Updated Friday, March 18: After beating Wilbur Cross 73-65 at home Tuesday to advance in the Class LL State Championship basketball tournament, the Hatters fell to powerhouse Hillhouse on Thursday. The 66-45 loss at Crosby High School ended the Hatters’ first run for the state championship since 2007. The last time the Hatters won the state title was in 1992. That just shows how difficult it is to get there. But this team, led by the likes of Scott Nesbitt, Marcus Fox and Tyren McCrea, brought back the excitement of those days past when the school would load up buses to transport fans to away games. The team, which was ranked No. 1 most of the season, finished 18-2 overall and 15-1 in the conference. On Sunday at the Mohegan, Hillhouse will play Weaver for the state title.

Updated Friday, March 11: The Hatters this week won their first two games in the run for the Class LL State Championship. On Tuesday, the Hatters defeated Staples. They advance to Thursday’s night’s game against Brien McMahon, and won 53-44 after trailing the first half. At 7 p.m. Monday, the Hatters will host Wilbur Cross in the third round of the championship.

As the regular season came to a close, the Boys’ Basketball team found themselves with a record of 18-2, a first place spot in the FCIAC division, and a ranking of fourth in the state of Connecticut.

They took this motivation and passion straight into the FCIAC playoffs. In the first round they squeezed by Fairfield Ludlowe in an overtime victory. Their momentum blew them right past Wilton.

Then came the championship game. The Hatters hadn’t won an FCIAC title in more than 24 years, but this year’s team looked like the team to break that streak.

The Hatters last Thursday took on Westhill. It was seeded No. 6, but it was also the defending FCIAC champs.

That experience, in the end, overcame the Hatters, who trailed as many as 15 points. DHS’s junior shooting guard Marvin Payton hit a clutch three-pointer with six minutes to go in the fourth quarter that brought the Hatters to within a point of the Vikings.

After a few turnovers and a couple of missed shots, DHS found itself down by 10 as the clock hit zero, the final score was 72-61 and Danbury High’s  hopes of winning the  conference championship were dashed.

All-FCIAC shooting guard Scott Nesbitt said, “It was a tough loss, but they just had more experience than us. We came out real slow, and we had to fight back, but in the end it wasn’t enough.”

These words, as painful as they are to hear, are words that still bear hope.

DHS still has an opportunity to bring home a state championship. That road begins Tuesday at 7:00 against Staples.

Payton spoke highly about the team’s camaraderie and its will to bounce back.

“This team is built on family,” he said, “and we will stick together until the end.”

For Hatters faithful, they can only hope that this magical season still has some fairy dust left in it, as Danbury gets ready for its Tuesday matchup.

“Those boys played their hearts out and I could not be more proud of them,’’ says  assistant Coach Billie Anderson said of the Hatters.

Coach Casey Bock  had this to say about his team, “To not get the victory was very disappointing, but I was proud of the heart the team showed to come back in the second half. And we will be sure to show the same heart as we make a run in the state tournament.”