Gold team
keeps winning
Jan. 9 the Woodstock Academy Gold Prep team won its 20th consecutive game.
There was hardly any celebration of that fact.
“We’re feeling great, but next game, 21-0 — one game at a time,” said swing player Ronnie DeGray.
Such is the philosophy espoused by head coach Tony Bergeron.
Since that time, The Centaurs, the No. 2 ranked prep basketball team in most prep basketball polls, have added two more victories and carry a 22-0 record into the week.
The two wins came during a brief two-game tour of New York over the weekend.
The Centaurs first traveled to Dix Hills, N.Y., and downed Upper Room Christian, 119-61, Jan. 12.
Tre Mitchell scored 16 points and pulled down 13 rebounds in the win while Trey Anderson contributed 17 points.
The Centaurs followed that up with a little 25-minute ride north toward Long Island Sound to Nissequogue, N.Y., where they posted a 124-68 win over the Knox School.
T.J. Weeks, who just returned prior to the holiday break following a long battle with a foot injury, led the Gold squad with 24 points and added four steals.
Mitchell added 20 points and eight boards while Mikal Gjerde tossed in 14 points, including 4-of-6 from beyond the 3-point line.
The Centaurs just returned from break last Monday and didn’t have too long to get back into the swing of things.
They were back on the court two days later..
It wasn’t easy.
The game against MacDuffie School followed a 16-day long holiday break.
“It was hard,” DeGray said. “Everyone was home, relaxing on the couch. We got workouts in, but we weren’t running like we usually do at practice. It was definitely hard to get back in shape right away.”
The Centaurs also came into the game down a couple of players. Jeremy Robinson was out with an injury and Preston Santos was on concussion protocol.
The Mustangs (7-5) never gave up, but the Gold were able to pull out the 84-67 victory at the Alumni Fieldhouse.
DeGray lit the spark that was needed late in the first half.
As is normal, Woodstock Academy broke out early and led by 16 points, 30-14, after a Weeks’ 3-pointer – he had four of them in the game and finished with a team-best 14 points –with 8:07 left in the half.
But Ismael Massoud, who has committed to play for Wake Forest where he will be a teammate of the Centaurs’ Ody Oguama, began to heat up.
He scored 11 of his game-high 24 points in just four minutes and James Bouknight (8 points), who will play for UConn, added a 3-pointer to cut the Centaurs lead to five, 32-27, with 4:02 left in the half.
“Ismael and ‘Bouk’ are two of the top dudes I have ever played against,” DeGray said. “We emphasized pushing the gas on them early, saw the lead, and slowed down on them. We have to be able to keep the gas on the whole time.”
DeGray, however, hit four free throws and a 3-pointer to help the Centaurs rebuild a 16-point lead, 48-32, at the end of the first half.
“We don’t like the games being close even if it’s a great team. We live to try and put a foot on everyone,” DeGray said.
DeGray finished 6-of-6 from the line and scored 11 points.
“My Dad definitely makes me (work on them). Those are free points right there,” DeGray said.
Anderson scored four of his 13 points to put the Centaurs up by 22 early in the second half and MacDuffie never got closer than the 17-point difference at the end.
Marc Allard
Sports Information Director
The Woodstock Academy

.