By Michael Letendre
BETHEL – The Bristol Eastern girls basketball team was one bucket away from advancing in the CIAC Class L Tournament on Monday night – snaring the lead late against No. 12 Bethel before just coming up short in the end.
But the 21st ranked Lancers left it all on the floor over a tough 46-45 decision in a hotly-contested playoff game from Bethel.
Eastern fell to 8-13 for the year while Bethel (13-8) advanced to second round play.
The Lancers did an incredible job after a two-point first quarter to draw even and eventually snare the lead.
But foul trouble, missed opportunities and turnovers did-in the locals in the end.
And in a fitting tribute, Eastern’s senior duo of Janessa Gonzalez and Ciara Collins led the squad in scoring one final time.
Gonzalez and Collins led the Lancers with 18 and 14 points, respectively, while Emma Stavens kicked in eight.
Brooke Lacey led Bethel with 18 points while Rebecca McLaughlin added 10 for the victors.
The Wildcats led 9-2 through one period as the only Eastern basket of the quarter was netted by Gonzalez with 1:40 to go in the frame.
But the Kingstreeters fought back, making a game of it once the second period commenced.
The Lancers outscored Bethel 11-2 over the first 2:47 of the second period, seizing a 13-12 edge.
Taigan Parent canned a three from the baseline, Collins scored on a drive, Gonzalez kicked in a shot, and Stavens scored on a steal and lay-up to propel Eastern to that slim lead.
But Collins picked up her third foul with 5:13 left in the stanza and had to sit for the remainder of the half.
Gonzalez ended up scoring eight points in the tilt as the Lancers grabbed a 22-19 push at the half.
Collins and Gonzalez opened the third quarter with hoops as Eastern was flirting with a double-figure advantage.
Gonzalez flipped in a baseline jumper midway through the period, followed by two additional hoops, as the Lancers opened up a 30-22 lead.
But Bethel used a 10-0 run over the next three minutes, going to the rim for four consecutive hoops, to scoop up a 32-30 lead.
The Wildcats led 34-32 at the end of three but had to hold on to dear life over the final eight minutes.
The squads went back and forth over the fourth period as three inside buckets led Bethel to a 40-34 advantage with 5:40 to play.
Collins then fed Gonzalez for a hoop while dropping in two foul shots as the Lancers trailed 40-38 with four minutes to play.
Both teams committed turnovers from there before Stavens blasted in a three from the baseline and with 1:50 left, Eastern was in front at 41-40.
Lacey then drained a 3 of her own with 1:35 to play as the Wildcats retook the lead, 43-41, before the visiting aggression re-tied the event.
Collins canned two foul shots when she got fouled on her patented spin move and with 1:08 left in regulation, it was a 43-43 game
Lacey then scored on a drive, plus a foul, and when that free throw fell in, it ended up being the game-winning point as Bethel went up 46-43 with just under a minute to go.
Collins was fouled again, made two more free throws, as Eastern closed the deficit to 46-45 with 40 seconds remaining.
Eastern had a chance, in the closing seconds, to snare the game-winning hoop but just couldn’t put in that go-ahead basket.
With nine seconds to play, Collins – facing a double-team – drove to the hoop, missed the attempt with 3.3 seconds to go but as the ball went out of bounds, Eastern maintained possession.
On the final play of the game, Bethel stole the Eastern inbounds pass to seal the win as the Lancers fell by a single point, 46-45.
BRISTOL EASTERN GIRLS BASKETBALL – CLASS L, FIRST ROUND
No. 12 BETHEL 46, No. 21 BRISTOL EASTERN 45
fromBethel high school
Bristol Eastern (8-13) 2 20 10 13 – 45
Bethel (13-8) 9 10 15 12 – 46
BRISTOL EASTERN (45): Taigan Parent 1 0 3, Vanessa Drury 0 0 0, Emily Piendak 1 0 2, Ciara Collins 4 6 14, Janessa Gonzalez 8 2 18, Emma Stavens 3 0 8. Totals: 17 8 45.
BETHEL (46): Rebecca McLaughlin 5 0 10, Guiliano DiMeglio 0 0 0, Summer Wish 0 0 0, Emma Huedepohl 2 2 6, Giuliana Mendonca 1 1 3, Aiden Gill 0 2 2, Ruby Ackerman 2 1 5, Brooke Lacey 7 3 18, Amelia Wade 0 0 0, Camryn Quinn 1 0 2. Totals: 18 9 46.
Three-point goals: Parent (BE), Stavens (BE) 2, Lacey (Bethel).
Records: Bethel 13-8 overall; Bristol Eastern 8-13.
