Northwest Catholic hosted Conard in boys basketball in West Hartford Tuesday night.

Matt Curtis with coach John Mirabello during a ceremony honoring his 1000th career point. NWC vs. Conard boys basketball. Feb. 16, 2021. Photo credit: Paul Palmer

By Paul Palmer

Northwest Catholic’s Matthew Curtis was already off to a good start this season.

In the Lions’ first two games, the junior from Ellington had scored 29 and 18 points. Tuesday night, he re-wrote the Northwest Catholic record book by breaking the 1000-point mark in his career while dropping 43 points in three quarters of play.

The milestone came early in the third quarter when Curtis hit a 3-pointer to get to 999 points, before scoring on a lay-in to break the barrier. He would add 5 more before being lifted as the Lions were cruising on Curtis’ night.

At the half, Curtis had 33 points on 13-for-13 shooting from the field, including five 3-pointers and Northwest had a 42-14 lead.

The second half saw Northwest use their reserves as Conard (0-2) continued to battle on every possession. Freshman Riley Fox led the Chieftains with 17 points.

“He doesn’t know how good he is,” said Conard head coach Jared Leghorn of Fox. “He is so humble and coachable.”

Leghorn used a series of line-ups, taking advantage of the lopsided score to get a look at his players and get them experience.

“As a group of 12, we are trying to find our identity. It’s a matter of getting five guys on the court that can do it at the same time,” said Leghorn.

At the final horn, Northwest came away with the comfortable 73-38 win to move to 3-0 on the season. Conard’s schedule does not get any easier, as they host Simsbury on Friday.

Matt Curtis goes for a jumper over Conard players. NWC vs. Conard boys basketball. Feb. 16, 2021. Photo credit: Paul Palmer

NWC’s Matt Curtis shoots over Conard’s Julius Smith. NWC vs. Conard boys basketball. Feb. 16, 2021. Photo credit: Paul Palmer

Conard’s Benjamin Tartaglia looks for an option vs. NWC. NWC vs. Conard boys basketball. Feb. 16, 2021. Photo credit: Paul Palmer

Conard’s Jayvier Harrison vs. NWC’s Jehyvic Spence. NWC vs. Conard boys basketball. Feb. 16, 2021. Photo credit: Paul Palmer

Conard’s Riley Fox guards inbound play against NWC. NWC vs. Conard boys basketball. Feb. 16, 2021. Photo credit: Paul Palmer

Conard’s Ryan Bushnell lets fly a 3-pointer against NWC. NWC vs. Conard boys basketball. Feb. 16, 2021. Photo credit: Paul Palmer

Matt Curtis’ 1000th-point ball goes through the hoop. NWC vs. Conard boys basketball. Feb. 16, 2021. Photo credit: Paul Palmer

Matt Curtis is honored with the game ball he used to break the 1000-point scoring mark. Pictured with coach John MIrabello. NWC vs. Conard boys basketball. Feb. 16, 2021. Photo credit: Paul Palmer

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