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Boys' basketball
ends in 1st round
The Woodstock Academy boys’ basketball team produced 13 points in the first quarter, 11 of those by Chase Anderson.
On any given day, that would have them in the game.
Not so against North Haven.
The 10th-seeded Indians doubled the No. 23 Centaurs output in the first quarter, put 51 points on the board by halftime and rolled to a 91-53 Division III first-round state tournament win early last week.
The loss ended the Centaurs season at 11-14.
“North Haven was a solid basketball team,” said coach Marty Hart. “Strong guards along with size inside and lights-out shooters almost all the way around. Our defense has carried us through the season, but (on Monday) we couldn’t locate and close out on the shooters quickly enough to challenge their shots.”
The Centaurs trailed 51-25 at the break and North Haven extended that to 38 points by the end of the third quarter.
Anderson was the only player in double figures for The Academy with 25 points. Cole Hackett added nine.
“Of course we are disappointed about the outcome (Monday), but when we step back and take a look at the season as a whole, we can be very proud of how far we have come,” Hart said. “In the locker room after the game, I said I was proud of each and every one of the players for the work they put in and the progress we made. Playing a physical opponent who can handle pressure and shoot so well, shows us we have plenty of room to improve.”
The boys’ basketball team has plenty to be proud of.
After a 2-8 start, they rebounded to post a 9-6 record in the second half of the season and postseason.
Hart pointed out numerous highlights.
The wins over Stonington at home and Bacon Academy on the road which paved the way for the victory at Fitch that clinched a postseason berth for the Centaurs.
There was also the near-upset of a very good Waterford team at the Alumni Fieldhouse and a 57-point loss in Waterford.
“Our run through the (Eastern Connecticut Conference) Division II tournament as the seven seed with wins over Plainfield and Griswold to advance to the championship game versus St. Bernard gives us a blueprint for success moving forward,” Hart said.
The biggest plus of all; the Centaurs manufactured the turnaround without a senior on the roster.
Anderson led the team in scoring with 16.6 points per game and 49 3-pointers. He was named an ECC Division II first-team All-Star while Hackett, who averaged 10 points a game, was a Division II honorable mention selection.
Both will be back next season.
“I challenged the players to improve in the off-season because that’s the time to work on strength, conditioning, and individual skills. Teams get better at playing together during the season, but players get better during the off season,” Hart said. “With no seniors to say goodbye to, imagine how much further along we can be at the beginning of next season. Already, we have developed maturity and composure down the stretch this season. We have also learned how to best handle adversity and that working together as a team we can achieve more than the sum of the parts.”
Marc Allard
Sports Information Director