By Michael Letendre
BRISTOL – In the finals of the Bristol Central Holiday Classic on Thursday, the girls basketball squad from Bristol Central (3-2 overall) is looking for its first tournament championship.
The Rams, an easy 70-7 winner on Tuesday against Wolcott Tech, takes on Gilbert (1-1) who picked off Platt of Meriden by a 54-41 push to get into the title tilt.
It’s another big game for the Rams and the program is eager to get a little hardware for its trophy case over the winter break.
“That’s what we’re all about,” said Central coach Steve Gaudet of the squad making the finals. “We want to defend our home court.”
And just like last season, Gilbert is not going to be an easy out.
The squad returns Emily Arel from last season and the sharpshooter can put the ball into the hoop with zest.
Against Platt, she dropped in a cool 30 points, connecting on three 3-pointers along the way, and was a handful to contend with last year.
Back on December 30, 2021, the Yellowjackets had a huge lead on Central, watched it crumble, but managed to hang on to a 62-56 triumph.
Also against Platt, Addy Lillie scored 11 points while Andrea Buncalan chipped in eight for the Gilbert team.
This is a big one and while Central is a bit on the youthful side, Gaudet knows the importance of keeping within its gameplan and playing as a team.
Gilbert is going to be an excellent test for the Rams.
But the squad is going to have to contain several players looking to win the tournament.
Central’s Ariana Rivera scored 15 points while Leilani Jackson dropped 13 on Wolcott while Nicole Riemer (13 points) also performed well.
Callie Lodovico (seven points), Kaley Laird (four) and Brooke Watson (four) are going to be primed and ready for the battle against the Yellowjackets.
And squaring off against Gilbert this time around is certainly going to be different.
When the Yellowjackets came to town last season, Central started the season in an 0-4 hole and was just lacking a little experience.
This is not where the Rams are this season and Gilbert is going to get Central’s best shot.
“I love where we’re going to be this year,” said Gaudet. “We just have to take it step by step, day by day and keep building, getting experience and putting in the work at practice. This team is a joy to coach. This team works hard. They listen and they are very, very coachable.”
“When we put it all together, we’re a pretty good team.”
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