By Michael Letendre

BRISTOL – In a Central Connecticut Conference/Naugatuck Valley League challenge on Tuesday night, Watertown was able to sneak by Bristol Eastern, scooping up a 70-61 victory from the Thomas M. Monahan Gymnasium in Bristol.

Watertown moved to 12-7 over the winning effort while Eastern fell to 8-11 to complete the regular season.

Ciara Collins led Eastern with 24 points, Janessa Gonzalez added 20 – doing an excellent job on the glass – and Taigan Parent scored nine to pace the Kingstreeters.

Vanessa Drury notched six points while Emma Stavens had four.

Watertown’s Marissa Forino took game scoring honors, dropping in 32 points.

The teams went back and forth in the first period and with 1:30 to go, and Watertown ahead by two (11-9), Collins was charged with her third foul of the contest – forced to retreat to the bench for the remainder of the half.

And after securing a 13-12 lead through eight minutes, Watertown eventually went on the attack – dominating the inside game and snaring offensive boards with zest. 

But the Lancers hung around early in the second stanza.

A hoop by Gonzalez gave Eastern a 16-13 edge before Watertown went on 16-2 burst, opening up a 29-18 lead with just over three minutes left in the half. 

Parent’s hoop at the three minute mark of the second stopped the run, and with the teams trading hoops for the rest of the half, Watertown etched up a 36-26 push at the break.

Gonzalez and Parent each netted six points over second period play.

Collins returned in the third tilt, scoring 12 points in the quarter as her three point play, along with an additional hoop, trimmed the Watertown lead to two points at 46-44,

But Eastern never could draw even as the visiting aggression led 56-49 with one quarter to go.

Watertown opened the fourth quarter on a 6-0 run, leading 62-49 with just over five minutes to play in the game. 

Eastern then outscored Watertown 12-4 over the next three minutes of play, cutting the deficit to 66-61 with 30 seconds to play, but time simply ran out on the locals.

In the end, Watertown grabbed a huge 70-61 victory with one regular season game remaining on its NVL schedule.

BRISTOL EASTERN GIRLS BASKETBALL

WATERTOWN 70, BRISTOL EASTERN 61

From the Thomas M. Monahan Gymnasium, Bristol

Watertown (12-7)                  13 23 20 14 – 70

Bristol Eastern (8-11)           12 14 23 12 – 61

WATERTOWN (70): Marissa Forino 11 9 32, Casey O’Toole 4 2 10, Alana Johnson 1 2 4, Paige Daigneault 4 1 10, Ariellys Velez 3 2 8, Isabella Beauty 3 0 6. Totals: 26 16 70.

BRISTOL EASTERN (61): Taigan Parent 3 2 9, Vanessa Drury 3 0 6,  Emily Piendak 0 0 0, Ciara Collins 9 4 22, Leah Roy 0 0 0, Janessa Gonzalez 8 4 20,  Lauren Ayotte 0 0 0, Emma Stavens 1 1 4, Gracie LaMar 0 0 0. Totals: 24 11 61.

Three-point goals: Forino (W), Daigneault (W), Parent (BE), Stavens (BE).

Records: Watertown 12-7 overall; Bristol Eastern 8-11.