NWC's Maeve Staunton (5) drives down court blocked by BC's Kamaria Bowens (5) during the Bristol Central at Northwest Catholic girls basketball game on Friday, February 13, 2026, at Northwest Catholic High School in West Hartford, (Jim Michaud/Hearst Connecticut Media)Scott EricsonSat, February 14, 2026 at 3:36 AM UTC·3 min readWEST HARTFORD - The Northwest Catholic girls basketball team left no doubt about who sits atop the GametimeCT Girls Basketball Top 10 poll.
The No. 1 Lions extended their in-state regular season winning streak to 24 games with a decisive 78-63 victory over Bristol Central, strengthening their grip on the top spot as they prepare for a run at a fourth straight CIAC championship.
"It feels really good, especially since it is on senior night," Northwest Catholic senior Maeve Staunton said. "This time of the season, we are starting to hit our climax and put everything together and get ready for the postseason."
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAbby Casper led the way with 25 points and Staunton added 21 for the Lions, who improved to 17-1 and have not lost a regular season game to a team from Connecticut since January 2025.
Sophomore center Lyla Diaz added 11 points for the Lions, whose lone defeat this season came against the No. 1 team from Massachusetts, Springfield Central, 56-44 at the Hoophall Classic.
Northwest jumped out to an 11-2 lead and never trailed in the game, leading by 13 at halftime.
Bristol Central, led by seniors Kamaria Bowens and Nicole Riemer, cut the lead to eight midway through the third quarter, but the Lions' balanced attack was too much on this evening, and their lead was up to 60-42 heading into the fourth.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBristol Central fell to 14-4, but coach Steve Gaudet said the team is steadily improving since Bowens returned from an injury in the 11th game of the season. This was the Rams' first loss with Bowens in the starting lineup.
"This game does not define us. We did some really good things and we did some things that were poor," Gaudet said. "I think we can compete with that team, but some things didn't go our way tonight and we have some things we need to work on."
Riemer led the Rams with 24 points, and Bowens added 18.
Bristol Central is currently ranked No. 9 in the CIAC Division II standings, while Northwest Catholic is the top seed in D-I.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementPlayer of the Game
Abby Capser, Northwest Catholic: The senior showed out in her final regular season home game, scoring 25 points, 20 of which came in the second half.
Quotable
"We knew we had a battle coming in. They didn't lose anybody from last year, we didn't lose anyone from last year and it is always a great battle with these two teams. It looks like we have been back on track the last couple of games, and we are moving the ball really well and sharing it great." - Northwest Catholic coach Alison Connors.
Northwest Catholic 78, Bristol Central 63
BRISTOL CENTRAL 11 13 21 18-63NORTHWEST CATHOLIC 20 17 23 18-78
Bristol Central: Leylanni Cespedes 4 0-0 10; Olivia Louis 2 2-2 6; Kamaria Bowens 7 3-4 18; Gabby Bernier 1 0-0 3; Bria Rossi 0 0-0 0; Nicole Riemer 9 5-10 24. Totals: 24 10-16 63Northwest Catholic: Abby Casper 11 3-3 25; Maeve Staunton 8 4-4 21; Zoey Canning 3 0-0 7; Samantha Casper 3 1-3 9; Lily Johnson 2 0-0 5; Lyla Diaz 3 5-11 11; Mikartny Hart 0 0-0 0. Totals: 30 13-21 78.3-point field goals: BC-Cespedes 2; Bowens; Bernier. NWC-S. Casper 2; Staunton; Canning.
This article originally published at No. 1 Northwest Catholic rolls past Bristol Central to continue its in-state dominance.
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