By Michael Letendre
UNCASVILLE — The Bristol Central boys basketball team is once again on top of the championship mountain.
It was a 32-year odyssey and an incredible journey to get there but behind an elite senior led charge, the top ranked team in Division II — in all the state for that matter – knocked off No. 2 Northwest Catholic in a 56-36 romp from the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville on Saturday night.
The title was the school’s second ever state championship in boys hoop and the program — led by seniors Donovan Clingan, Damion Glasper, Victor Rosa, Steve Alseph, and Carson Rivoira — did everything it set out to do since day one.
Over 6,200 fans witnessed history as Central (28-0) ran the table and the squad defeated, arguably, the second-best team in the state and added to its school record of 43 straight victories.
Clingan was easily the game’s MVP — posting 25 points, 24 rebounds, two assists, and two blocked shots.
“I just wanted to do this for everyone, for Bristol, the school, my mom,” said Clingan of the title victory. “I wanted to do it for myself. I just love the school. [It’s] family. I just love it.”
Clingan had plenty of help behind him as Damion Glasper (15 points, four rebounds, three assists), Steve Alseph (six points, nine rebounds), Carson Rivoira (six points, 10 rebounds, two assists) and Victor Rosa (two points, two steals) all helped lead the charge to the state championship.
Central’s defense was over the top as Northwest (25-3) limped to a 27.7 shooting percentage from the field and drained just 2-of-15 three-pointers.
The Lions were held to just 36 points, a tremendous feat, and didn’t have many answers to slow down the motivated Rams.
“I’m going to tell you something, thirty-six points allowed, that’s a heck of a defensive effort in state championship game,” said Central coach Tim Barrette. “We made [Northwest] work for everything tonight.”
Northwest’s Matt Curtis was tremendous as he went down fighting with 15 points, five rebounds, and two assists but no other player on the squad tallied more than eight.
And those 15 points were all tough and contested because Rosa absolutely hounded the outstanding guard while Rivoira took his shot against Curtis with similar success.
“Victor loves a challenge,” said Barrette. “He took one of the best players in the state of Connecticut and made him work for everything he got. [Curtis] was tired in the fourth [quarter], that’s why all those shots were short because Victor ran him all over the floor.”
And Alseph’s defense against all the other Northwest ball handlers proved to be a difference-maker as well.
It was a complete whitewash on the boards for Central despite Northwest’s big size on the frontline.
The Rams outrebounded the Lions, 57-29, including an incredible 30-9 tally on the offensive end.
Iron man basketball ruled once again as Rosa, Glasper, Alseph and Clingan all played 31 out of a possible 32 minutes.
Credit belongs to Northwest’s defense as the unit limited Central to 30-percent shooting from the field and just seven percent from downtown (1-for-14).
But that one three — drained by Glasper at the third period buzzer — propelled Central to a 39-27 lead with eight minutes remaining in the showdown.
Clingan, sealed off and doubled teamed as usual, went nearly nine minutes without scoring a point between the first and second periods, but that was more than okay because the rest of Central’s squad picked up the slack offensively.
It was back-and-forth early, ibut a 7-0 run by the Lions, punctuated by a 3 from Gianni Mirabello, made it a 7-2 contest just 2:12 into things.
Central answered with a 6-0 dash and when Clingan put back a missed three-pointer, Central led it 8-7 with 2:02 left to play in the first.
Glasper ended the tilt with two free throws — tying the event up at 10-10 through one.
Those two charity shots were the start of a 10-0 Central burst as Glasper sunk home two more free throws, Rivoira scored off a broken play, and two straight hoops by Glasper saw the Rams scoop up an 18-10 push with 5:03 to play in the half.
In fact, when Glasper hit his first of two free throws with 7:18 to play in the second period, Central took the lead for good.
Later in the second, Alseph laid in a sweet up and under move and when Clingan notched two consecutive charity tosses, Central went ahead by a 22-15 push with 1:35 remaining.
“We have a great basketball player in Donovan and Damion is pretty good himself but I have three athletes around him that are bulldogs,” said Barrette of Rosa, Alseph, and Rivoira. “And that’s what won us the game.”
To end the half, Northwest’s London Jemison dropped in a 3 and when freshmen Badara Diakite (eight points, seven rebounds) saw his hook shot fall through with 30 seconds to play before the break, the Rams were clinging to a 22-20 push at the half.
Clingan and Glasper each had eight points at intermission while Diakite swished in six and Curtis and Jemison added five apiece for the Lions.
The programs traded hoops to open the second half and when Northwest’s Hayden Abdullah put-back a miss with 5:33 left in the third quarter, Central’s edge was trimmed to 26-24.
Clingan then went on a personal 7-2 run and off a sweet Rivoira feed, leading to a loud dunk by the 7-foot-2 dynamo, the Rams etched up a 33-26 lead with 2:52 remaining in the third.
And to end the period, it was all Central.
Rosa slipped in a floater, Clingan cashed in a free throw and at the buzzer, Glasper flipped a shot from the CIAC logo on the court — a 35-foot heave that found nothing but net – and the Rams pushed ahead by 12 (49-37) with the fourth quarter on deck.
“We made some adjustments at halftime,” said Barrette. “I thought in the fourth quarter, once we pulled the ball out, we were able to get it inside and [Clingan] was able to finish it with three thunderous dunks in the fourth.”
Curtis opened the fourth with an and-1 to trim the deficit to 39-30 but the bottom fell out on the Lions moments later.
A 10-2 Rams’ burst nearly put the event away as Clingan started the jaunt with another slam and later on, Rivoira nabbed a steal for a lay-up and when Glasper hit a free throw with 3:07 left, Central’s lead was 49-32 and the building was starting to buzz.
“Carson Rivoira’s steal and the lay-up at the end, come on,” said Barrette. “You can’t teach that. That’s just all heart and effort.”
Ahead by 15, Clingan ended his scholastic scoring with a traditional three-point play and when Rivoira coolly sank two charity tosses, the Rams constructed a 54-34 cushion with 1:56 to play.
And with 56.5 second left, Barrette and Clingan hugged nearly at center court as the senior left the game for good and the Central faithful gave their All-State center a long, standing ovation.
“We were in the locker room together, just him and I before the game. He went in early, he hugged me and said ‘coach, one last thing to do together,’” said Barrette. “And I knew with him on my side, there’s no way we’re not going to succeed tonight.”
And moment later, Glasper, Alseph, Rivoira, and Rosa received the same adulation as Tre Blair, Zach Vanasse, Aaron Brown, Jelani Walton, and Julius Powell all mopped up.
Brown dropped in a contested lay-up with 14 seconds to play as Rams’ celebration went into full gear.
When the final horn sounded, the Bristol Central boys basketball team were crowned the 2021-22 CIAC Division II Champs over Northwest, 56-36.
The game was the final scholastic contests for Central’s senior unit of Damion Glasper, Steve Alseph, Carson Rivoira, Victor Rosa, Jelani Walton, Aaron Brown, Zach Vanasse, and the 2021-22 Gatorade Connecticut Player of the Year, Donovan Clingan.
RIM DUST…Bristol Central’s own Jillian Kovitch sang the National Anthem before the game…Carson Rivoira read part of the CIAC Sportsmanship Code and then turned to the crowd, firing them up, as Central’s student section came in droves to see their team win it all.
2022 CIAC BOYS BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT – Division II Championship
No. 1 BRISTOL CENTRAL 56, No. 2 NORTHWEST CATHOLIC 36
from Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville
Northwest Catholic (25-3) 10 10 7 9 – 36
Bristol Central (28-0) 10 12 17 17 – 56
NORTHWEST CATHOLIC (36): Jehyvic Spencer 1 0 2, London Jemison 2 0 5, Gianni Mirabello 1 0 3, Matt Curtis 5 5 15, Hayden Abdullah 1 0 2, Badara Diakite 3 2 8, Cavin Pollard 0 1 1. Totals: 18 8 36.
BRISTOL CENTRAL (56): Donovan Clingan 8 9 25, Victor Rosa 1 0 2, Carson Rivoira 2 2 6, Damion Glasper 4 6 15, Steven Alseph 3 0 6, Julius Powell 0 0 0, Jayeson VanBeveren 0 0 0, Aaron Brown 1 0 2, Tre Blair 0 0 0, Zack Vanasse 0 0 0, Jelani Walton 0 0 0. Totals: 19 17 56.
Three-point goals: Mirabello (NWC), Jemison (NWC), Glasper (BC).
Records: Bristol Central 28-0 overall; Northwest Catholic 25-3.
