By Michael Letendre 

BRISTOL – Tonight, the Bristol Central boys basketball team, ranked No. 1 in the CIAC Division II fray, battles No. 4 Wilton (21-4) in a semifinal round confrontation from the Floyd Little Athletic Center at 7 p.m. 

It’s the second time the Rams will play in New Haven this season, picking off Wilbur Cross by a 71-59 final in overtime back on February 2 (Cross did not score a point in that overtime session). 

It was an epic battle but that contest gave Central (26-0) a little familiarity with the facility. 

Central is cruising through the bracket while other teams have struggled 

One common theme between all the squads that have gone up against Central in state tournament play is that those programs had to go the distance against opponents to advance. 

Frankly for the likes of Amistad, Waterford and now Wilton, nothing has been easy over postseason play. 

And the Warriors were trailing late on Friday from home against No. 5 Holy Cross. 

Wilton certainly struggled over that quarterfinal jaunt on March 11, trailing the Crusaders by two late in the contest. 

But Wilton’s Thomas McKiernan hit the game-winning 3 with 13 seconds to play to help his team secure a 63-62 victory with Bristol Central on tap. 

Clingan is too hot to handle and too cold to hold  

For the Warriors, with its biggest player listed at 6-foot-5, how is the team going to stop a 7-foot-2 giant in the form of Donovan Clingan?  

Is the Indiana National Guard available for the game? 

Clingan might be too big to control despite the multiple bodies Wilton will try to throw at the big man. 

And then what happens if the likes of Damion Glasper, Victor Rosa, Carson Rivoira and Steve Alseph start splashing in three-point bombs? 

That foursome has kicked in nearly 60 three-pointers to date and if the long-range shots find the mark early, Wilton is doomed in the paint if things open up. 

“It makes it impossible to guard Donovan,” said Central coach Tim Barrette when the offense is coming from multiple angles. “It’s hard to guard him with three [players] as you saw in the first half [against Waterford]. But once you start making shots, those are back-breakers for most teams because they know they’re going to give up some to Donovan inside. But once we start making threes from the outside, that is why we could win a state championship.” 

Central has outscored the competition in postseason play by a total of 49 points over two games while Wilton won its contests by nine. 

And the eight-point second round win for the Warriors was a 57-49 triumph over Newtown – a squad it had played during regular season play. 

Wilton will attempt to bomb away from deep and it will be Central’s job to run those sharpshooters away from the three-point stripe. 

The Warriors canned nine threes in the victory against Holy Cross and had huge contributions across the board. 

McKiernan netted three 3s on his way to 11 points while Kevin and Craig Hyzy each drained two apiece against Cross. 

6-foot-3 senior Parker Woodring led Wilton with 21 points against Holy Cross – also canning a 3 – while Spencer Liston also hit a shot from deep as well. 

If Central does its normal good job defensively, with the likes of Glasper, Rosa, and Alseph pressuring the guards, it’s going to be a long night for Wilton. 

The winner of this game will officially punch its ticket to Uncasville and a shot at the Division II championship against either No. 2 Northwest Catholic or No. 3 Conard this weekend. 

It’s the battle to Uncasville via New Haven on Tuesday night. 

Glasper battled through sickness against Waterford 

Glasper scored four points against Waterford but had a critical second period basket to keep Central in the lead. 

The shooting guard was not his normal self due to being sick on Friday but he made some outstanding contributions over the quarterfinal victory none-the-less. 

With a healthy Glasper in the mix against Wilton, Central will have its A-team at full strength which will spell doom and demise for Wilton. 

“I give Damion Glasper a lot of credit,” said Barrette after the Waterford game. “He was laying on the bleachers before the game. He was so sick trying to gut through this [game]. With that being said, he gutted through it the best he could. I know we’ll have a better Damion on Tuesday night [against Wilton].” 

CIAC – Division II Semifinals (Tuesday)
No. 1 Bristol Central (26-0) vs. No. 4 Wilton (21-4) at Floyd Little Athletic Center (7 p.m.)

No. 2 Northwest Catholic (24-2) vs. No. 3 Conard (22-3) at Enfield (7 p.m.)