By Michael Letendre
BRISTOL – While all the headlines went to the boys basketball squad this season at Bristol Central, their counterparts had a pretty good season as well.
The girls at BCHS finished the 2021-22 campaign at 11-11 and the group should be extremely proud of what was accomplished this year.
“It’s a pleasure to coach this team, to be a part of this school and this team with these kids that work this hard and are unselfish,” said Central coach Steve Gaudet. “I’m proud to be their coach.”
Last season’s squad nearly pulled off a CCC Division 4 Tournament championship in 2021 but fell in the title game at Avon on March 26 by a 33-29 final.
That Central team went 4-11 but the building blocks were all in place for this year’s big improvement.
And the league finally gave the program a little recognition, a tribute for what those athletes accomplished this season and the last few campaigns.
Central had two CCC South All-Conference as seniors Lillian Sirois and Brooke Watson were named to the squad.
Sirois, a transfer from St. Paul Catholic, ended up being a huge get – playing in all 22 games and notching 324 total points.
And when she was on the court, she made things happen.
“Lillian has been one of our leaders all year,” said Gaudet of Sirois.
Sirois was fierce on the court, averaging 14.7 points-per-game and blasted home a career and team-high 30 points this season.
She also dumped 25 points on Bristol Eastern in the first city series battle to break the squad’s 34-game losing streak against its crosstown rival.
“What more can you ask for?’ said Gaudet of Sirois. “She’s just an incredible competitor and an incredible basketball player. She is just tough as nails.”
“Her ability to use her teammates and keep competing, there’s nothing more I can say about that.”
And the squad needed that after a very tough start as the program, which is always ultra-competitive, but the Rams were unable to win a game until the middle of January.
But Sirois kept working, helped keep the team going, and once that first win came – a 50-22 victory over Lewis Mills on January 14 – five more wins followed as the squad flirted with a .500 ledger soon after.
Sirois canned 10 three-pointers this year, second on the team, and notched 82 free throws over a busy season.
Senior Brooke Watson had an incredible campaign, scoring just over 200 points with a 20-point game to her credit this season.
And once she started shooting, the team started winning games.
“Brooke at the beginning of the year was a little hesitant,” said Gaudet of Watson. “[I was telling her] you’ve got to shoot more, you’ve got to be aggressive. And when she did, guess what? We won six games in a row. We started turning things around. She was a catalyst to that.”
Like Sirois, Watson played in all 22 games, posted 16 of Central’s 40 three-point goals, and ended up second on the team in free throws made with 45.
She scored 9.1 points-per-game which was third on the team.
Watson dropped a 20-spot on the Lancers the second time around, hitting four big threes late to keep the Rams hanging around until the end.
But those two outstanding players weren’t the only ones who were the major factors behind the Rams’ tremendous turnaround of seven games.
Junior Arianna Rivera did a little of everything for the program this year and was one of the most improved players.
She was second on the team in points (9.2 ppg), taking the floor for Central in all but one game.
Rivera was all over the court in that first win against Eastern, putting together a huge 17-point performance.
Then in the 10-point victory against Platt on February 1, she added a 16-point gem to the till.
And don’t forget her 18 points against Platt in the first round of state tournament play as Rivera clearly can put the ball in the hoop.
Next season, her leadership will be critical if the program wants to continue its upward track.
“Arianna Rivera could have been all-conference as well,” said Gaudet.
And don’t forget Ella Watson whose value wasn’t in shooting the ball.
She managed 3.4 points-per-game and notched a season best seven points, but it was her experience, leadership, and defense that helped this team improve as well.
Another player who took the floor for Central in every game, Watson took her four seasons of hardcourt wars and experience to help the squad dig out of a deep 0-7 hole to become a playoff contender.
She’s another player Gaudet will badly miss next season.
“Ella Watson for four years, was just a durable, competitive,” athlete said Gaudet. “She gave everything, was a player that cared more about her teammates than herself. She was unselfish. If you had fifteen Ella Watson’s, you’re in a good spot for a basketball team.”
Callie Lodovico (4.7 ppg) was also tremendous and between the play of Maddy Pikiell and Kaley Laird – who combined to compete in 30 games this season – all those players had a hand in the success of the Bristol Central girls basketball program.
And Gaudet needed every ounce from those veterans off that winless start which really wasn’t that bad when peeling back the numbers.
Central lost five of those games by 10 points or less and once that first win against Lewis Mills came to pass, the victories fell like dominoes.
“We came back from 0-7 to finish 11-4,” said Gaudet. “We played mostly with six kids. There aren’t too many teams competing and winning games with six kids at the varsity level. We just competed and battled until the end.”
“We did some things this year that we haven’t done in a while.”
Some of those accomplishments included a playoff home game, resulting in a 45-41 victory over Platt back on February 28.
And in one of the biggest wins in recent memory, Central defeated Bristol Eastern (55-42) back on January 22.
Gaudet said the kids should be proud of what was accomplished and the legacy those seniors left at Bristol Central and in 2022-23, several returning players should be ready to take the reins in what should be a repeat performance in the win department.
“We’re starting to build some talent here, build some players where basketball is their first sport,” said Gaudet. “It’s important [and] it’s going to change the culture around here.”
Bristol Central Girls Basketball (First Seven Games):
*December 14 – Lost at Rocky Hill, 39-35
*December 17 – Fell to South Windsor, 53-34
*December 20 – Dropped a tough 46-36 decision to RHAM
*December 23 – Lost at Middletown, 59-49
*December 30 – Fell to then undefeated Gilbert, 62-56
*January 11 – Lost to Platt, 47-35
*January 13 – Dropped a 48-44 contest to Maloney
Bristol Central Girls Basketball (After the 0-7 start):
*January 14 – Defeated Lewis Mills, 50-22
*January 18 – Beat Plainville, 44-34
*January 22 – Spun Bristol Eastern, 55-42
*January 25 – Defeated Tolland, 50-41
*January 26 – Blitzed Innovation, 56-12
*February 1 – Won at Platt, 44-34, as Central moved to 6-7 overall
*February 5 – Lost at New Britain, 36-31
*February 9 – Beat Plainville, 54-27
*February 10 – Fell at Berlin, 54-26
*February 12 – Won at Maloney, 41-37
*February 13 – Knocked off Mills again, 42-28
*February 14 – Lost at Bristol Eastern, 63-51
*February 16 – Defeated Hartford Public, 64-46
*February 28 (CIAC Class L, First Round), Earned a state tournament victory against No. 17 Platt, 45-41.
*March 4 (CIAC Class L, Second Round), Ended the season with a 68-31 loss to No. 1 Newington – finishing up at a sterling 11-11.
