By Michael Letendre
BRISTOL – The Bristol Central girls basketball team’s first home state tournament game in over 20 years was a big deal on Monday evening, pitting two CCC South foes against each other for the third time this season.
No. 16 Central battled No. 17 Platt of Meriden all the way to the final horn but it was the Rams – hitting all the big shots late – snaring a huge 45-40 victory in Class L first round play in Bristol.
The contest was a rubber match as Central (11-10) split the two regular games against Platt (10-11) this season.
It was the first home tournament game for the program since February 29, 2000 when the then No. 11 Central turned away No. 22 Newington, 52-42.
Ironically in second round play this year, those two teams will square off once again in a rematch from 22 years ago this Friday in Newington at 6:30 p.m. Newington (22-2) is the top seed in Class L this year.
In fact, Newington’s entire squad was at the Charles C. Marsh Gymnasium taking in all the action and watching Central nurse a late five-point lead from the charity stripe.
Trailing by two possessions, Platt was forced to foul late as the Rams, playing keep away, buried nine of its final ten free throws – eight in-a-row to end the game – as Central constructed a 45-35 edge with 34.5 seconds left in the showdown.
“We missed some big [free throws] throughout the first three quarters,” said Central coach Steve Gaudet. “We did make some when it counted.”
After the squad was foiled from the free throw line over its three 1-and-1 chances, it was Central’s Arianna Rivera coming through with six consecutive free throws over a stretch of 41 seconds as she punched in a team and season-high 18 points.
Those were critical makes over a very tight contest that saw three lead changes and seven ties over first half action.
On the flip side, Platt’s Antwanette Tann was tremendous, sinking home 18 points and nabbing 16 rebounds, taking on two or three defenders at a clip.
“[Tann] is a tough player,” said Gaudet. “She’s physical and strong and we don’t have much size, so we had to front her, we had to play behind her, we had to double-team her, but in the second half, we did a much better job of it.”
“She had 12 of their 18 [points] in the first half.”
Central’s Lillian Sirois dealt with foul trouble over first half play but heated up in the third frame, hitting the first two shots of the stanza as Central nabbed an edge it would never relinquish again.
She scored 14 points while Kaley Laird, Ella and Brooke Watson all gave something to the till while freshman Callie Lodovico flipped in three critical free throws.
Platt opened the game with a 4-0 push but off an 8-2 Central run – completed by a lay-up from Rivera – it was an 8-6 game in Central’s favor with 2:20 to play in the first period.
Through one period of action, it was a 10-10 game.
It was a back-and-forth second frame as neither squad led by more than two points.
Central held an 18-16 push off two free throws and a jumper from Sirois late in the period but Tann put in one final hoop to end the first half scoring as the squads entered the break all even at 18-18.
However, Central opened the third period with composure and guile as a 10-2 run, fueled by three hoops from Sirois, propelled the home team to a 28-20 edge with 4:27 to go in the frame.
“When [Platt] made a run at the end of the second quarter and tied it and then in the third quarter we went up five early and then they started to make a run again, we would kind of fold or get tight” over previous seasons said Gaudet. “This team, they didn’t. They kept fighting.”
Tann hit a lay-up with 3:05 left in the third to make it a 29-24 game but over the final 11 minutes of the contest, she was limited to just four additional points.
“In the second half, we had to do a better job with [Tann] and the kids did,” said Gaudet. “We had a little goal on what we had to do against her, and we executed it. Again, kudos to the girls.”
The Rams led 30-25 going into the final eight minutes but Platt’s Zaria Calloway banked in a hoop and when Kamani White’s floater fell through the net, it was only a one-point game (30-29) with 6:05 remaining in regulation.
But from there, Ella Watson drained a 3 from the top of the key and when Sirois canned a base-line jumper, Central established a 35-29 lead and decided to slow things down.
Platt was forced to foul but as Central missed four of six free throws over the stretch, only a single Tann hoop was scored by the visitors and with 1:18 left, the gap was still six at 37-31,
Then, the Rams ran off eight straight from the charity stripe, getting two from Lodovico and another six by Rivera, as Central led 45-35 with just over 34 seconds left to play.
Platt notched the final five points of the game, but it simply wasn’t enough as Central held the fort and in the end, the locals were big 45-40 winners to advance in state tournament play.
“It was not a pretty game,” said Gaudet. “But we grinded one out and all that really matters now is survive and advance. And we did. We grinded it out. It was a team effort. They stayed positive the whole time, even though our shots weren’t falling early. We had good looks. They just weren’t falling.”
“It was a grind-out victory and I’m proud of the girls.”
CLASS L
First Round Scores
Bethel 46, Bristol Eastern 45
Bristol Central 45, Platt 41
E.O. Smith 64, Kennedy 11
Fitch 49, WCA 33
Guilford 45, Northwest Catholic 29
Torrington 44, Stratford 37
CIAC GIRLS BASKETBALL – CLASS L FIRST ROUND
No. 1 Newington – Bye; Bristol Central 45, Platt 41; Torrington 44, Stratford 37; Guilford 45, Northwest Catholic 29; No. 4 Mercy – Bye; Fitch 49, WCA 33; E.O. Smith 64, Kennedy 11; Bethel 46, Bristol Eastern 45
No. 2 Simsbury – Bye; No. 18 New Milford (9-11) at No. 15 Wethersfield (10-10), 3/1, 6:30pm; No. 26 East Lyme (7-13) at No. 7 Maloney (15-5), 3/1, 6:30pm; No. 23 Masuk (8-12) at No. 10 Farmington (13-7), 3/1, 6:00pm; No. 3 Notre Dame-Fairfield – Bye; No. 19 North Haven (9-11) at No. 14 Naugatuck (10-10), 3/1, 6:30pm; No. 27 Rockville (6-14) at No. 6 Pomperaug (15-5), 3/1, 6:30pm; No. 22 South Windsor (8-12) at No. 11 Windsor (12-7), 3/1, 6:30pm
SECOND ROUND
No. 16 Bristol Central (11-10) at No. 1 Newington (19-1), 3/4, 6:30 p.m.; No. 9 Guilford (14-7) at No. 8 Torrington (15-6), 3/4, 6:30 p.m.; No. 13 Fitch (13-8) at No. 4 Mercy (16-4), 3/4, 6:30 p.m.; No. 12 Bethel (13-8) at No. 5 E.O. Smith (16-5), 3/4, 6:30 p.m.
New Milford/Wethersfield winner at No. 2 Simsbury (18-2), 3/4, 6:30 p.m.; East Lyme/Maloney winner vs. Masuk/Farmington winner, 3/4, 6:30 p.m.; North Haven/Naugatuck winner at No. 3 Notre Dame-Fairfield (16-3), 3/4, 6:30 p.m.; Rockville/Pomperaug winner vs. South Windsor/Windsor winner, 3/4, 6:30 p.m.
