By Michael Letendre
This week is going to see a full slate of hardwood games on the scholastic front as the postseason looms.
And that means some teams this week will be a bit busier than others.
The boys from Bristol Central will be working with a Monday-Friday schedule while Bristol Eastern plays four games in six nights – starting on Tuesday.
Central is going to be in that top CCC Tournament grouping while the Lancers are still fighting for their ultimate position.
There’s a ton of basketball being played this week and let’s dig into all the action:
Boys Basketball
Bristol Central (10-0) vs. New Britain (4-3)
Time: Monday, March 15 (6:45 p.m.)
Location: Charles C. Marsh Gymnasium, Bristol
The Rams are looking to go 12-0 and roll into the CCC Tournament.
After blasting Lewis Mills on Friday by a 70-51 final, Central won the CCC Region B regular season title with relative ease.
“[We’re] 10-0. We clinched the division tonight,” said Central coach Tim Barrette after his squad defeated Mills. “That was our first championship we were looking for.”
That was step one while step two is to win out and possibly get a home seed for the CCC Tourney that starts next week.
And to get to 10-0 this year, Central center Donovan Clingan put together two monster games last week.
In Central’s 74-41 demolition of Plainville last Monday, Clingan racked up 37 points, 17 rebounds, and eight blocked shots.
Then against Lewis Mills last Friday, he posted 30 points, 15 rebounds, and seven blocks.
That’s an average of 33.5 points, 16.0 rebounds, and 7.5 blocks-per-game over that two-pack of games for the outstanding center.
Help will also come from the other Central starters in the form of Damion Glasper (9.3 points-per-game, 10 three-pointers), Sean Wininger (8.7 ppg, 9 3-pointers), Carson Rivoira (7.1 ppg), and Victor Rosa (4.1 ppg).
D’Ante Ross, Eli Rodriguez and Tre Jones will all support that starting outfit.
New Britain hasn’t played since March 1, defeating Plainville by a 67-39 final.
Who truly knows what the Hurricanes will look like on the court after all that time off.
New Britain got some reinforcements in Tyrone Cummings and big man Demir Kandic midway through the season but what kind of shape will the team be in.
And if your squad hasn’t played in a while, the first team you don’t want to square off against is a well-oiled machine like Bristol Central.
Later This Week…You all know the deal on Friday. It’s Central/Eastern from the Charles C. Marsh Gymnasium on March 19. It will be an opportunity for the Rams to finish 2021 undefeated.
“At 10-0, we put ourselves in a good position to be in championship bracket,” said Barrette of the upcoming CCC Tournament. “If we take care of business if we get there, hopefully, that’s going to be a while different type of trek.”
Bristol Eastern (2-4) vs. Lewis Mills (2-8)
Time: Tuesday, March 16 (6:45 p.m.)
Location: Thomas M. Monahan Gymnasium, Bristol
The good news is that the Lancers never have to leave the Mum City to end regular season play.
The bad news is that Eastern hasn’t played since February (the 26th to be exact) and heaven knows what will happen once the Lancers hit the court on Tuesday.
It could be another historical night for the locals but the great thing is Eastern is back to playing on the hardwood again.
And Lewis Mills is struggling a bit, losing six straight since posting a strong 61-41 win against the Lancers back on February 23 which seems like a decade ago.
It’s going to be 14 days since Eastern practiced and trying to get a little chemistry back on the court is going to be critical.
Elijah Parent (16.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.5 steals) is looking to get the Kingstreeters back to the pay window.
Support will come from Josh Kolano (11.0 points, 7.0 rpg, 1.7 spg), Trini Otero (11.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.8 blocks-per-game), Nasir Walker-Jenkins (3.5 ppg, 2.8 apg, 2.5 spg), Jack Stavens (3.2 ppg), Tyler Donohue (2.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg), and Dylan Woodsome (2.2 ppg).
Eastern will be ready for this one and the showdown versus Mills is the first of four games this week.
And in a strange twist, the Spartans could be without the services of its head coach, Ryan Raponey, once again as he was stuck in COVID protocol last week.
Mills is a tough team to top as Brice Waldron (13 points last game against Bristol Central, Drew Cormier (11), Nate DiChiara (nine), John Schibi (nine), and Tommy Martinotti (eight) all show balance while the group can all hit three-pointers.
This is going to be a fun one in Bristol.
Later This Week…It’s a loaded week for the Lancers with New Britain (March 18) and Avon (March 20) coming to town while Eastern travels to the Charles C. Marsh Gymnasium on Friday, March 19 for a showdown against Bristol Central.
The game against Southington was cancelled and the contest versus Plainville will not be made up.
