By Michael Letendre  

WATERTOWN – For the first time since 2015, the Bristol Eastern boys basketball team is heading to the postseason. 

Off the Lancers’ 70-44 demolition of Naugatuck Valley League foe Watertown on Tuesday night, the Kingstreeters punched their state tournament ticket. 

And when Eastern head coach Bunty Ray finally made his way into the locker room after the game, his squad cheered in celebration which was easily heard from anywhere on the campus of Watertown High School.  

“I think that was the best part of the game, after in the locker room,” said Ray. “You distinctly remember things throughout seasons and when I opened the doors and I watched the kids, the relief that they had, it was kind of special.” 

The Lancers (8-3) had to shake off a pesky effort by the Warriors (1-10) after absorbing an early 16-15 deficit with 5:54 remaining in the second period.  

“I don’t think we played our best game tonight,” said Ray. “But that didn’t matter because of the end result.” 

Eastern ended the contest on a 55-28 run while getting a major lift from the bench. 

The pine-time group, headlined by 17 points by super sophomore Jordan Chisholm, helped Eastern to a big win. 

He also tallied two rebounds and two steals over his 17 minutes as Chisholm was tremendous from start to finish. 

“He’s a very consistent scorer,” said Ray of Chisholm. “He’s been energy off the bench. He’s doing his job. He’s making big shots. It’s a nice change of pace when you bring him in. People scout [us] and now all of a sudden, he’s giving us another option. And he’s scoring on different levels.”  

“He’s going to the basket, he’s hitting 3s, he’s hitting pull-ups, and he’s a tough match-up.”  

The bench went a combined 11-of-16 from the field which included buckets from Isaiah Lawrence-Bynum (six points, four rebounds, two blocks), Brady Bell, and a big 3 by Cheniel Serrano. 

But the game belonged to Eastern forward Zaveyn Tate as he nearly tallied a triple double. 

Tate dropped in team highs of 18 points and nine rebounds along with six assists, two blocks and four steals. 

He went a blazing 8-of-12 from the field, helping the team shoot 27-of-51 overall (52.9-percent) for the evening and attacked the basket all night long. 

“He was the key to the game,” said Ray of Tate. “He got their guys in foul trouble right away and once they had to go to their bench, there wasn’t anybody inside.” 

Also for the Kingstreeters, Ben D’Amato blasted in 4-of-7 three-pointers for a season-high 12 points, Brayden Dauphinais posted 10 points, five rebounds, a couple blocks and four steals while Nate Fries added five rebounds and three assists. 

Lukas Sward also padded the till with two points, four rebounds, eight assists and three steals. 

Mike Mendillo led the Warriors with a team best 12 points. 

Turnovers and miscues kept Watertown in the game over the first 10 minutes or so as a three-point play by Ty Housen (eight points) made it a 16-15 game in Watertown’s favor.  

“I thought defensively, we had some lapses, but I think that was more the turnovers,” said Ray. “We had some uncharacteristic turnovers. I don’t think the number was all that high, but they were just weird and at the wrong time.”  

“We had a day off yesterday too [due to early dismissal]. We really didn’t practice. It kind of showed. We were a little lethargic to start the game.” 

From there, Eastern went on a 12-0 blitzing as Chisholm opened the jaunt with a 3, Tate then added two consecutive hoops and when Dauphinais flipped in a floater and a lay-up, the visitors were in complete control at 27-16 with 2:42 left before the half. 

The Lancers ended the second period with two Dauphinais charity tosses and another 3 by Chisholm as the locals held a 32-21 lead at intermission. 

Watertown scored the first four points just a minute into the third period as the pesky program had the deficit trimmed to 32-25 – refusing to go away. 

“I know their record isn’t that great, but their athleticism was right there,” said Ray of Watertown. “They don’t have a whole lot of skill, but they have some athleticism. They were working really hard.” 

But it quickly went back to double-figures again as D’Amato canned his fourth 3, Sward kicked in a lay-up and off a slick Tate drive and bucket, it was a 41-27 game with 4:49 remaining in the tilt. 

“That’s where [Tate] comes in,” said Ray. “He’s pressure release, being able to get the ball, break the defense down when the pressure’s up front and get to the basket.” 

To end the third, Tate cashed in a lay-up off a steal and when Lawrence-Bynum found Chisholm for another high-percentage hoop, Eastern held an imposing 50-33 edge through three. 

The Warriors trimmed the deficit to 14 early in the fourth before Eastern’s offense went into overdrive. 

Tate added three points as did Chisholm, flipping in a slick little spin move for two, as the Lancers charged ahead 56-36 with 4:54 left in regulation. 

To end the scoring, Lawrence-Bynum scored at the hoop, Serrano added a trifecta, Tate scored one last time and when Bell laid in a hoop, the Lancers’ 70-42 cushion with 1:07 to play was good enough to stave off Watertown. 

In the end, Eastern’s shooting attack overwhelmed the Warriors – propelling the Kingstreeters to a 26 triumph with a postseason slot now locked up. 

“Credit Watertown, they tried to slow us down with a bunch of different defenses which really nobody’s done so far,” said Ray. “We were able to do pretty well against the 2-3 zone. We knocked down a lot of shots, inside out.”  

Bristol Eastern Boys Basketball – CCC/NVL Challenge 

BRISTOL EASTERN 70, WATERTOWN 44
from Watertown High School 

Watertown (1-10) 13 8 12 11 – 44
Bristol Eastern (8-3) 13 19 18 20 – 70 

WATERTOWN (44): Tyler Demirs 0 2 2, Ty Housen 3 1 7, Mike Mendillo 5 2 12, Kyle Simpson 1 0 2, Gio Hurdle 1 0 2, Dylan Fekete 4 0 9, Brady Gambee 2 2 6, Julian Guerrera 2 0 4. Totals: 18 7 44.
BRISTOL EASTERN (70): Naseem Walker 0 0 0, Nate Fries 0 0 0, Jordan Chisholm 6 2 17, Cheniel Serrano 1 0 3, Lukas Sward 1 0 2, Brady Bell 1 0 2, Ben D’Amato 4 0 12, Zaveyn Tate 8 2 18, Brayden Dauphinais 3 4 10, Isaiah Lawrence-Bynum 3 0 6, Dante DePass 0 0 0, Chase Dauphinee 0 0 0. Totals: 27 8 70. 

Three-point goals: Chisholm (BE) 3, Serrano (BE) , D’Amato (BE) 4, Fekete (W).  

Records: Bristol Eastern 8-3 overall, Watertown 1-10.