Normally, Woodstock Academy girls’ basketball coach Will Fleeton wouldn’t be very happy about taking a week and a half off prior to state tournament play.
This year is different.
“I think it’s needed,” Fleeton said.
The Centaurs played against and lost to Bacon Academy in an Eastern Connecticut Conference tournament quarterfinal game Feb. 14, 42-29, in Colchester.
They did so minus the likes of Heather Converse, who has led them in just about every category this season, and both Katie Papp and Peyton Saracina, each of went down during the game with injuries. Rachel Lambert also had to sit a spell after injuring her finger and Sierra Bedard was unavailable after being injured in the junior varsity game at Norwich Free Academy Feb. 11.
Fleeton said it was getting to the point where he almost had to ask if someone in the stands wanted to dress as most of his bench was unavailable.
In other words, the time off prior to the Class LL state tournament is welcome.
 “This is my first year where I’ve thought a long break in between was actually good. We made a long ECC tournament run one year (when the Centaurs won the ECC Division II championship in 2017). There was another year, however, where we had a long break and it was torture just practicing getting ready for the state game. I think it’s perfect now. We can heal some bumps and bruises and get ourselves back together for the state game,” Fleeton said.
The Centaurs do not play until Feb. 26 when they travel to E. Hartford to play the Hornets (16-4) in a first round Class LL state tournament game. The pairings have not been made official yet by the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference, but every team in Class LL has completed its 20-game season.
“Nothing,” Fleeton said flatly when asked what he knew about E. Hartford. “I haven’t begun to try and research anything yet. We had to deal with Bacon Academy (Thursday) so that was on the plate. Now, that it’s over, we can turn the page and start to look at East Hartford.”
If there is one notable item in the E. Hartford record, it’s that the Hornets did lose to E. Lyme, a team the Centaurs split with this season.
“I feel we can compete with anyone, but we have to be on top of our game. The hidden factor is whether we can compete for four quarters at a high level and we need to do that just to be able to play some of these teams and have a chance. Can we match that level?” Fleeton said.
It’s the first year the Centaurs (10-11) will play in the Class LL tournament.
They reached the quarterfinals of the Class L tournament the past two seasons.
The Centaurs finished up the regular season at the .500 mark, 10-10, after a 60-35 loss Feb. 11 to Norwich Free Academy.
“The competitor in me says, coming into the season, our goal was higher than 10 (wins). Looking at reality, 10-10 is pretty good considering the schedule we played,” Fleeton said.
The Centaurs were hampered by the absence of Converse against the Wildcats.
The senior averaged 12.2 points and 11 rebounds per game through the first 19 contests. She added 40 steals, 35 assists and 22 blocks.
But in the game against Stonington the Saturday before the NFA game, she collided with a member of the Bears and suffered a concussion which kept her out of both of last week’s contests.
“It’s extremely tough,” Fleeton said of playing minus Converse. “Missing her was an opportunity for other kids to show themselves, but there was also a lot of uncomfortable feelings among the group on the floor. Her just being on the floor calms the others. It was huge not to have her.”
The Centaurs struggled early against NFA.
The Wildcats broke out to a 17-5 lead in the first quarter.
Woodstock Academy fought back a bit in the second and trailed only 27-20 at the half but were overwhelmed again in the third quarter when the Wildcats went on an 18-7 run.
Kayla Gaudreau paced the Centaurs with 15 points, all came in the form of five 3-pointers.
Papp added 11 points in the loss.
Things didn’t get much better against the Bobcats, significantly worse, in fact, when it came to the health report.
Converse was still on the bench and was joined by Bedard.
The Bobcats forged to a 20-9 lead in the first half and things seemingly also took a turn for the worse when the bodies started to mount on the sideline.
Papp was hit in the head early in the game and did not return. Lambert jammed a couple of fingers and Saracina injured her knee.
It left Fleeton with a lineup that featured 5-foot-4 Linda St. Laurent at center with Kaitlin Birlin up front. Aislin Tracey, Maria Monrabal and Kayla Gaudreau comprised the back court.
The Centaurs rallied.
Woodstock Academy closed to within 10 points in the fourth quarter and only lost the half by two points, 22-20.
“We were, somehow, making shots and getting boards. That unit brought us back into the game,” Fleeton said. “It was bad because we didn’t have anyone left to play but they didn’t do bad.”
Gaudreau and Tracey led the Centaurs with eight points apiece.
Marc Allard
Sports Information Director
The Woodstock Academy

..