By Michael Letendre

The Bristol Eastern girls basketball team is looking forward to a little home cooking over the next week or so.

And tonight, the Lancers battles Lewis Mills – a squad the locals romped twice last season in contests that were never close – in CCC Region B play.

The Spartans defeated Avon last Saturday and comes to the Thomas M. Monahan Gymnasium with a little momentum on their side.

However, Mills is going to have to battle an extremely motivated Lancers’ program as the team is looking for victory number four and a bit of revenge off a tough loss to Southington over the weekend.

Here is what’s on tap for the Lancers against Lewis Mills:

Bristol Eastern (3-1) vs. Lewis Mills (1-3)

Time – 5:30 p.m.

Location – Thomas M. Monahan Gymnasium at Bristol Eastern

The question – How angry is Eastern off its first loss of the season at Southington?

The contest against Mills opens a three-game home stand for the Lancers against teams that currently have a combined record of 4-8.

And who, out of all three of those teams have an equal to Eastern junior Ciara Collins?

She’s already scored 102 points this season (25.5 points-per-game) while averaging a team-high of 7.8 rebounds and is second on the squad in assists (4.5 per-game) behind Cali Doyon.

Collins has not let up once this year and her blistering 51-percent shooting from the field proves she’s the first weapon Mills must stop on the court.

Eastern center Sage Scarritt is just off a double-double pace (8.0 points and 7.5 rebounds-per-game) and will be looking for a bit of a bounce-back against the Spartans.

Alyssa Kehler (11.8 points, 6.0 rebounds-per-game), Doyon (9.8 points, 5.0 assists-per-game, five three-pointers), and Taigan Parent (4.0 points, 3.0 rebounds-per-game) are all a big part of what Eastern has accomplished this year and make an extremely talented starting five.

Mills is once again a young squad this year and trying to come into the Thomas M. Monahan Gymnasium – attempting to beat a determined Lancers’ squad – may not be in the cards.

Eastern needs to be wary of Abby Mills (that’s a familiar last name) and Brianna Pelchar who can heat up in a hurry for the Spartans.

But if Eastern’s transition game, trapping and pressing tactics that leads to turnovers and eventual lay-ups, makes any kind of appearance at the Thomas M. Monahan Gymnasium, Mills is going to be in for a very long night.

Games on the horizon for Eastern: Eastern versus New Britain (Friday, February 26, 5:30 p.m.); Eastern versus Avon (Monday, March 1, 5:30 p.m.).