By Michael Letendre
BRISTOL – There’s never a dull moment in scholastic hoops when the JV squads from Bristol Eastern and Maloney take the court.
The contest on Friday night between the programs proved that very fact.
Before the varsity main event, the JV team put one heck of a show in a tight contest.
However, the Kingstreeters were able to pull out a three point victory over Maloney in dramatic fashion.
With the contest all tied up at 62-62, the Lancers had the ball, the shot clock was off and the locals were holding it for one last attempt.
And Eastern guard Dante DePass, tightly guarded, was prepared to hit the game-winning shot if the ball came his way.
And the veteran came through in the clutch.
With the game hanging in the balance and the buzzer about to go off, leading to a possible overtime situation, DePass made it academic as he smoothly canned a baseline 3-pointer at the buzzer as the Lancers JV program defeated Maloney by a 65-62 final in a CCC South bonanza.
It was bedlam as DePass made the long distance shot and once the referees signified that the trifecta was good, the celebration began.
DePass’s game-winner was one heck of a shot as he was hiding in plain sight, in corner opposite of the Eastern bench.
Naseem Walker was dribbling out the final seconds of regulation and had DePass in his sights from the start.
DePass was ready for the ball, Walker dumped it over to the shooter and the junior splashed it in cleanly for the game winning hoop, sending the squad – and the home crowd – into a frenzy.
DePass led all scores with 25 points while Walker added 13 to pace the victors.
“The JV’s got a nice win,” said Eastern varsity coach Bunty Ray. “Dante was able to hit a 3 at the buzzer.”
DePass and Walker also earned some time in the varsity showdown against Maloney, helping the program pick up a 60-41 win from the Thomas M. Monahan Gymnasium.
It was a big triumph for Eastern and JV head coach Brett Bisson.
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