By Michael Letendre
BRISTOL – Simply put, Bristol Eastern girls basketball star Ciara Collins is the best player CCC Region B has to offer this year. Hands down.
And she’s just in her junior campaign.
Over the first six games of the 2021 season, Collins has been extraordinary and against New Britain on Friday night, she wrote another page to her story.
Collins blasted the Hurricanes for a career-high 31 points to go along with nine rebounds, eight assists and two steals as the Lancers romped New Britain by a 62-46 final from the Thomas M. Monahan Gymnasium in Bristol.
The leading scorer of the game hit 12-of-18 field goals, canned three 3-pointers, and directed traffic against a pesky Hurricanes’ aggression (2-4).
Collins even hit a rare four-point play with 1:58 to go in the third period.
The Kingstreeters (5-1) also had other standout performers.
Janessa Gonzalez sank a career-high 12 points and added seven rebounds and two blocked shots in her best game of the year for the Lancers.
Sage Scarritt hit a 3 for Eastern, zipping up 10 points, seven rebounds and a couple of assists, Taigan Parent flashed in six points and five boards off the pine, Alyssa Kehler added two points, six rebounds, and three assists while Cali Doyon nabbed three assists and a team-high three steals.
Emma Stavens added a couple rebounds and helped stretch Eastern’s lead out late in the tilt.
Maya Slisz was as advertised for New Britain, sinking a season-high 25 points as she netted three 3-pointers but none of her teammates notched more than seven points in support.
The Hurricanes never led in the contest, trailed by 13 at the half but managed to make it a single-digit affair in the third quarter before Eastern took over for good.
New Britain’s 2-2-1 press and other junk defenses did little to effect Eastern over first quarter play and off a 3 from Collins, a jumper by Gonzalez and lay-in at the hands of Kehler, the Lancers held a 13-2 push just three minutes into competition.
But the Hurricanes – trailing by as many as 13 points in the first – chopped the deficit and was hanging in at 19-10 through one.
Collins sank two free throws to open the second frame and when she connected on a nifty Kevin McHale like up-and-under move, Eastern led 24-13 with 6:54 remaining in the stanza.
The Lancers maintained its double-figure edge into the half as Scarritt banked in a 3 (she never called glass), later making a put-back off the only miss from the free throw line by Collins that night.
Gonzalez then added a basket via offensive rebound and when Collins found Gonzalez for one additional hoop to end the first half, Eastern’s lead was 37-24.
To open the third period, Eastern threw the ball everywhere on the court – committing nine turnovers over the first four minutes.
But that New Britain defense was nullified by 3-of-11 shooting from the field from the visiting crew.
The Hurricanes managed to chop the deficit to 42-33 with 2:45 left in the third quarter but the bottom fell out on the visitors soon after.
And Collins was involved over the next three Eastern hoops to end the third quarter.
First, Collins found Parent for a quick two and then the game’s leading scorer was fouled shooting a 3 from the baseline in front of the Eastern bench – hitting the shot and ensuing free throw for four points.
Kehler then finally made a dish to Collins for another two-pointer as the Lancers scooped in a 50-33 edge.
Eastern’s cushion was 50-35 with eight minutes to play and the Lancers made the game academic from there.
Scarritt made another put-back for a hoop, Collins followed with a lay-up and when Parent ended the quick 6-0 run with a hoop, Eastern’s lead reached 56-35 with 5:35 to go.
Late in the showdown, Collins earned her ninth assist off a sweet feed for a Parent bucket Eastern’s final basket of the game made it 62-40 late.
In the end, the Lancers held on to defeat the Hurricanes by 16 points for win number five.
CCC Region B girls basketball
BRISTOL EASTERN 62, NEW BRITAIN 46
from the Thomas M. Monahan Gymnasium, Bristol
New Britain (2-4) 10 14 11 11 – 46
Bristol Eastern (5-1) 19 18 13 12 – 62
NEW BRITAIN (46): Xandra Silva 0 0 0, Maya Slisz 10 2 25, Adrianna Falenza 2 1 5, Kaylie Lee 1 0 2, Nevaeh King 0 0 0, Jamily Carter 1 0 2, Kaylee Cahill 1 0 3, Layla Mejia 3 0 7, Maya Kelly 1 0 2. Totals: 19 3 46.
BRISTOL EASTERN (62): Taigan Parent 3 0 6, Ciara Collins 12 4 31, Cali Doyon 0 1 1, Alyssa Kehler 1 0 2, Sage Scarritt 4 1 10, Janessa Gonzalez 6 0 12, Audrey Tice 0 0 0, Emma Stavens 0 0 0, Vanessa Drury 0 0 0, Sarah Lacouture 0 0 0, Emily Piendak 0 0 0, Gracie Lamar 0 0 0. Totals: 26 6 62.
Three-point goals: Slisz (NB) 3, Cahill (NB), Mejia (NB) Collins (BE) 3, Scarritt (BE).
Records: Bristol Eastern 5-1 overall; New Britain 2-4
