By Michael Letendre
BRISTOL – The Bristol Central and Bristol Eastern basketball programs will hit the court for the 131st time on Monday evening, this time from the confines of the Thomas M. Monahan Gymnasium on the campus of BEHS.
This is going to be an exciting one.
Central is athletic, has some shooting ability and wants to avoid a 10-game losing streak as the postseason is on the horizon.
Eastern has a lot riding on the line as well and a win against the Rams would ultimately help the Lancers with its upcoming CIAC Division IV seeding.
Frankly, the contest against Central is the biggest one for Eastern in quite some time.
“I think they’re going to be ready on Monday,” said Eastern coach Bunty Ray of his squad. “You know that’s going to be a tough game.”
Bristol Eastern Boys Basketball – CCC South Challenge
Central at Eastern – The Kingstreeters are looking for the sweep
Last Time versus Central: Eastern’s Brayden Dauphinais and Lukas Sward each netted 14 points as the Lancers picked off the Rams 49-44 from the Charles C. Marsh Gymnasium – starting the squad on a big five-game winning streak.
Players to Watch – Bristol Eastern (10-9 overall)
Brayden Dauphinais (jr, forward), Lukas Sward (jr, guard/forward), Nate Fries (sr, forward), Ben D’Amato (jr, shooting guard), Zaveyn Tate (so, forward), Jordan Chisholm (so, guard), Isaiah Lawrence-Bynum (jr, forward), Dante DePass (so, guard), Brady Bell (so, forward).
Out of the Gate: Eastern is looking for its first sweep against Central since the 2011-12 campaign when then senior Eli Rodriguez was dropping down bombs on the Rams.
But this is a different time, and several high character players are looking for their turn on the court against Central.
Off a tremendous 60-42 showing against South Windsor on Friday, Eastern has all the momentum in the world while Central is looking to avoid that 10-game losing streak.
Eastern’s starting unit of Ben D’Amato, Zaveyn Tate along with tri-captains Lukas Sward (9.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.6 steals-per-game), Brayden Dauphinais (11.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.4 spg) and senior Nate Fries are locked and loaded for this one.
This group oozes chemistry, plays for each other, and that unit of five have started all 19 games for the Lancers.
Consistency has to stand for something, and this ever-improving group remembers how close the BC/BE showdown was the first time around.
“It was a war the first time,” said Ray of the first Central/Eastern game. “I don’t expect anything different the second time.”
Spotlight on Bristol Eastern: Zaveyn Tate.
It’s absolutely scary to think of what the ceiling could be for this sophomore sensation.
And he’s come a long way of the course of the season.
In just his first year of full-time varsity action, Tate is posting season averages of 11.5 points and 7.4 rebounds-per-game.
This warrior always attacks the hoop with gusto, hitting an incredible 59-percent of his field goals.
Tate also chips in over a blocked shot and a steal-per-game while averaging 10.5 points and 12.0 rebounds an outing over his past two contests.
Simply put, Tate is just scratching the surface (in basketball and football) and brings plenty of tenacity and guts to each and every game.
Under-the-radar Guy: Nate Fries.
There’s a reason why the senior was added as a captain midway through the season.
Fries is very well respected on the squad and while he won’t get you 10 points a game, the senior does a little of everything to help his team win games.
On the year, Fries drops in 3.6 points an outing but adds nearly five rebounds-per-game which includes one offensive rebound every contest.
And most of those rebounds come against opponents that are bigger than the lone Eastern senior.
That’s an excellent contribution to the program and every once in a while, like his 11-point showing at Platt, Fries will kick in a good scoring game.
Fries has done an excellent job over the season, leading the Lancers to a winning ledger.
Watch out for: Jordan Chisholm and Isaiah Lawrence-Bynum – Eastern’s sixth and seventh men, respectively.
When you have a consistent starting five, roles off the bench can be more easily defined.
The duo of Chisholm and Bynum have been everything Ray and the team have hoped for over the year.
In terms of Chisholm (6.9 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists-per-game, 38.2-percent from 3s), he’s truly the team’s sixth man.
When he spells D’Amato, Chisholm brings the three-ball with him and does his fair share of rebounding and distributing the rock.
He’ll even lead the squad in scoring on occasion with a couple 17-point showings.
Bynum (3.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.0 steals-per-game, 53.2-percent shooting from the field) could be one of the most improved players on the squad and though he hasn’t started a game, the forward is always ready for action.
That includes points, rebounds and blocked shots and very good floor spacing.
His jumper continues to impress and once he gets a consistent go-to move in the paint, Bynum is going to be tough to stop.
And you always know that the law offices of Bynum and Chisholm (they specialize in rebounds and jumpers) are always open, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, waiting for the call (from Coach Ray) and are ready to take the opponent to the cleaners (don’t hesitate. Call the offices of Bynum and Chisholm now!).
Bottom Line: There’s playoff positioning on the line for the Lancers while Central’s fate in Division I is already locked in with a first round date against Northwest Catholic.
There’s a ton riding on the line for the Lancers and you better believe Eastern is going to be ready for the challenge.
The last time the Lancers won 11 games in season was over 10 years ago (Eastern went 14-9 in 2011-12) and another trip to the pay window could be in order for this excellent group of standouts.
“We just got to make sure we do all the little things,” said Ray. “I’m not worried about energy in that game. I know we’re going to have it. It’s just a matter of getting our heads on straight and playing a good game against Central.”
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