Dear ,

As we arrive at the final weekend of the 2025–2026 WHGBL season, this newsletter carries some of the most important information of the year. Today marks the beginning of the Seniors Division playoffs, the culmination of months of practice, teamwork, and competition. Last week, the Juniors Division delivered thrilling playoff games, and tomorrow we will crown their champion. In addition, our annual Skills Competition takes place this afternoon immediately following the Seniors Division playoff games.

Because this is the final in-season edition of the WHGBL newsletter, today’s message focuses on the most important developments of the weekend and the celebration of the incredible season our players, families, coaches, and volunteers have built together. Please read this newsletter carefully so you do not miss key game times, event details, and important reminders for this exciting championship weekend.

📰LEAGUE LINES

Juniors Division Playoff Results

The Juniors Division playoffs last Sunday produced outstanding basketball and showcased the tremendous development our players have made throughout the season.

As mentioned in last week’s newsletter, the regular season ended in a remarkable three-way tie for first place. Georgetown, Precise HVAC Home Services, and St. John’s each finished with identical 7–1 records, making traditional tiebreakers impossible to apply. Following league procedures, a coin toss was used to determine the playoff seeding order.

The final seeding was determined as follows:

1. St. John’s – #1 Seed

2. Georgetown – #2 Seed

3. Precise HVAC Home Services – #3 Seed

4. Siena Private Wealth – #4 Seed

The semifinal games were extremely competitive and demonstrated the high level of skill across the entire division.

• #3 Precise HVAC Home Services defeated #2 Georgetown, 25–13

• #1 St. John’s defeated #4 Siena Private Wealth, 41–22

These results set up an exciting championship matchup between the top-seeded St. John’s team and the surging #3 seed Precise HVAC Home Services squad.

The Juniors Division Championship Game will take place:

Sunday, March 8
12:30 PM
Conard High School – Varsity Gym

Players from both teams should prepare for a slightly different experience, as the Conard High School varsity court is larger than the Sedgwick Middle School court used throughout the regular season. The additional space will reward teams that move the ball well, play strong transition defense, and maintain excellent conditioning.

We wish both teams the very best of luck in what promises to be a fantastic championship game.

Seniors Division Playoff Preview

Later today we turn our attention to the Seniors Division playoffs, where four evenly matched teams will compete for the opportunity to play in tomorrow’s championship game.

All four teams had extremely competitive head-to-head matchups during the regular season, and the standings reflected just how close the division was this year. Because of that parity, we expect two highly competitive playoff games this afternoon at Conard High School.

Game 1 – 12:30 PM
#2 Revolution Basketball Training vs. #3 On the Court Basketball Training

Game 2 – 1:40 PM
#1 Common Good Home Buyers vs. #4 El Pollo Guapo

With strong guard play, physical defense, and improving team chemistry across the division, these matchups should provide some of the most exciting basketball of the season.

The winners will advance to the Seniors Division Championship Game on Sunday morning, where we will crown our final league champion of the season.

PLEASE NOTE:  The Seniors Division playoffs and the Juniors and Seniors Division Championship Games will have a bit more entertainment involved.  There will be music, the playing of the National Anthem at the start of each game and the gymnasium microphone and speaker system will be used  to announce player lineups, scoring and other activities during the competition.

Skills Competition Immediately Following Seniors Division Playoffs

Reminder: Immediately following the conclusion of the final Seniors Division playoff game (expected around 2:45 PM), the WHGBL will host its Annual Skills Competition at Conard High School.

This event is always one of the most enjoyable traditions of the season and gives players from every division an opportunity to showcase their individual skills.

Minors Division Competitions

Players may compete in:

• Kick the Cones

• Knockout

• Hot Shot

Juniors Division Competitions

Players may compete in:

• Kick the Cones

• Knockout

• Hot Shot

Seniors Division Competition

Seniors Division players will participate in a special:

3-on-3 Double Elimination Basketball Tournament

• Tournament begins at 3:00 PM

• Held in the small gym located behind the main gym at Conard

After teams are eliminated—or for players not participating in the 3-on-3 tournament—players are welcome to join the Hot Shot competition in the main gym.

Medals and trophies will be awarded to winners.

For more information about the Skills Competition, click this link:  SKILLS COMPETITION.

Important Reminder:
To receive their award, players must be present at the Awards Ceremony on Sunday, March 8. The ceremony will take place immediately following the Seniors Division Championship Game (expected to conclude around noon).

Note for Seniors Division players:
It is not too late to participate in the 3-on-3 tournament. Even if you do not have a full three-player team, please come to the gym and the league will do its best to help organize teams from available players.

Spring Forward – Set Your Clocks Ahead!

A quick but very important reminder: Daylight Saving Time begins this weekend.

Before going to bed Saturday night, set your clocks ahead one hour.

We do not want anyone arriving late for:

• Sunday’s Championship Games

• The WHGBL Awards Ceremony

Please plan accordingly so your family arrives at the Conard gym on time for these important end-of-season events.

💭PARTING PERSPECTIVES

As this newsletter marks the final in-season edition for the 2025–2026 WHGBL season, I want to take a moment to thank the people who make this league such a special community experience.

To our parents, thank you for entrusting the West Hartford Girls Basketball League with your daughters. Youth sports require commitment, transportation, encouragement, and patience, and the support you provide from the sidelines makes this league possible.

To our players, you have represented your teams and our community with effort, sportsmanship, and enthusiasm. Whether this season included thrilling victories, tough losses, or simply the joy of learning the game, every player contributed to the spirit of the league.

To our coaches, thank you for dedicating countless hours to teaching the fundamentals of basketball while also instilling teamwork, resilience, and the league's core leadership values. The development we have seen across all divisions this season is a direct reflection of your commitment.

To our board members, referees, timing and scoring officials, as well as our volunteers, the WHGBL exists because of your behind-the-scenes work—scheduling games, organizing teams, managing facilities, and ensuring every Saturday and Sunday runs smoothly.

A special message goes out to our eighth-grade players who will be graduating from the league this year. We hope many of you will continue your basketball journey at the high school level. But regardless of whether you continue playing the sport competitively, we hope the lessons learned here—confidence, teamwork, discipline, and our core leadership values—will serve you well in whatever path you pursue next.

While this concludes our weekly in-season newsletter, the WHGBL will continue communicating with families throughout the year with updates about:

• Future playing opportunities

• Off-season programs

• Registration for the 2026–2027 season

Finally, as we head into this exciting championship weekend, I encourage everyone to come out to Conard High School, support the players, and celebrate another outstanding season of girls basketball in West Hartford.

Thank you for being part of the WHGBL community. It has been a tremendous season.

See you at the gym.

Shawn Daly

"Teaching leadership skills through the fundamentals of basketball"