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Here are some key points for tonight's NVL tournament championship game between No. 1 Holy Cross and No. 2 Torrington (7 p.m., Kennedy High School in Waterbury).

CONTAINING BRADFORD
- Torrington must find a way to contain Holy Cross standout Briana Bradford. There are other solid players on the Crusaders (Angelica Ariola, Danielle Dorsett and Kiera O'Donnell), but Bradford is an explosive scorer.
Containing Bradford is much easier said than done. Bradford scored 32 points in the last meeting, a 67-62 win over the Raiders in Torrington on Jan. 31. In that game, Bradford had six 3-pointers. Bradford also has the ability to get the basket, which creates matchup problems.

TURNOVERS
- Torirngton needs to limit its turnovers against Holy Cross. In the game in Torrington, the Raiders turned the ball over 24 times. The Crusaders were off their game in the first half (31-26 THS), but they made the Raiders pay for their mistakes in the second half. Turnovers allow Holy Cross to pick up easy baskets, which can quickly turn a close game into a blowout. That was the case in the first meeting on Dec. 13, a 65-46 Crsuader victory. Holy Cross led 19-2 after the first quarter. Of course, Torrington standout forward Aly Otis didn't play for the first quarter and a half in that game, which was certainly a factor.

FOUL TROUBLE
- Torrington cannot afford to get in foul trouble against Holy Cross. In the first game, Caycee Williams picked up two early fouls and the Crusaders were able to exploit the Raiders. Holy Cross head coach Frank Lombardo would prefer that his team not get in foul trouble, but their aggressive style of defense can lead to that problem, so that is something to look out for in this game.

CONTROLLING THE BOARDS
- Torrington must limit Holy Cross' second chances tonight. In the first meeting, the Raiders were outrebounded 37-23 by the Crusaders. Dorsett (16 points) and O'Donnell (15) both hurt Torrington inside. Not having Otis in the first quarter and half of the game certainly hurt THS's rebounding.
In the second game, Dorsett and O'Donnell combined for just 12 points, but Bradford carried the Crusaders with 32 points.

- Kevin D. Roberts