What we learned on the first day of 2026 CIAC girls basketball tournament: D-III and D-V tip off
· Yahoo Sports
Two of the five classes -Division III and V - began play Friday in the CIAC girls basketball tournament.
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Divisions II and IV start first-round games Saturday, with two exceptions: No. 11 Lauralton Hall beat No. 22 Northwestern 55-20 in D-IV and No. 4 Enfield defeated No. 29 E.O. Smith 48-21 in D-II on Friday.
Division I begins with second-round games Monday. Second-round games for D-III and D-V are also Monday.
Here is the full scoreboard and schedule.
Here's what you need to know from Day 1:
Nothing To See Here
There were no major upsets on the first day, with all but one of the top 10 seeds advancing. No. 10 East Lyme was the lone team to lose in that group, going down at home to No. 23 Platt 49-38.
None of the defending CIAC champions played on day one, with reigning Class S champ Coventry getting a bye in Division III, Sheehan playing Saturday in D-II, and SHA and Northwest Catholic beginning Monday in the D-I second round.
The other defending state champion, Bacon Academy, did not qualify for the tournament.
In the second round, Coventry will host No. 15 Brookfield, which beat No. 18 Crosby 51-23 in the first round.
Seeded Upsets
There were several seeded upsets on opening night.
In Division V, No. 17 St. Bernard defeated No. 16 Westbrook 49-43, and No. 19 Housatonic beat No. 14 Cheney Tech 41-38.
Division III had four upsets, with No. 19 Kolbe Cathedral rolling over No. 14 Granby 63-35, No. 23 Platt beating No. 10 East Lyme 49-38, No. 17 Plainville going on the road to beat No. 16 Guilford 56-46, and No. 22 Avon knocking off No. 11 Wilby 63-37.
Avon and Platt were the only seeds over 20 to advance.
Avon will next travel to No. 6 Lewis Mills on Monday, and Platt will go to No. 7 Barlow. Lewis Mills beat Avon in the regular season 55-44. Platt had won just three of its last nine games heading into the tournament.
Shining Stars
Maya Betts, East Granby: Had 25 points, making six 3-pointers, 5 rebounds and 5 steals in a 42-32 win over Windham Tech in D-V.
Olivia Brooks, Housatonic: In a 41-38 D-V win against Cheney Tech, posted a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Mia Cunningham, Seymour: In a 49-37 win over Branford in D-III, had 22 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocks and 4 steals.
Kanyla Dingle, Whitney Tech: The junior scored her 1,000th career point as part of a 28-point effort in a 60-35 D-V win against Montville.
Peyton Kelleher, Cromwell: Scored a game-high 17 points along with 7 rebounds in a a 55-48 win over Portland in Division V.
Annabel O'Marra, Torrington: Scored a game-high 19 points, making three 3s, in a 40-32 defeat of Hall in D-III.
Kalani Rivera, Innovation: In Innovation's 56-27 win against Wright Tech in D-V, scored a game-high 18 points.
Mia Tartaglia, Barlow: In a 42-37 D-III win against Law, had 24 points, 9 rebounds and 6 steals.
This article originally published at What we learned on the first day of 2026 CIAC girls basketball tournament: D-III and D-V tip off.