EAST HARTFORD – Windsor boys basketball coach Ken Smith got his 700th win Tuesday night as Windsor defeated East Hartford 92-53 in a first-round CCC tournament game.
Smith becomes the third boys basketball coach in Connecticut history to hit the 700 mark. Vito Montelli did it at St. Joseph-Trumbull over 50 years, winning 878 games, and Nick Augelli of Crosby, who is still active, has 762.
“This means everything to us,” said Windsor’s Sean Evans, the team’s only senior. “Just getting it for Coach in my last year…we got it when it matters. We’re in the playoffs now, we’re in a whole different mode.”
Smith is in his 36th year at Windsor, which won the Division II championship last year. The Warriors (14-5) will face top-seeded Manchester in the quarterfinals Thursday. Manchester rallied twice from big deficits to beat Windsor this season.
But Smith was just happy to beat East Hartford (15-6) Tuesday. The Warriors, led by Missoni Brown’s 23 points, 19 from Ji Gary and 18 from Alex Weaver, had lost their last two regular season games, to Glastonbury and Bishop Hendricken (R.I.), denying Smith his milestone win.
“I’m glad it’s over,” Smith said. “It’s nice thing though. This one was hard.”
Windsor hit 11 3-pointers and hit 13 of 13 free throws.
CCC tournament first round
at East Hartford
Windsor 92, East Hartford 53
Windsor 22 23 22 22 – 92
East Hartford 12 13 12 16 – 53
Windsor: Missoni Brown 9 4 23, Sean Evans 3 0 7, Alex Weaver 6 4 18, Ji Gary 7 0 19, Elijah Gordon 1 0 2, Willie Lockheart 2 0 5, Charles Lewis 6 0 12, Isiah Fleeting 0 2 2. Totals: 34 13 92.
East Hartford: Justin Victorin 3 0 6, Amari Daniels 4 0 10, Dougie McCoy 3 2 8, Kehari Walker 6 1 13, Tristan Walton 2 0 4, King Reddick 0 2 2, Ant Akerson 0 1 1, Deondre Storey 3 0 6, Zahrion Guizere 1 0 2, Earl Thompson 0 1 1. Totals: 21 7 53.
Records: Windsor, 14-5; East Hartford, 15-6.