New London Whalers Advance to State Division I Quarterfinals

Eighth-seeded Whalers defeat No. 9 Holy Cross in second round, set to face top-ranked Staples on Friday

Mar. 11, 2026 at 1:33am

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The New London High School boys' basketball team, the eighth seed in the state Division I tournament, defeated No. 9 Holy Cross 76-64 in the second round on Tuesday night. Led by 30 points from senior Kyaire Young and 20 from fellow senior J.J. Robinson, the Whalers used an 8-0 run to end the third quarter to take control of the game. New London will now travel to face unbeaten No. 1 seed Staples in the quarterfinals on Friday.

Why it matters

New London's victory marks the first time the Whalers have advanced this far in the state Division I tournament, a significant achievement for the program. The Whalers will now have the opportunity to potentially make history by becoming the first New London team to ever win a state Division I (or Class LL) championship.

The details

In Tuesday's second-round game, New London trailed Holy Cross by as many as six points early on before rallying behind the play of Young and Robinson. Senior Akai Soria also made a key 3-pointer late in the game and had a rim-rattling dunk that energized the Whalers' bench. New London used an 8-0 run to end the third quarter to take control, and then held off a late Holy Cross surge in the fourth quarter to secure the victory.

  • The game was played on Tuesday, March 11, 2026.
  • New London will travel to face Staples in the quarterfinals on Friday, March 14, 2026.

The players

Kyaire Young

A senior at New London High School who led the Whalers with 30 points in the second-round victory over Holy Cross.

J.J. Robinson

A senior at New London High School who scored 20 points in the win over Holy Cross.

Akai Soria

A senior at New London High School who made a key 3-pointer late in the game and had a highlight-reel dunk that energized the Whalers' bench.

Dave Cornish

The head coach of the New London High School boys' basketball team.

Staples

The top-ranked and unbeaten team that New London will face in the quarterfinals of the state Division I tournament.

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What they’re saying

“Yes, my thoughts were different coming here today. It was a do or die situation. This could have been my last game in my high school career. So I didn't want to go out in front of my hometown. I definitely don't want to go out on Friday.”

— J.J. Robinson, New London High School senior (theday.com)

“Not a lot of people think I can do that. But that works for me. He (the defender) jumped (to try to block the ball) and I put him through the rim.”

— Akai Soria, New London High School senior (theday.com)

“Akai does it in practice all the time. We call him 'Kobe' in practice because he's not missing anything. They've been waiting for that play all year long.”

— Dave Cornish, New London High School head coach (theday.com)

What’s next

The winner of the quarterfinal matchup between New London and Staples on Friday, March 14, 2026 will advance to the state Division I semifinals.

The takeaway

New London's victory over Holy Cross in the state Division I tournament second round marks a significant milestone for the Whalers program, as they have now advanced further than any previous New London team in the state's top high school basketball classification. The Whalers will have the opportunity to make history by potentially becoming the first New London team to win a state Division I (or Class LL) championship if they can defeat top-ranked Staples in the quarterfinals.