By Michael Letendre

SPRINGFIELD, MA – Bristol Central boys basketball coach Tim Barrette promised his All-State center, senior Donovan Clingan, that he’d create the most imposing schedule he possibly could to challenge the team and his best player.

And that meant finding a little competition outside of the state.

Last Friday night, at the Spalding HoopHall Classic from Blake Arena on the campus of Springfield College – nearly at the spot where the sport of basketball was invented – the Rams took on Springfield Central in a huge main event showcase.

In an all-out battle between undefeated programs, it was Bristol Central who came out on top, dropping Springfield Central by a 53-44 final.

The Rams (8-0) remained undefeated while the Eagles (4-1) lost for the first time since 2019.

The yearly event that brings the top talent from around the United States to Springfield, Massachusetts, did not disappoint as Bristol Central led from wire to wire.

The game challenged the Rams as foul trouble on Clingan and Damion Glasper, a stingy defensive effort from Springfield, and a hostile crowd to boot saw the locals survive all the elements.

All eyes were on Clingan, and he did not disappoint – flipping in 24 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 blocks for a triple-double while missing chunks of second half play due to foul trouble.

Off that performance, Clingan was named the game’s MVP.

Also for the Rams, Carson Rivoira once again found the touch from downtown, burying two three-pointers on his way to 12 points, Steve Alseph – who truly had some fun out on the court that night – flipped in nine points while Rosa canned a 3 as he scored a season-high seven points.

And Julius Powell played big time minutes to help stave off the loss of Clingan at points of the game.

A critical fourth quarter steal by Powell helped stop a Springfield run as the 6-foot-8 back-up center always seems to raise his level of play in big games.

Glasper did not score but helped the offense churn while Jayeson VanBeveren and Aaron Brown also provided deep bench support.

Springfield Central, playing the night before, was led by Joe Griffin Jr. with 20 points but the program was held to only half of its season scoring average which hovered around 90 points-per-game entering the showdown against the Rams.

The Eagles opened the showcase event by missing 30-of-37 field goals and was limited to just one three-pointer over thirty-two minutes of play.

Springfield had the obvious home court advantage as the game was extremely chippy at times with Clingan shoving a player after diving on the floor for a loose ball while Alseph had lively conversations with the competition, pointing at the scoreboard late in the contest and looking for five from Eagles’ players after making an insurance free throw.

Credit belongs to the officials as both teams were allowed to play while technical fouls – that count towards a players personal foul totals – were not called during game play.

Clingan helped his squad notch 24 first half points in the paint while Springfield’s 19-percent field goal shooting over the first 16 minute of play was a testament to Bristol Central’s defense.

A 30-second shot clock was in use, another wrinkle the Rams weren’t used to, but handled extremely well.

Everyone got involved in Central’s 8-0 opening run as Alseph slipped in a lay-up and then found Rivoira for a back-door hoop.

Rosa then added a basket and when Clingan put-back a miss by Rivoira, it was already an 8-0 game two minutes into the challenge.

Clingan scored the final three hoops the end the first frame for the Rams as the visitors led 14-7 through one period of play.

A nifty dump off the backboard by Alseph led to a loud Clingan dunk that saw Central nab a 20-9 push with 5:45 left in the first half.

The Eagles kept it a single digit affair into the final 1:53 of the second stanza before Central finished the tilt on an 8-0 run to surge in front by 16.

Rivoira and Rosa drained consecutive threes and when Rosa hit one final jumper, Central’s edge at halftime reached 32-16. 

The Eagles continued to struggle from the floor into the third period and when Rivoira hit another 3 and Clingan put back another miss, Central’s cushion reached 37-18 with 5:27 remaining.

But Clingan picked it up his third foul with 4:33 to play in the third, forcing him to the bench.

Springfield’s full court defense quickly started to churn turnovers and miscues by the Rams and off a 10-0 burst – with Griffin Jr. putting back a missed free throw – the Eagles made it a 37-28 game with 30 seconds remaining in the third.

Clingan came back in late in the quarter and canned two period ending free throws as the Rams carried a 39-28 edge into the final eight minutes of the game.

To open the fourth, Springfield’s Deaven Reynolds (nine points) hit a floater but after a Clingan free throw and a lay-in by Alseph, the Rams pushed their edge to 42-30 with 6:55 left in the showdown.

But Clingan earned his fourth foul with 6:26 left and had to return to the bench once again.

From there, turnovers and missed shots by Bristol Central led to a mini 7-1 run and when Clingan returned for good with 3:03 to go, the Rams were clinging to a 43-36 lead at the 3:03 mark of the final tilt.

The Eagles failed to trim the deficit any further than six the rest of the way as the Springfield program missed eight of its final 14 free throws.

Springfield Central got it to 45-39 with 2:09 remaining but Rosa found Clingan for two consecutive hoops – the final one counted via a goaltending call – as Bristol Central was in control at 49-39 with 1:13 showing on the clock.

To end the bout, Clingan connected on a three-point play while Alseph made one final charity shot as the Rams grabbed a huge nine-point win – its biggest victory of the campaign – over Springfield Central.

BRISTOL CENTRAL BOYS BASKETBALL

BRISTOL CENTRAL 53, SPRINGFIELD CENTRAL 44

from Blake Arena at Springfield College

Bristol Central (8-0)     14 18 7 14 – 53

Springfield Central (4-1)  7  9 12 16 – 44

BRISTOL CENTRAL (53): Donovan Clingan 10 4 24, Damion Glasper 0 0 0, Victor Rosa 3 0 7, Carson Rivoira 5 0 12, Steven Alseph 3 3 9, Julius Powell 0 1 1, Jayeson VanBeveren 0 0 0, Aaron Brown 0 0 0. Totals 21 8 53.

SPRINGFIELD CENTRAL: Joe Griffin Jr. 7 6 20, William Watson 0 2 2, Deaven Reynolds 3 2 9, Antonio Richardson 2 1 5, Josiah Griffin 3 0 6, Jayden Bass 1 0 2. Totals 16 11 44.

Three-point goals: Rivoira (BC) 2, Rosa (BC), Reynolds (SC)

 Records: Bristol Central 8-0 overall; Springfield Central 4-1.