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The holiday break ended very quickly for the Woodstock Academy prep basketball teams.
The Gold team quickly got back to its winning ways, extending its win streak to 10 and raising its record to 16-1 Jan. 11 with a 70-63 over the Brimmer School.
But like the game against Jean De-Brebeuf Jan. 10, it wasn’t a walk in the park.
The Centaurs only led, 36-30, at halftime and were able to hold that advantage through the second half.
Dyondre Dominguez scored 10 first half points and added 12 more in the second half to lead the way for the Centaurs.
Ronnie DeGray was quiet in the first half, saving all 11 of his points for the second.
Quran McPherson was the only other player in double digits for the Centaurs with 10.
It’s one thing the Woodstock Academy Gold prep basketball team doesn’t get a lot of.
A challenging game on its home floor.
Such was the case Jan. 9 as a collegiate team from Montreal, Jean De-Brebeuf, gave the Centaurs a little tussle before Woodstock Academy pulled out the 75-58 win.
“I think it was really good for us. They were a really good team from Canada, disciplined and played well together. They actually made us work on offense so it wasn’t just an easy walk through,” DeGray said.
The visitors held the lead for quite a bit of the first half until Dominguez hit a pair of free throws to put Woodstock Academy up, 33-32, with 2:44 left.
Dominguez (8 points) followed with a basket and DeGray put together three points in a row to put the Centaurs up by six, 38-32.
De-Brebeuf cut that lead in half by halftime, 40-37, and then went ahead briefly in the second half with a pair of early buckets.
Joe Moon (11 points) put the Centaurs ahead to stay with a pair of free throws and a field goal and then DeGray started an 11-0 Woodstock Academy run with a slam on the fast break.
DeGray led the Centaurs for a second game in a row in scoring with 21 points.
Noel Scott (12 points) and McPherson (10) were also in double figures for the Centaurs who are still trying to shake some rust off from their long holiday break.
In the first game after the holiday break, the Centaurs beat Hoosac School, 94-58.
Gold Head Coach Jacque Rivera said: “This used to be the one that I (when he was at MacDuffie School) played against (former Woodstock Academy prep coach) Tony (Bergeron), the first one back from break, for the past two years. I’m just glad to be on this side of it now.”
Hoosac did own a slim lead midway through the first half, but a 9-0 run keyed by four points from McPherson, put the Centaurs ahead to stay.
DeGray paced Woodstock Academy with 23 points while McPherson and Scott, who was one of the second half sparks, each finished with 11 points.
Quinton McElroy and Chad Venning added 10.
Blue Prep
It had been a very nice return week for the Woodstock Academy Blue prep basketball team. Until it ran into a disciplined Army Prep team Jan. 11. The Centaurs dropped a 72-59 decision to Army Prep in a game that had to be moved to the Woodstock Academy South Campus gym due to a power outage.
Nahshon Battle led the Blue prep basketball team with 28 points while Elijah Blackman added 11. The loss dropped the Centaurs to 13-6.
Jan. 10 the Blue team got something it had eagerly anticipated. Paul Hosey, their 6-foot, 9-inch center, had a breakout performance against Rock Top Academy. Centaurs Blue coach Denzel Washington said: “He’s been battling sickness here and there and was coming off an injury at the beginning of the season. Now that we’re in the second half of the season, it was really good to see him come out with a game like this.”
Hosey finished with 21 points and nine rebounds to lead the Centaurs to a 96-67 win over Rock Top.
Hosey got some extended minutes because, due to health and injury issues, the Centaurs had only nine players dressed for the game.
Nahshon Battle provided the early energy for the Centaurs (13-5).
Woodstock Academy was only up by two, 18-16, when Chase Anderson buried a 3-pointer and Battle followed with another three. Eshete Calvo then hit a bucket to give the Centaurs a double-digit lead.
Rock Top didn’t pack it in but another Battle 3-pointer and a pair of free throws by the guard, plus three Hosey free throws gave Woodstock Academy the 43-31 lead at the break.
Battle finished with 17 of his team-high 22 points in the first half.
After Battle scored the first five points of the second half, Hosey scored 18 points in the half including a stretch of three minutes where he scored all 11 of the Centaurs points in an 11-2 Woodstock Academy run.
Michael Eurquhart added 16 rebounds.
Jan. 8 the Centaurs had not played since Dec. 20, but showed no ill effects in a 75-50 win over the Hoosac School.
Vondre Chase led the Blue team with a 23-point effort while Battle added 19 and Malikai Delgado tossed in 14. Delgado was a key in the second half when he strung together eight points in six minutes.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
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