Gold prep
splits games
The National Prep Showcase Tournament is a bit of a conundrum for coaches.
It’s known in athletic circles as a “trap game” or in this case, games.
The tournament is held on the weekend before the beginning of Thanksgiving break for most prep basketball players.
“Any time you have a game coming up before break, it’s a challenge because the kids have one foot out the door and one foot on the banana peel. They can either slip and do something really great or fall right out because they are ready to go home,” said Woodstock Academy coach Jacque Rivera.
The Centaurs experienced a little of both.
They came back from a tough loss to Hargrave Military Academy in their first tournament game Nov. 22 to post a 68-63 win over Mount Zion Prep Nov. 24.
“Our kids were resilient with break coming up and coming off the loss on Friday with one day to prepare. It was a complete team win,” Rivera said.
The win raised the Centaurs record to 7-1.
Now, they get to enjoy break.
The Woodstock Academy prep team players have not been home since Aug. 24.
They are now off until Dec. 4 when they travel to Redemption Christian Academy.
The Gold squad came out against Maryland-based Mount Zion on a mission.
Rivera switched up his starting lineup, going with Ronnie DeGray, Cairo McCrory, Dyondre Dominguez, Chad Venning and putting Joe Moon back in as a starter.
They built a 21-point lead in the first half and had a chance to run away with the contest.
“I thought we shared the ball unbelievably, even with all the college coaches that were watching. We talk about the best shot in basketball being the open shot and the ball really moved from side-to-side, just like windshield wipers,” Rivera said.
The Woodstock Academy coach had seen those in action Nov. 24, too, as the drive to New Haven and back was hampered by heavy rain.
The Centaurs also had the services of Michael Jefferson.
The native of Waco, Texas, missed the game with Hargrave after getting hit just below the eye in practice Nov. 21. He had to go for stitches and was not ready for action Nov. 22.
He made all four of his 3-point attempts against Mt. Zion and led the Centaurs in scoring with 14 points.
“I thought he didn’t settle. I thought he made shots. He was very good on the backboard. He gives us another guy. If basketball has six people starting, he would be a starter for us,” Rivera said.
Mount Zion did rebound from the early deficit to trail by only 12, 37-25, at the end of the first half.
Mount Zion outscored the Centaurs, 38-31, in the second half, but never could take the lead against the Centaurs.
McCrory chipped in with another solid effort, 12 points and seven rebounds.
“We’ve started calling him ‘Mr. Get’ because Cairo just gets it done. You look at the stat sheet, you look at the rebounds, everything, he’s just a great kid. He just goes out and plays. He never complains about a call,” Rivera said.
Dominguez added 10 points in the win.
Hargrave Military was the aggressor Nov. 22.
The Southern Virginia team was dominant on the boards, especially off the offensive glass, and got numerous second-chance opportunities in its 89-72 win.
Hargrave Military did have the advantage of having a mobile 7-footer in Gabe Wiznitzer as well as length in the forms of Corey Walker and A.J. James.
“It was the first time that we had to compete against a team who competes on the backboard and takes away our ability to run. I think we got caught up in trying to run and leaving the ball. Credit them, they saw a chink in the armor,” Rivera said.
Hargrave Military opened up a double-digit first half lead, but saw the Centaurs close to within three on a basket by Jamon Kemp with 4 ½ minutes left in the first half.
Hargrave, however, went on a 15-4 run, powered by six Bryson Childress points, to take a 47-33 lead.
Hargrave Military expanded that lead to 20, 60-40, in the first four minutes of the second half.
‘I thought we had a lack of focus right from the jump ball. You don’t have a jump ball and give a guy a straight-line drive,” Rivera said.
The Centaurs allowed K.D. Johnson to do so and he scored two of his game-high 32 points.
“I don’t think it was a wakeup call because if the outcome was reversed, would we be saying we’re the best team in the country or would we be saying, we have to get better. I think we stand at those same points. We have to get better, get better at the little things and if we had won, it would be the same thing,” Rivera said.
Quinton McElroy led the Gold squad in the loss with 13 points while DeGray added 12, McCrory 11 and Quran McPherson 10.
Regardless of the results of the games, Rivera said it was nice to take part in the tournament.
“When you have an event like that and have an opportunity to watch some of your competitors from across the country, it’s good because it gives you the chance to see what you’re good at and this is where we have to continue to get better. We didn’t get a chance to see Hargrave live so we had to rely heavily on our colleagues and video and things like that. If we see each other again down the road, the outcome could change,” the Woodstock Academy coach said.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
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PSA prep
team sits at
#2 in U.S.
The national prep basketball rankings came out last Tuesday for the first time this season, with the Putnam Science Academy men’s team sitting at No. 2. The Mustangs backed up that ranking with a 3-0 week that included a thrilling come-from-behind victory over the fourth-ranked team in the country.
PSA played in the National Prep Showcase at Albertus Magnus College Nov. 22-23, where nine of the top 10 teams gathered.
After slogging through a poor shooting performance to earn a win in the first game, PSA faced. No. 4 Scotland Campus, the team that knocked off the Mustangs in the national semifinals last year, the following night.
PSA rallied for a thrilling 91-88 win in that game, a game in which it trailed by as many as 14 late in the first half.
“I think we played weak in the first half, especially the first 10 minutes,” said coach Tom Espinosa. “We had a good talk at halftime and came out with a different mindset. I didn’t think they wanted to get their butts kicked for the whole 40 minutes.”
Indeed they did not. The Mustangs picked up the defense and pushed the ball in the second half, then made free throws down the stretch for the win. Marty Silvera had 16 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists in the win. Hassan Diarra had 16 points, five rebounds, and four assists while D’Maurian Williams finished with 13 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals for the Mustangs (9-0), who also got 10 points from Vlad Goldin.
The previous afternoon, PSA made just 29-of-81 shots (35.8 percent) yet still came away with a 77-69 win over The Skill Factory. Silvera was again big for the Mustangs, scoring 16 of his game-high 24 points in the first half to go along with four rebounds and five assists.
“After I missed my first one, then I hit my second, I kind of knew I was going to have a good half,” Silvera said. “I just felt it. I just kept shooting. It was going in, so I just kept my momentum and kept playing and looking to score. It was just working out.”
JuJu Murray chipped in with 16 points for the Mustangs.
On Nov. 19, Goldin scored a season-high 21 points to go along with six rebounds in a 97-87 win over Spire Academy. Williams finished with 16 points (including four 3-pointers) and five rebounds, while Diarra had 15 points, four rebounds, four assists, and four steals for the Mustangs. JuJu Murray and Elijah Everett had 10 points apiece in the win.
Prep Women
PSA’s prep women’s team split a pair of games in New Jersey last week in the team’s first game-action since Nov. 2.
The Mustangs won on Nov. 22, 47-36 over Life Center Academy, behind 16 points and 11 rebounds from Sabou Gueye. Lani Cornfield finished with 10 points and Niya Fields added eight points for the Mustangs.
A day later, PSA went to Blair Academy and dropped a 53-42 decision. Gueye was again the leading scorer, this time finishing with 14 points. Delaney Haines made her season debut and had 12 points as the team fell to 3-3.
More
In other PSA action, Abdul Seck had 17 of his 31 points in the first half Nov. 21, leading the boys’ varsity team to an 83-71 win over Nichols College.
“Abdul scored from all three levels,” said coach Dana Valentin. “He’s much improved from last year.” Travis Mangual added with 14 points and Zach Boulay had 11 for the Mustangs (2-1).
On Nov. 20, Erwan Menguy knocked down seven 3-pointers and finished with 38 points, but they weren’t enough for PSA’s Varsity 2 team in its season-opening 69-57 loss at Redemption Christian Academy. Michael Phav added 11 for Mustangs.
Finally, the girls’ varsity team opened its season the same day, also at Redemption, with a 70-58 loss despite 22 points and four blocks from Zanashia Croft. Alex Hutchins added nine points for PSA.
Stephen Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy
The following charges were listed in the Putnam Police Department logs. The people charged are innocent until proven guilty in court. The Town Crier will publish dispositions of cases at the request of the accused. The dispositions must be accompanied by the proper documentation. The Putnam Police Department confidential Tip Line is 963-0000.
Nov. 7
John Seaward, 27, Pomfret Street, Pomfret; operating under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.
Nov. 10
Mattieu Jendrewski, 33, Woodstock Avenue, Putnam; failure to obey stop sign, operating a motor vehicle while license is suspended.
Nov. 11
Mark Morin, 46, Woodstock Avenue, Putnam; four counts of third-degree criminal mischief, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest.
Nov. 13
Anthony Falzone, 27, no certain address, possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia.
Nov. 15
Marrissa Malone, 37, Mohegan Street, Putnam; third-degree assault, disorderly conduct, possession of narcotic.
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BROOKLYN/KILLINGLY — Two Brooklyn men were arrested on drug charges after traffic stops Oct. 28
Eric Reissmann, 53, of 9 Plaza St., was charged with possession of narcotics.
Charlie Clavell, 49, of 29 Tiffany St., was charged with possession of narcotics and possession of narcotics with intent to sell.
Members of the Troop D Quality of Life Task Force teamed up with the Brooklyn and Killingly Resident Troopers Office in an effort to suppress on going narcotics activity in the East Brooklyn area. Numerous complaints have been made by concerned citizens regarding open air drug dealing.
Troopers stopped a vehicle on South Main Street in Brooklyn for several traffic violations. Troopers suspected narcotics may be present in the car and K9 Ambrie, a Labrador narcotic sniffing canine, alerted to a natural void in the center console of the car.
Troopers said they found crack cocaine. Reissmann admitted he hid the crack cocaine in the void before he was pulled over.
Later troopers stopped a car on Rt. 6 in Killingly near Rt. 12 for a motor vehicle violation and recognized the passenger as Clavell from previous police-related contacts. Troopers became suspicious narcotics might be on his person and K9 Ambrie gave a very strong alert to his waistband area. Clavell later admitted to having “crack cocaine” hidden in his pants and numerous clear plastic knotted bags of “crack cocaine” packaged for sale were seized by Troopers.
Members of the Connecticut State Police are committed to combating drug activity in the “Quiet Corner” and anyone with information regarding the illegal sale of narcotics are encouraged to call the Troop D QLTF anonymous Tips Hotline at 860-779-4950 or message the QLTF Facebook page.
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