By Michael Letendre
After the Bristol Central boys basketball team’s epic nine-point victory over Springfield Central on Saturday, does any squad in Connecticut have a chance in knocking off the Rams before the completion of the regular season?
When you employ a 7-foot-2 fire breathing giant on your side, where is that first loss going to come from?
And will that loss even materialize this season?!?
Not to make Central coach Tim Barrette mad but let’s look ahead in the schedule to see if there are any possible trap games.
First off, the Rams play four of their final five games in January from the Charles C. Marsh Gymnasium in Bristol which is a big deal.
That slate of games includes contests against Maloney (Monday, January 17,) and then the following day against Middletown (3-2) on Tuesday in a very tough back-to-back pairing.
The Blue Dragons could give Central a run for its money.
And then after a week off, the Rams tangles with Enfield – currently under .500 for the campaign at 3-4 – the following Tuesday.
A trip to Hartford Public is in the works on January 27 – in a beautiful new gymnasium on the Owls’ campus – while pesky Platt comes to the Mum City on Monday, January 31.
That’s a boatload of contenders to end the month of January.
Three games that could be a problem for Central in February includes a date in New Haven against Wilbur Cross (February 2) at the Floyd Little Athletic Center, a home showdown against Windsor on February 10 and then five days later, the Rams travel to Middletown for a rematch against the Blue Dragons.
To end the season, there’s trip to Bristol Eastern (February 21) on the slate and – just like a box of chocolates – you never know what you’re going to get from the Thomas M. Monahan Gymnasium.
CIAC Division II standings
Currently, Bristol Central is first in the Division II playoff standings at 8-0 with 27 power points.
The Rams are just one of two teams in Division II without a blemish on their record.
Amity (7-0) is the other undefeated squad but squares off against Notre Dame-West Haven twice and Wilbur Cross as well on February 3.
Needless to say, Amity has one heck of a schedule to contend with over the next few weeks.
Conard, who Bristol Eastern will see on January 20, is currently 7-1 overall while Northwest Catholic and Westhill carry identical ledgers.
Scoring check
Bristol Central star Donovan Clingan came into the contest against Springfield Central averaging numbers that seem to good to be true.
The University of Connecticut bound big man posted numbers of 27 points, 15 rebounds, and four blocked shots-per-game – shooting 70-percent from the field as well – over the first seven games for the program.
Against Springfield Central, Clingan posted 24 points, 16 points, and 10 blocks for a slick triple-double.
That was after his career-high of 40 points at East Hartford three days earlier.
Overall, Clingan has scored 211 points this season for an average of 26.4 ppg.
Larry Bird or Carson Rivoira?
After hitting three 3-pointers against East Hartford, what was the encore for Central forward Carson Rivoira against Springfield Central from downtown?
Well, for some reason, scouts from the Bay State did not do their homework either as Rivoira canned another two threes and has rounded up a season total of five overall.
You can see Rivoira’s confidence growing by the game with his outside shooting and now only trails Damion Glasper (seven) in three-pointers made this season at Central.
Having your power forward hit 3s is a huge weapon, something the Boston Celtics enjoyed immensely with Larry Bird for over a decade.
Rivoira is as versatile as it gets on the floor and complements Clingan and the other guards on the squad (Victor Rosa, Steve Alseph, and Damion Glasper) extremely well, being able to do a little bit of everything.
Speaking of former Boston Celtics’ greats, Clingan has a lot of Kevin McHale in him but, according to sources, Donovan does even know who McHale is.
Perhaps Barrette can show Clingan a couple YouTube videos of one of the most versatile big men in NBA history who happened to suit up for the Celtics – playing a game or thirty in Hartford – just up the road.
Imagine if Clingan could replicate McHale’s up-and-under move at the hoop…
