By Michael Letendre 

BRISTOL – In the middle of the scholastic season this year, the Bristol Eastern girls basketball team is going to find ways to win a lot of close basketball games.

And decisions like the 58-57 loss to Middletown on Friday night in a CCC South confrontation from the Thomas M. Monahan Gymnasium will end much differently.

The Lancers (1-1) trailed 56-49 with 1:25 left but nearly stole away the game late.

But in the end, Eastern missed a couple free throws that would have tied or given the Kingstreeters the lead, Middletown’s junior guard Shalyn Smith (game-high 33 points) canned four critical charity tosses to seal it as the visitors had to hold on to dear life in the end.

“The kids started to really feel it and they started to be aggressive,” said Eastern coach Tony Floyd about the end of the game. “We started to do some pretty good things in the end defensively. Middletown was trying to hold onto the ball, and they really couldn’t do it.” 

Smith was electric for the Blue Dragons (2-0) despite missing several early free throws.

She attacked the hoop with zest, hit five of her final six charity shots and notched 19 fourth period points – scored over the final 7:21 of the game – after being held scoreless in third period play.

“I have to give them credit. They did a great job at the foul line,” said Floyd of Middletown. “Smith had a great, great game. If she didn’t play as well as she did, it would have been a different outcome.”

Eastern’s Vanessa Drury shattered her career high with 19 points, hitting 8-for-13 field goals, to go along with five rebounds and six assists, Taigan Parent nabbed 14 points, six rebounds and three assists while freshman standout Autumn Udoh nearly tallied 10 points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots.

Leah Roy chipped in seven points and a career-high 10 rebounds while Lauren Ayotte contributed five points, eight rebounds – her best scholastic effort off the glass – and showed plenty of hustle.

Emily Piendak added four rebounds, Jayle Evins-Mosley nabbed a hoop and Amanda Noel saw action over second period play.

Middletown missed 10 of its first 11 field goals to start play but Smith dropped in two threes over first period play, turned over Eastern a couple time over its full court press but the home team stayed the course and recovered.

Parent canned two free throws with 1:05 left in the first frame to help Eastern snare a 15-14 edge.

“They’re learning from their mistakes,” said Floyd. “That’s what I’m pleased about. They’re not making the same mistakes all the time.” 

After Evins-Mosley canned a hoop, the Kingstreeters went over five minutes without a hoop in the second stanza, leading to a seven-point quarter but the Middletown lead was just 24-17 with less than three minutes to go before the half.

The Lancers tied the game off two hoops from Ayotte and a Parent jumper and at the halftime horn, the Blue Dragons led just 26-24.

Eastern started the third tilt with zest and off a 8-2 push, highlighted by 3s from Drury and Parent, the home team went ahead 32-28 with 5:40 left to play – its biggest lead of the affair.

To end the third, Parent hit two more additional free throws and when Udoh sunk in a hoop, Eastern took a 40-35 push into the final eight minutes of play.

But Smith went wild, started stealing the ball for hoops, and nearly carried her squad to finish line on her back.

She hit from inside-out and when she made both ends of a one-and-one situation with 1:25 to go, it became part of a 21-9 run that saw Middletown snare a 56-49 lead.

“I thought we made some crucial turnovers in the game,” said Floyd. “We’re still learning who to go to at certain times and who to shut down defensively. We didn’t talk enough defensively, and we have to work on that.”

From there, Drury canned a 3 with 47 seconds left as Eastern trimmed the deficit to 56-52.

Off a Middletown time out, an Eastern steal led to two pressure packed free throws by Udoh as the Lancers were down just two points at 56-54.

Six seconds later, Smith was fouled and nailed the game winning free throws (58-54) with 24 seconds remaining.

Roy was then slapped in the head on a three-point attempt, dropping in 2-of-3 free throws, and then off a scrum, a foul was called on Middletown as Roy was back to the line.

Trialing 58-56, Roy drained the first free throw but missed the second with 5.9 seconds left.

The Lancers couldn’t foul in time to get the ball back and at the final horn, Middletown escaped Bristol with a 58-57 victory.  

“I’m pleased about how they played overall,” said Floyd of his squad. “At times they looked really good when they executed. They shared the ball really well. It was just a matter of defensively not making those stops when we needed them.” 

“[But] they came back in this game and that showed me a lot of character and they just didn’t give up.” 

Bristol Eastern Girls Basketball – CCC South Action 

MIDDLETOWN 58, BRISTOL EASTERN 57 

from Thomas M. Monahan Gymnasium, Bristol Eastern High School 

Middletown (2-0)                   8 11 8 12 – 39 

Bristol Eastern (1-1)             13 18 10 10 – 51 

MIDDLETOWN (58): Shalyn Smith 11 7 33, Natalia Washington 2 0 4, Ava Studinski 1 0 3, Jade Bryant 1 4 6, Jahne Carrenard 0 2 2, Allaysia Durant 0 0 0, Tessa Porch 2 2 6, Gabrielle Butler 2 0 4. Totals: 19 15 58. 

BRISTOL EASTERN (57): Leah Roy 2 3 7, Lauren Ayotte 2 1 5, Emily Piendak 0 0 0, Taigan Parent 4 4 14, Vanessa Drury 8 0 19, Autumn Udoh 3 4 10, Jayle Evins-Mosley 1 0 2, Amanda Noel 0 0 0. Totals: 20 12 57. 

Three-point goals: Smith (M) 4, Studinski (M), Parent (BE) 2, Drury (BE) 3. 

Records: Middletown 2-0 overall, Bristol Eastern 1-1