By Michael Letendre
UNCASVILLE – After a big victory over Southington the previous Saturday, the Bristol Central boys basketball team continued its jaunt through Connecticut’s top venues and on Monday, it was time for a huge rematch from a facility the Rams would love to end their campaign in.
And third ranked East Catholic nearly trailed from the onset as Central – the state’s top-ranked team – spun the Eagles by a 74-59 final from Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville.
The Rams improved to 2-0 on the campaign while the Eagles (2-1) lost for the first time this year.
It was the second game of The Day of New London Holiday Classic Tournament and the showdown once again highlighted that the Bristol program is truly the best in the state.
And once East Catholic fell behind by double-figures, the team could never get back on track.
The night belonged to Central senior Donovan Clingan as he put himself in the school’s record books – tallying his 1,033-career rebound, passing his late mother’s standard (1,032) in the process.
Overall, Clingan put on another show, collecting 29 points, 18 rebounds and seven blocked shots.
Those totals came through foul trouble as Clingan missed 7:02 minutes of action between the third and fourth periods.
However, the rest of the Central team rallied around its 7-foot-2 center.
Damion Glasper dropped in five three-pointers on his way to 19 points while trio of Carson Rivoira, Julius Powell and Glasper were huge in Clingan’s absence.
The Rivoira/Powell duo combined for eight points when Clingan was on the pine over a stint that saw the Rams actually increase their advantage.
Rivoira scored nine points overall while Powell played his best game, adding four points while snaring five huge rebounds to keep the Eagles from making it a single-digit affair.
Steve Alseph was also tremendous, adding a season-high nine points along the way while Victor Rosa did a little of everything for the winners.
Mason Stokes also scored for Central, just missing on a three-point play late.
Sam Reilly (11 points), Luke Reilly (10), Allyn Wright (nine), and Leondre Sanchez (eight) paced a balanced scoring attack for the Eagles.
The game only saw one lead change and once Glasper busted in back-to-back three-point bombs early in the first tilt, Catholic never again held the edge.
And then when Clingan powered in ten straight points, the Rams led 18-12 with 1:38 to go in the first quarter and took a five-point advantage (19-14) into the second stanza.
Sam Reilly canned a jumper twenty seconds into the second – making it a one possession game.
However, a critical 10-0 run by Central – with Glasper hitting a lefty lay-up and then canning a three – put the state’s top ranked program ahead by a 29-16 push with 5:11 left in the half.
Central’s offense went into a bit of a lull until intermission but its defensive pressure never relented.
Catholic’s Rob Elliott put in a miss to chop the deficit to eight late in the half but Clingan made two straight charity tosses and Rosa found Alseph on the baseline for a dagger 3 to end the second period with Central ahead on the scoreboard, 36-23.
The Eagles never got it to single digits in the second half.
Clingan was everywhere to open the third tilt – scoring the team’s first five points – and then found Alseph for another three-point blast and with 4:36 left, Central was up big at 46-30.
Soon after, a double technical saw Clingan pick up his fourth foul, forcing him to the bench, but Rivoira and Powell did well controlling the middle.
With Clingan watching from the sidelines, Glasper hit a three, Powell put in his own miss, Rivoira canned a free throw and when Glasper ended the third quarter with a blazing 3 at the buzzer, the Eagles trailed 55-40 in what was slowly becoming a blowout.
Powell hit another high-percentage hoop to open the fourth frame, Rivoira added a basket and a foul shot and when Alseph flipped in a lay-up, Clingan returned to the game with his team leading 62-44 with 5:18 to play.
And then a massive dunk by Clingan made it a twenty-point game ten seconds later, spelling doom and demise for East Catholic.
The Rams’ made it a 24-point push after Rivoira connected on a three-point play and when Clingan rattled the rim one more time, Central’s cushion was 72-48 with 2:39 remaining.
With 1:59 left, Clingan seized his 1,033-career rebound, Stokes hit the final basket by the locals and Central grabbed a huge 15-point victory to stay undefeated on the campaign.
The Rams, now on a 17-game winning streak, goes home for the first time on Thursday – squaring off against Middletown (2-1) from the Charles C. Marsh Gymnasium at 5:30 p.m.
Bristol Central Boys Basketball
BRISTOL CENTRAL 74, EAST CATHOLIC 59
from Mohegan Sun Arena
Bristol Central (2-0) 19 17 19 19 – 74
East Catholic (2-1) 14 9 17 17 – 59
BRISTOL CENTRAL (74): Victor Rosa 1 0 2, Damion Glasper 7 0 19, Steven Alseph 3 1 9, Mason Stokes 1 0 2, Carson Rivoira 3 3 9, Donovan Clingan 11 7 29, Julius Powell 2 0 4. Totals 28 11 74.
EAST CATHOLIC (59): Rob Elliot 3 0 6, Luke Reilly 3 4 10, Allyn Wright 3 2 9, Sam Reilly 4 2 11, James Jones 3 0 6, Leondre Sanchez 3 2 8, Matt Morgan 2 0 5, JJ Hay 0 2 2, Preston Fowler 1 0 2. Totals 22 12 59.
Three-point goals: Glasper (BC) 5, Alseph (BC) 2, Wright (EC), Morgan (EC), S. Reilly (EC). Records: Bristol Central 2-0 overall; East Catholic 1-1.
