By Michael Letendre 

BRISTOL – The Bristol Eastern girls basketball team nearly led New Britain wire to wire on Wednesday night.

But the pesky Hurricanes managed to stay in the game despite sub-par shooting until the very end.

The Kingstreeters managed to scoop up a big 40-31 CCC Interdivisional win from the Thomas M. Monahan Gymnasium in Bristol.

The Lancers improved to 3-4 on the campaign while the Hurricanes (4-2) lost for just the second time this year.

Eastern senior standout Taigan Parent dropped in a career-high 17 points to go along with two rebounds, two assists and four steals.

And then teammate Autumn Udoh had another one of her amazing video game stat-lines.

Coming off the bench, Udoh blasted New Britain for 13 points, 16 rebounds, seven blocks and five steals over another tremendous effort by the first-year competitor.

Vanessa Drury added five points and three rebounds, Lauren Ayotte nabbed two points and six rebounds and while Leah Roy notched just a single point, the jack-of-all-trades forward did a ton on the court for the Lancers that night.

She scooped in 12 rebounds, three assists and rejected a couple shots to help Eastern to its third win. 

Three players for New Britain scored six points – the high for the squad that was limited to just nine points at the half.

The Hurricanes shot a miserable 19.4-percent from the field but made 18 steals to keep the home program from greatly extending the lead.

Trailing by two early, Drury canned a hoop, Parent followed with a lay-up and when Udoh notched her first basket with 3:25 left in the first, Eastern scooped up a 6-2 edge.

New Britain’s Malia Burgos’s three pointer with 40 seconds left in the period made it 6-5 contest after one.

Eastern used a 7-0 jaunt to open the second stanza – making it a 13-5 game with 5:14 remaining before the half.

Over that run, Parent did all the scoring. 

Amanda Noel found the senior for a slick fallaway jumper, later drained a 3 and when her third straight shot fell in, New Britain was trailing by eight.

To end the half, Ayotte flipped in her basket and Drury went 1-of-2 from the charity stripe as Eastern held a 18-9 push at the half.

Parent’s jumper to open the third tilt propelled Eastern’s to its biggest lead at 11 and when Udoh canned a turnaround with 3:35 to play in the frame, it was a 26-16 game.

The showdown turned chippy from there, the Hurricanes went on a 9-0 burst and just one minute into the final period, New Britain was knocking at the door – trailing just 26-25.    

However, the Hurricanes went nearly 5:30 without a point as Eastern’s defense held the fort.

A 9-0 dash from the Lancers, started by a Udoh lay-up and finished with a Parent free throw, pushed it back to double figures again (35-25) with 4:22 remaining in regulation.

New Britain chopped the deficit to 35-31 with 1:20 to play but Udoh made a full court dash to score – dropping in a huge runner – to give the Lancers a bit of a cushion.

The Hurricanes were then forced to foul the rest of the way in an attempt to get possession of the ball back.

And charity tosses by Parent and Roy closed out the game with Eastern coming away a big 40-31 winner in Bristol. 

Bristol Eastern Girls Basketball – CCC Interdivisional Showdown 

BRISTOL EASTERN 40, NEW BRITAIN 31 

from the Thomas M .Monahan Gymnasium, Bristol 

New Britain (4-2)                   5 4 14 8 – 31 

Bristol Eastern (3-4)             6 12 8 14 – 40 

NEW BRITAIN (31): Malia Burgos 1 0 3, KiaKia Denmark 3 0 6, Aniah Faienza 1 1 4, Janyah Tirado 0 0 0, Maya Kelly 1 0 2, Yari Fernandez 0 0 0, Janessa Yaconiello 3 0 6, Taijah Cooper 2 0 4, Kaylee Cahill 2 0 6. Totals: 13 1 31. 

BRISTOL EASTERN (40): Taigan Parent 6 4 17, Vanessa Drury 2 1 5, Emily Piendak 0 0 0, Tavia Swain 0 0 0, Leah Roy 0 1 1, Amanda Noel 1 0 2, Jayle Evins-Mosley 0 0 0, Autumn Udoh 6 1 13, Lauren Ayotte 1 0 2.Totals: 16 7 40. 

Three-Point goals: Burgos (NB), Faienza (NB), Cahill (NB) 2, Parent (BE). 

Records: Bristol Eastern 3-4 overall; New Britain 4-2.