By Michael Letendre
BURLINGTON – Lewis Mills boys basketball coach Ryan Raponey is no stranger to the team from Bristol Eastern.
The long-time JV coach for the Lancers knows the strengths and weakness of the players in the program and put together a sound game plan to stop Eastern.
And on Tuesday night, Mills successfully executed those strategies, frustrating the Lancers offensively and then turning the tables with a smooth shooting attack to snare a 61-41 victory over Eastern at the famed Thunderdome from Burlington.
After shooting 46-percent from the field to start the game, the Lancers misfired over the next 16 minutes, going just 8-for-27 for a 30-percent clip as Mills took over the contest.
Off those misses, the Spartans turned defense into offense.
“It starts on the defensive end,” said Raponey. “We have been struggling on the offensive end in our first three games. We didn’t break fifty points. So it was well known that we weren’t cashing in opportunities on that end. What you do in that situation is you pick it up defensively.”
After blasting Southington in its previous game for 10 threes, hitting an amazing 63-percent from downtown, Eastern didn’t connect on a 3 as the visitors went 0-for-9 overall.
“It was a point of emphasis,” said Raponey of Eastern’s three-point shooting. “They definitely have had some big games shooting the basketball and we know that Elijah Parent – and I don’t know where he is on their all-time [three-point shooting] list – but he’s right around the top if not the top guy. Josh Kolano knocks them down, Jack Stavens knocks them down, Trini [Otero] knocks them down and whomever comes into the ball game knocks down threes for them.”
“It’s a big part of their offense and we had to be alert and aware.”
Parent led the Lancers with 12 points while snaring four rebounds, Otero splashed in 10 points, while Kolano collected eight points, six rebounds, and blocked two shots.
Dylan Woodsome played well, adding six points, three rebounds and three assists while Tyler Donohue came off the pine for four points and six rebounds – nabbing five on the offensive end and working hard around the basket for second chance shooting opportunities.
Axel Fernandez, Trevor Nohilly and Stavens all saw significant minutes on the hardwood for Eastern.
Balance was evident in the Mills offense attack as Colby Cables led all players with 22 points while Tommy Martinotti (12), Brice Waldron (12), Drew Cormier (10), and Nate DiChiara (nine) all provided critical hoops along the way.
Mills hit half of their field goals and were 7-of-14 from deep.
But the Spartans couldn’t shake the Lancers early as eight lead changes saw the squads go back and forth.
Halfway through the first frame, Otero canned a fallaway while Kolano nabbed an offensive rebound and put-back as Eastern led 8-4 with 3:17 remaining in the first.
Four different players from Mills hit a hoop to end the first as the squads went into the second frame tied at 13-13.
The second tilt started in the same fashion as the first with the lead jockeying back and forth before Otero hit a short fall-away to help Eastern capture a 19-18 push with 5:13 left in the half.
But when Tommy Martinotti hit his second 3 of the frame, it fueled an 8-0 jaunt and the home outfit never trailed again.
The Lancers’ shooting fell off a bit, Cables and Cormier hit hoops to end the stanza as Eastern trailed 32-23 at the halftime hump.
“That’s a really good shooting team,” said Raponey of Eastern. “I think we just made it a little difficult for them to get good looks in the first half. And then in tune with our rebounding, it led into our offense. When the ball is snapping around, the spotlight can’t stay on one person.”
Eastern’s offense truly stalled out in the third quarter but the Kingstreeters narrowed the gap to seven on a Parent lay-up, trailing 36-29 with 6:31 left.
But Mills heated up as Cormier attacked the hoop with zest – helping spur an 11-4 run to end the period – and with eight minutes remaining, the Spartans led 47-33 as the home team had yet to turn over the ball.
“I thought we shared the ball really well tonight,” said Raponey. “And we didn’t turn [the ball] over. We gave ourselves some shots and, hey, tonight was our night shooting the basketball. It wasn’t Eastern’s but we know if you don’t play defense and you don’t rebound, sometimes you don’t even have an opportunity for a night like that on offense.”
Mills rolled out to a 21-point lead early in the fourth before Eastern made one last stand.
Donohue scored a basket off a miss and a jumper from Parent trimmed the deficit to 17 with 4:27 remaining.
And Kolano just missed out on a 3 as the makings of a comeback was just out of reach for Eastern.
“We know their comeback-ability,” said Raponey of Eastern. “We know that Bristol Eastern does not quit. We know they are going to try to out-will and outwork you. When you get the lead, you do not rest, you keep executing on the offensive end and we were able to get a couple baskets to hold off that big run that they’re capable of making.”
With time running out, DiChiara canned a three, Mills added late lay-ups and when Kolano sank in a turnaround to end the game, the Spartans were a 61-41 winner to move to .500 on the year.
CCC Region B Boys basketball
LEWIS MILLS 61, BRISTOL EASTERN 41
from the Thunderdome, Burlington
Bristol Eastern (2-3) 13 10 10 8 – 41
Lewis Mills (2-2) 13 19 15 14 – 61
BRISTOL EASTERN (41): Elijah Parent 6 0 12, Josh Kolano 4 0 8, Dylan Woodsome 3 0 6, Trevor Nohilly 0 0 0, Axel Fernandez 0 0 0, Trini Otero 4 2 10, Jack Stavens 0 0 0, Tyler Donohue 2 0 4, Nasir Walker-Jenkins 0 1 1, Brayden Dauphinais 0 0 0, Nate Fries 0 0 0. Totals: 19 2 41.
LEWIS MILLS (61): Nate DiChiara 3 0 9, Tommy Martinotti 4 2 12, Josh Martinotti 0 0 0, Jacob Lomnicky 1 0 2, Colby Cables 5 0 22, Drew Cormier 4 2 10, Brice Waldron 6 0 12, Logan Cowger 2 0 5, Ryan Mayes 0 0 0, Jon Schibi 0 0 0, Charlie Joyner 0 0 0, David Owens 0 0 0, Jack Stanislaw 0 0 0. Totals: 25 4 61.
Three-point goals: DiChiara (LM) 3, T. Martinotti (LM) 2, Cables (LM), Cowger (LM).
Records: Lewis Mills 2-2; Bristol Eastern 2-3
