Quick look at girls hoop first round state matchups

Seven area girls basketball teams begin state tournament play on either Saturday or Monday.
Here’s a little bit about each matchup:

No. 30 East Catholic at No. 3 St. Paul Catholic
Saturday, 7 p.m. at SPCHS
Class M First Round game

St. Paul
Record: 20-2
Seniors listed on CIAC roster: Emily Sklenka, Corinne Johndrow, Jillian Kilmer (injured), Elisabeth Cretella (All-NVL selection), Elizabeth Ferraro (All-Copper), Stephanie Speaker, Lauren Palmer
Of note: The Falcons look to get back on track after their NVL Tournament semifinal loss to runner-up Kennedy. Junior Brigid Johndrow was also an All-Copper selection.

East Catholic
Record: 10-10
Seniors: Katlin Szemreylo (All-CCC North Blue Division selection, Emily Corl (All-CCC North Blue), Emily Szemreylo, Nicoletta Longo
Of note: The Eagles beat local opponents Bristol Central and Plainville during the regular season. East Catholic was in Class L last season, where it dropped a first round game to Pomperaug.

No. 29 Kaynor Tech at No. 4 Holy Cross
Saturday, 5 p.m. at HCHS
Class M First Round game

Holy Cross
Record: 21-2 (NVL Tournament champion)
Seniors: Kaitlyn Grimshaw, RaShana Siders (All-NVL and Top Senior), Brianna Cracco, Caitlin Cipriano (All-City)
Of note: The Crusaders are coming off of a NVL Tournament championship. Holy Cross is without the injured Century McCartney (All-NVL, All-City), but it is still a dangerous team. Junior Idalis Miranda was an All-Brass selection.

Kaynor Tech
Record: 10-11
Seniors: Nathalie Vega, Nathalia Vega, Allison Terry, Jazmin Byars, Kaitlyn Thomas
Of note: The Panthers played six games against NVL opponents this season and lost them all. Kaynor Tech’s most recent game was a loss against Prince Tech in the CSC quarterfinal round.

No. 26 Wolcott at No. 7 Weaver
Saturday, 4 p.m. at Classical Magnet, Hartford
Class M First Round game

Wolcott
Record: 10-11
Seniors: Allyson Hickey, Allessandra Mix, Briana Japs (All-Iron), Madison Greenstein, Amanda Japs
Of note: The Eagles were the No. 8 seed in the NVL Tournament and lost to top-seeded Holy Cross, the eventual champion, in the quarterfinal round. Briana Japs and sophomore Raven Cody make Wolcott go.

Weaver
Record: 18-4
Seniors: Shaquana Edwards (All-CCC Central White, 2,000-point scorer), Kiana Stephens
Of note: Edwards has a sprained knee and may not play, according to The Hartford Courant. Junior Melicia Mendez also made the All-CCC Central White squad.

No. 22 Woodstock Academy at No. 11 Crosby
Monday, 7 p.m. at CHS
Class L First Round game

Crosby
Record: 15-6
Seniors: Ninoshka Figueroa-Robles (All-NVL, All-City), Mariah Machado (All-Brass, All-City), Yoseiris Castro, Destin Trammell (All-Brass)
Of note: The Bulldogs last played a game in the NVL Tournament, where they lost to Watertown in the quarterfinal round. Figueroa-Robles is a potent scorer for Crosby, though Machado can also do damage.

Woodstock Academy
Record: 10-11
Seniors: Anna Perry
Of note: The Centaurs have just one senior listed on their CIAC Tournament roster. Woodstock lost in the first round of the ECC Tournament, and it will be making a long trip to Waterbury on Monday.

No. 20 Bristol Eastern at No. 13 Northwest Catholic
Monday, 7 p.m. at NW Catholic, West Hartford
Class L First Round game

Bristol Eastern
Record: 12-9
Seniors: Jamilla Shoultz (All-CCC South Blue), Anna Kelley, Gianna D’Amato
Of note: The Lancers lost a CCC first round game before beating city rival Bristol Central in their final regular season game (it had been postponed). Eastern is led by Shoultz and fellow All-CCC South Blue selection Diana Wnuk, a junior.

Northwest Catholic
Record: 13-8
Seniors: Erin Feeney, Mackenzie Tibball (All-CCC Central White), Athena Feola, Elysia Calloway
Of note: Tibball and junior Lauren Murphy, another All-CCC Central White selection, lead the way for the Lions. Northwest Catholic made the Class L state final last season, where it lost to Capital Prep.

No. 21 Wilton at No. 12 Kennedy
Saturday, 7 p.m. at KHS
Class LL First Round game

Kennedy
Record: 18-5 (NVL Tournament runner-up)
Seniors: Lynadia Whiting (All-NVL, All-City), Sarah Emmanuel-Norwood, Emily Ramos
Of note: The Eagles gave Holy Cross a great game before falling at home in the NVL title matchup. Junior Raegon Shirling-Davis made the All-Bras and All-City teams while sophomore Destiny Prather was All-Brass. Whiting makes this team go.

Wilton
Record: 11-10
Seniors: Karen Brosko (second team All-FCIAC), Sarah Fitzgerald, Caraline Higgins, Taylor Ingerman (honorable mention All-FCIAC), Christina Holmgren, Hana Previte (honorable mention All-FCIAC)
Of note: This is a senior-laden bunch for the Warriors. Wilton is the defending Class LL state champion. The Warriors were eliminated by Stamford (No. 4 Class LL) in the FCIAC Tournament quarterfinals. Several of the top teams in Class LL are from the FCIAC, so Wilton has been battle-tested this season.