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Full slate of
hoop action
in new year
By Ron P. Coderre
The New Year came in with a flurry of hoop activity.  Following a week of postponements and rescheduling created by the wintry weather of the previous week a blizzard of basketball action returned to the hardwood as every high school team saw action.  The prep schools also returned to action following the holiday break.
Woodstock Academy with only one blemish on its record had a successful week winning both its games.  Tourtellotte, Putnam, Killingly and Plainfield all posted a t least one victory.  Ellis Tech, which has yet to pick up a victory lost both times it took the court.
Putnam Science Academy returned from break with a vengeance putting on an offensive performance the likes of which hasn’t been seen in this area in years.  Pomfret School, Hyde School-Woodstock and Marianapolis all split the two games they were involved in last week.
Centaurs Continue Winning Ways
Woodstock Academy improved to 7-1 as the season passed the one third marker.  The Centaurs picked up a pair of relatively easy wins besting Stonington at home and St. Bernard on the road.  The Acads rode a strong second and third period surge in which they scored 44 points to pull away from Stonington to post a 72-55 victory.  They were led by the trio of Chris Lowry (15 points), Adam Converse (18) and Will Bourgeois (11).  They followed that win a 71-54 beating of St. Bernard.  Trent Peters came to life, knocking down three treys, sparking Woodstock with 15 points.  Joining him in double figures was John McGinn (13), Converse (18) and Bourgeois (12).
Tourtellotte finally was able to present coach Tony Falzarano with his 600th career victory as it enjoyed two wins in the three games it played.  The 600th came on a 63-42 victory over Wheeler.  The Tigers jumped out to a 19-8 first quarter advantage and never looked back.  Tourtellotte’s offensive machine Kaevon Safford had a huge night posting 35 points.  Mike Jezierski chipped in 13 points with all four of his field goals coming from beyond the arc.
The other Tiger victory came at the expense of ECC Large Division East Lyme 52-44.  Safford was the lone Tiger in double digits with 17.  Early in the week a trip to St. Bernard proved futile as the Saints hung a 68-55 loss on coach Falzarano’s charges despite double digit performances from Safford (16), Jezierski (15) and Shawn Houle (11).  The Tigers are 4-4 overall and 1-2 in the ECC Small Division.
Putnam at 2-6 and 0-2 in the CSC East is struggling to find an identity.  The Clippers were beaten at home 56-53 by Parish Hill in a game that went to the final buzzer.  Putnam, led by Jordan Tetreault (23) and Jacob Guertin (16), was ahead 33-27 at intermission but was doomed by a third period in which it scored only six points.  The Clippers other loss came at the hands of powerful University High School of Hartford 72-39.  
In its only victory of the week Putnam beat visiting O’Brien Tech 69-53.  The key to the win was a balanced scoring attack with four players in double figures led by Guertin with 20 points and Tylor Genest with 15.  Steve Dakai added 14 and Tetreault had a dozen for Putnam.
Killingly, which has been up and down at 4-3 overall and 2-1 in the Medium Division, picked up a nifty 66-61 win over Stonington but was hapless on offense in its other two games.  They were beaten 42-35 by East Lyme and 53-33 by Waterford.
James Saritelli with 12 markers was the only Redmen in double figures against East Lyme.  Nick Hewitt with 19 points, Saritelli (10) and Austin Taylor (16) were the leading scorers in the win over the Bears of Stonington.  Hewitt with 15 was the lone Killingly player in double digits in the loss to Waterford.
Plainfield lost at the buzzer 68-66 at Fitch despite a Herculean effort by Ryan Pambuku who had 27 points.  The Panthers rebounded from the disappointing loss by knocking off Stonington 76-52 on the road.  Pambuku was immense for the second straight game as he threw in 37 points, including three from beyond the arc.  Corey Anderson chipped in 12 points for coach Bob Arremony’s 3-3 overall and 2-1 Medium Division Panthers.
Ellis Tech, still looking for its first victory of the season, lost 65-35 to Classical Magnet and 69-18 to Cheney Tech.  The Eagles are 0-6 and 0-2 in the CSC East.
PSA Rolls Past Believe
Putnam Science Academy welcomed Believe Prep from South Carolina to its tiny bandbox gym in a clash of titans.  Believe was ranked 12th in the country entering the fray against the Mustangs who were one spot behind at 13th in the nation.  When the dust settled and the din of the Mustangs student body subsided, it was a PSA victory 105-77.
The Mustangs despite having three of its top players, Dalique Mingo, Kyle Menard and Jordan Butler in foul trouble in the first half, survived because of its depth.  The Scientists had six players in double figures led by the hot shooting Anthony “Bull” Durham who scored from every conceivable angle as he tickled the twine for 24 points.
Big Jordan “Man Mountain” Butler posted a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds as he controlled the boards against the bigger Believe front court.  Danny “Up tempo” Upchurch had 19, Mingo 16, Menard 10, and Jalen “The Alaskan Husky” Terry a dozen.  The Mustangs boast a sparkling 10-2 log.
Hyde School-Woodstock lost a nail biter 63-59 at home against Vermont Academy despite 21 points from Kenny Grant and 13 from Dexter Thompson.  Thompson with 19 points and Damon Gomes with 15 helped right the Wolfpack as they rebounded for a 60-55 win over St. Luke’s  in a game played in Woodstock.  Hyde is 6-5 on the season.
Pomfret went one-and-two for the week beating Kingswood-Oxford 74-61 after falling to Nobles & Greenough 65-49.  Cam Winston with 23 and Isaiah Henderson 16 led the way over Kingswood – Oxford.  Henderson had 16 and Winston 11 in the loss to Nobles & Greenough.  The Griffins are 4-3 overall.
Earlier in the week Pomfret traveled to Marianapolis where they lost at the hands of the Golden Knights 76-48.  The Knights had three players in double figures in the victory.  They were paced by Travis Descoeaux and Eric Long with 11 points apiece and Isiah King with 10.  Winston had 15 for Pomfret.
In the Hoops Dreams Magazine Tournament at Tufts University the Golden Knights lost to Worcester Academy 53-44.  Eric Murdock Jr. with 15 points and Long with a dozen were in double digits for the 4-3 Golden Knights.