Rotary All Stars

At last week’s Ray Brousseau Putnam Rotary Club Senior All Star Shootout, Adam Converse goes for the shot with Ryan Fletcher defending. In the background are Nate Tozzi and Alex Torcoletti and center, Michael Elsey. Courtesy photo.

 

By Ron P. Coderre

During its more than 60 years of hosting boys’ and girls’ basketball games, the storied Putnam High School gymnasium has been the home to many great players and hotly contested games.  With a new gymnasium expected to be constructed for the start of the 2015-2016 hoop season, the place that’s been referred to as “the best place to play a game” will be going into the history books permanently.

As has been customary for more than 20 years, the final games of each basketball season have been the Ray Brousseau Putnam Rotary Club Senior All Star Shootouts.  These contests annually feature male and female hoopsters from the northeastern Connecticut who are concluding their high school basketball careers.

The brainchild of the Putnam Rotary Club, these games were named initially in honor of a long term and loyal Rotarian Raymond Brousseau.  During his lifetime, Mr. Brousseau, who was always a staunch supporter of youth sports, enjoyed assisting the Putnam Rotary Club with these contests. 

Brousseau, who was the owner of the former Church Clothing Co. in Putnam, served the local Rotary Club as its president in 1941 and was awarded a Paul Harris Award for his dedication to the mission of Rotary, which is “Service Above Self.”

In what will go into the history books as a tribute to Brousseau and to the grand old gym, the Rotary boys’ and girls’ games this season were probably the closest and most competitive in the spirited history of the competition.

The players, coaches, Rotarians and the enthusiastic gathering of fans on hand for the two games will always have the memories of these games, the gym and those individuals who were a part of the evening for years to come.  As they sit around the fireside or in their favorite haunts in the future these games are certain to surface and be embellished as the stories are told and re-told in posterity.

Archambault Insurance Pulls Out Last Second Win

Woodstock Academy senior Abby Willis hit a shot from beyond the arc with less than a minute remaining in the girls’ game to lift the Archambault Insurance squad coached by Willie Bousquet to a come-from-behind 39-38 victory over Benpe Consulting of Putnam.  Bousquet, who coached Willis during the regular season, was all smiles following the contest.

“Abby was one of my most competitive players all season.  As the season moved on she developed her entire game including her outside shooting.  I’m happy for her how this game ended,” said Bousquet.

The contest, which was close throughout, saw Archambault Ins. go off at intermission in the lead 19-14.  A strong third stanza by the determined Benpe team, in which they outscored their opponents 15-7, helped them take a 29-26 lead entering the final eight minutes of play.

Led by Willis, who had 10 points in the game, and her Academy teammate Becky Messier who had a team-high 14 points, the Archie’s prevailed.  

Benpe, which was coached by Tourtellotte mentor Carla Faucher, stayed in the game thanks to the hot outside shooting of Tourtellotte’s Allie Ablondi, who was the team’s high-point producer with 14 points.  Four of her baskets came from beyond the three-point arc.  Ablondi’s Tourtellotte teammate, Deanna Lazzara chipped in a dozen and Killingly’s Drew Johndrow added nine. 

Willis was selected as the Most Valuable Player for the Archambault entry, while Ablondi was named MVP of the Benpe squad.

WINY captures high-scoring boys’ contest

Killingly High School’s Owen Guillot saved his hot shooting for the fourth quarter of the boys’ contest as his two three-pointers and twisting layup helped sustain the WINY team, coached by Woodstock Academy mentor Greg Smith to a close 82-74 victory over a feisty Putnam Bank team.

Guillot, who was a mainstay of the Redmen team all season, nailed his two bombs from beyond the arc, when the team needed it most.  Leading 62-52 after three quarters of play WINY withstood a terrific fourth quarter surge by the Bankers that fell just short.

The winning Radiomen, who led 37-31 at halftime, placed five players in double figures.  Guillot, who was named his team’s Most Valuable Player, led three players with 13 points, as he, Putnam’s Nate Lowell and Nick Harrington of Parish Hill all had a baker’s dozen for the winners.  Ryan Fletcher of Ellis Tech contributed 12 points and Putnam Clipper Shawn Audet added 11.

Plainfield’s Steve Jankowski, the Putnam Bank MVP led his squad with 11 points, followed by Adam Converse with 10.  Killingly’s Michael Elsey was the team-high scorer with a dozen.  Three players on the losing team, Dan Lowell and Matt Harmon of Putnam and Ryan Finnigan of Parish Hill, all finished with nine points.  Putnam Bank was coached by Shawn Deary of the Putnam Clippers.

Game Shorts: Both games were aired live on WINY Radio 1350 with John Wilbur providing the play-by-play and Scott Desrosiers adeptly handling the color commentary…Both games were officiated gratis by Eastern Board 8 officials.  Bill Bartholic served as the referee of the three-man crew.  He was teamed with Steve Martel and Zach Putnam…Becky Messier of Woodstock was chosen the WINY game MVP in the lid lifter, while Nate Lowell garnered the radio MVP honor in the nightcap…The Lowell twins, Nate and Dan, teammates in Putnam during the regular season, were pitted against each other in the boys’ game.  Nate had 13 points, while Dan was able to score nine…Putnam Rotary Club President Rande Chmura presented all players with a commemorative as well as presenting the MVP awards following each contest…Putnam tenor Maurice “Moe” Coderre presented a stirring rendition of the National Anthem prior to each contest…Cody Rumrill was the official scorer…The awards presented to each player were sponsored by the Byrnes Agency and Rotarian Jay Byrnes…The halftime shootout, handled by Rotarians Jay Wade and Doug Valentine, was sponsored by The Citizens National Bank…Spotted in the crowd was former Ansonia High School and ex-collegiate football player Roger Ings, who now lives in Canterbury.