 63-60 lead with 14 seconds to play. New Britain responded with a lay-up with three seconds remaining, but the Blue Devils were able to dribble out the clock en route to victory.
> Click here to view photos from the quarterfinal game against New Britain.
In the semifinals against Stamford, West Haven led 19-17 at halftime. The Blue Devils then outscored Stamford 16-4 to close out the third quarter. After Stamford cut the deficit to four, 36-32, West Haven did not allow another point in the final five minutes as they pulled away down the stretch with a dominating defensive performance, 46-32.
> Click here to view photos from the semifinal game against Stamford.