By Michael Letendre
BRISTOL – It wasn’t much of a secret where the Bristol Eastern boys basketball team was going to end up in postseason play this year.
After a credible 10-10 campaign, the Lancers were looking to be seeded in the mid-20s and take on a squad that was a top-10 team in CIAC Division IV play.
And the Lancers truly can make this tournament a fun ride if the squad can get all the right pieces to fall over first round play.
“We’re going to be a 23-24 seed, somewhere in there,” predicted Eastern coach Bunty Ray after the 10-10 finish. “We’re going to go on the road.”
And then he uttered the phrase that pays when entering tournament play as an underdog.
“We’ve got nothing to lose.”
House money is always invaluable to a state tournament program but this team – with the right match-up – has the potential to hang a loss on several of the top squads in Division IV.
And this time around, Eastern – ranked 23rd in the fray – will battle tenth ranked Seymour in first round action on Tuesday evening (6:30 p.m.).
The Wildcats had a very good year in Naugatuck Valley League play, going 15-5 in regular season action and went 1-1 in the recent NVL Tournament.
Seymour fell to Waterbury Career Magnet in the semifinal round, 68-57, to end the NVL portion of its slate.
The higher seed has some solid scoring options in the form of All-NVL pick Caden Derzek along with All-Copper selections Indrit Peraj (23 points against WCA) and Michael Rossetti.
Derzek (22.0 points, 10.0 rebounds-per-game) is a double-double machine and can drop thirty points on any given evening.
Peraj cashes in 14.0 points and 5.0 rebounds a night while Rossetti pushes the offense with 10 points, 4.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists-per-game.
That is a formidable threesome but Eastern has some weapons of its own that will push the Wildcats.
Those players were on display over the last two weeks as Eastern defeated New Britain and Wolcott over hotly contested scrimmages.
The showdown against the Golden Hurricanes was as intense as any regular season game, a contest Eastern won by two points.
Ray and his staff have kept the intensity level up, getting the players to maintain its regular season identity over the break.
“Hopefully, these next couple weeks, we can springboard to get even better,” said Ray of the scrimmages. “It’s hard for a young group because the intensity of this is very different. When teams are coming at you, you try to tell them about preparation and what they need to do, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally.”
Consistency has been king for the Lancers this season as five players have started all 20 regular games.
The trio of captains, senior Nate Fries (3.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.0 steals-per-game), and juniors Brayden Dauphinais (team-leading 12.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.3 steals-per-game) and Lukas Sward (9.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.7 steals-per-game) have been very good leaders, and extremely productive, for the program.
Junior Ben D’Amato (5.3 ppg) shoots the three-ball at a tremendous 44-percent shooting clip while sophomore Zaveyn Tate has been sensational over his first full season of varsity ball.
He attacks the rim with zest, plays solid defense and contributes 11.2 points, a team high 7.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.4 steals-per-game.
And the bench will supply plenty of support as well.
The duo of sophomore Jordan Chisholm (7.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, 34.2-percent from 3) and junior Isaiah Lawrence-Bynum (3.4 points, 3.3 rebounds) are both leaders off the pine while Dante DePass, Brady Bell and Naseem Walker can all contribute when called upon.
In terms of depth, the Lancers can easily go ten players deep.
Eastern had a no retreat, no surrender mantra going all season long, beating some quality opponents along the way in the form of Simsbury and Wethersfield while dropping other games to teams that could be postseason movers and shakers.
“We’re out there grinding and battling, even in our loses,” said Ray of the regular season. “Every one of our loses, except for [Bristol Central], the teams have had 10 or more wins.”
Where Eastern landed to end the regular season, at .500, really wasn’t a big surprise but the program is capable of causing some damage against a team like Seymour, or possibly against No. 7 Brookfield in second round play.
And would it be a real surprise if the Kingsteeters spur an upset or two along the way before things are said and done?
“We’re right where we should be,” said Ray. “I wish we could have been a little bit better but now, we have an opportunity to figure out where we are.”
History Lesson
The Lancers haven’t played in the postseason since the 2014-15 campaign but in that first round bout on March 10 against Bunnell, Eastern was in it to win it.
The 28th ranked Lancers hit a ton of 3s in that game, holding the lead midway through the fourth period, before falling 61-55.
Bunell, the fifth seed in the bracket, ended up winning it all – spinning No. 7 Naugatuck 72-61 in the title game from Mohegan sun Arena.
Who could be next?
If the Lancers can sneak by Seymour, a second round date could include No. 7 Brookfield and No. 26 Montville.
No. 2 Wamogo is a possible quarterfinal round opponent for all four of those teams.
Here’s what Division IV looks like in 2023:
CIAC Boys Basketball – DIVISION IV
FIRST ROUND – Tuesday
*No. 1 Cromwell – Bye
*No. 17 North Haven (11-9) at No. 16 Weston (11-9), 3/7, 6:30 pm
*No. 8 Abbott Tech (16-4) vs. No. 25 Platt Tech (9-11) at Abbott V, 3/7, 6:30 pm
*No. 24 New Fairfield (9-11) at No. 9 Windham (15-5), 3/7, 6:30pm
*No. 4 Griswold – Bye
*No. 20 Valley Regional (10-10) at No. 13 Suffield (13-7), 3/7, 6:30 pm *No. 28 Goodwin Tech (8-12) at No. 5 Weaver (17-3), 3/7, 6:30 pm
*No. 12 Cheney Tech (14-6) vs. No. 21 Rockville (10-10) at Cheney Tech., 3/7, 6:30 pm
*No. 2 Wamogo – Bye
*No. 18 Somers (11-9) at No. 15 Canton (12-8), 3/7, 6:30 pm
*No. 26 Montville (9-11) at No. 7 Brookfield (16-4), 3/7, 6:30 pm
*No. 23 Bristol Eastern (10-10) at No. 10 Seymour (15-5), 3/7, 6:30 pm
*No. 3 Ellington – Bye
*No. 14 Morgan (13-7) vs. No. 19 Bacon Academy (10-10) at Morgan School, 3/7, 6:30 pm
*No. 6 Northwestern (17-3) vs. No. 27 Harding (8-12) at Northwestern Regional H.S., 3/7, 6:30 pm
*No. 11 Windham Tech (15-5) vs. No. 22 Bullard Havens Tech (10-10) at Windham Technical, 3/7, 6:30 pm
SECOND ROUND – Thursday
*North Haven/Weston winner at No. 1 Cromwell (18-2), 3/9, 6:30 pm
*Platt Tech/Abbott Tech winner vs. New Fairfield/Windham winner, 3/9, 6:30 pm
*Valley Regional/Suffield winner at No. 4 Griswold (17-3), 3/9, 6:30 pm
*Goodwin Tech/Weaver winner vs. Rockville/Cheney Tech winner, 3/9, 6:30 pm
*Somers/Canton winner at No. 2 Wamogo (18-2), 3/9, 6:30 pm
*Montville/Brookfield winner vs. Bristol Eastern/Seymour winner, 3/9, 6:30 pm
*Bacon Academy/Morgan winner at No. 3 Ellington (17-3), 3/9, 6:30 pm
*Harding/Northwestern winner vs. Bullard Havens Tech/Windham Tech winner, 3/9, 6:30 pm
QUARTERFINALS – March 13 (7:00 pm)
SEMIFINALS – March 15 (Time TBA)
FINALS – March 18-19 from Mohegan Sun Arena (Time TBA)