By Michael Letendre
BRISTOL – The postseason has finally arrived for the Bristol Central boys basketball team.
And starting on Thursday, the Central Connecticut Conference Boys Tournament will see the Rams – the No. 1 ranked team – square off against No. 16 Lewis Mills in first round action.
And for the state’s newest 2,000-point scorer, All-State center Donovan Clingan, the big man is ready to play the best squads that the CCC has to offer.
“I can’t wait,” said Clingan after Central moved to 20-0 in its 76-50 win over Bristol Eastern on Monday. “We have a lot of competition in the states and CCC’s and that’s what we’re here for. We’re here to play the best and to be the best, you have to beat the best.”
Clingan, averaging 29.3 points-per-game this season while tallying 2,006 points over a 78-game scholastic career, gets his second shot at Lewis Mills – this time from the friendly confines of the Charles C. Marsh Gymnasium in Bristol.
And Central coach Tim Barrette knows exactly what his team is getting into squaring off against the Spartans (11-9).
Back on February 8, Central defeated Lewis Mills by an 68-40 final from the Thunderdome in Burlington.
However, the stakes are much higher in the rematch.
“You obviously play who is on your” schedule said Barrette of the CCC Tournament. “But we [just] can’t roll the ball out. We know everyone wants to beat No. 1 and I’m not ready for the streak to end. We’ve got to get to work in practice and be ready to play on Thursday night.”
Mills is not a pushover in the least and Central, on its school record 35-game winning streak, better be prepared for whatever coach Ryan Raponey decides to unleash against the top seeded squad.
Brice Waldron, the senior standout from Mills, has been on fire as of late and can hit shots from inside-out.
Against Eastern last week, Waldron dropped in a game-high 28 points and is a proficient three-point shooter.
And the last time BC and Mills met, long-range marksmen Jon Schibi dropped in five threes for 15 points.
Colby Cables is ready and eager to shoot up 3s while Logan Cowger and Jack Stanislaw can finish at the rim.
Expect the Spartans to shoot plenty of trifectas on Thursday night.
Central, in fact, needs to run all those shooters from Burlington off the three-point line, something the Rams have been excelling at all season long.
Coming into the Central game, the Spartans have won five of its last six contests which includes wins against No. 6 ranked Bloomfield (53-51) on February 9 while the following evening, Mills blasted No. 12 Platt by a 68-48 final.
Central knows this could be a trap game of sorts and the program understands what’s at stake in a real tune-up for the upcoming CIAC Division Tournament.
“Now, [if you] lose, you go home,” said Clingan. “We have to go to practice with a positive mindset and just win every practice. From coaching all the way down to players, we’ve just got to win every practice and we’ll come out a better team every day.”
Does any team in the CCC Tournament have a stronger starting five than Central?
Along with Clingan, Damion Glasper (10.6 points-per-game, 20 three-pointers), Carson Rivoira (8.4 ppg, 10 threes), Steve Alseph (6.1 ppg, 11 threes), and Victor Rosa (5.5 ppg, nine threes) all have one thing in common.
That item is consistency as the starters on Central’s squad have all played – and started – twenty games.
And there’s enough weapons on the bench that can provide timely contributions.
Up top, center Julius Powell and forward Jayson VanBeveran can both put the ball in the hoop while Jelani Walton and Mason Stokes adds a little depth.
This year’s CCC field is loaded up and down the bracket.
When East Catholic (12-4) is ranked tenth and has to start on the road, that’s a shocking realization.
After Central, Northwest Catholic (16-0 in CCC games) is ranked second, Conard (14-2) – and the dynamic Riley Fox – is third, Windsor (14-2) comes in at fourth and surprising RHAM chimes in at No. 5, giving the CCC Tournament a real postseason feel.
After Bloomfield, Simsbury (No. 7), Middletown (No. 8), and Farmington (10th) – like East Catholic – are all 12-4 in CCC play.
But no matter the opponent, Central will prepare for scrappy Lewis Mills and take it from there.
“This team has always been a tournament team so I think I’ll see a different level of focus Wednesday at practice,” Barrette said of his squad.
Schedule of Events:
*Thursday, February 24 – First Round games (from the site of the higher seed).
*Saturday, February 26 – Quarterfinal Games (from Enfield high school)
*Tuesday, March 1 – Semifinal Games (from Enfield high school)
*Thursday, March 3 – CCC Tournament Finals (from Enfield)
Rankings / School / CCC Record
- Bristol Central, 16-0
- Northwest Catholic, 16-0
- Conard, 14-2
- Windsor, 14-2
- RHAM, 13-3
- Bloomfield, 12-4
- Simsbury, 12-4
- Middletown, 12-4
- Farmington, 12-4
- East Catholic, 12-4
- Berlin, 11-5
- Platt, 10-6
- Manchester, 10-6
- East Hartford, 10-6
- Newington, 9-7
- Lewis Mills, 9-7
Thursday’s games
No. 1 Bristol Central vs. No. 16 Lewis Mills
No. 2 Northwest Catholic vs. No. 15 Newington
No. 3 Conard vs. No. 14 East Hartford
No. 4 Windsor vs. No. 13 Manchester
No. 5 RHAM vs. No. 12 Platt
No. 6 Bloomfield vs. No. 11 Berlin
No. 7 Simsbury vs. No. 10 East Catholic
No. 8 Middletown vs. No. 9 Farmington
