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It was two games that the Woodstock Academy Centaurs boys’ basketball team wasn’t exactly looking forward to.
The Centaurs had to make not one but two trips to southeast Connecticut in three days and brought back with them a pair of losses.
“They are both very good. East Lyme is probably one of the top two teams that we will face this year, them and Waterford. Fitch is much improved and a lot more disciplined,” said Woodstock Academy coach Marty Hart. Senior forward Cole Hackett landed hard on his elbow in the Fitch game Jan. 10 and, while he was able to finish that game, the arm stiffened up on him Jan. 11 and Hart opted to hold him out of the game with the Vikings which the Centaurs lost, 84-41, Jan. 12 to fall to 4-3 on the season.
It was the eighth straight win for East Lyme which raised its record to 8-1. The Centaurs held East Lyme’s leading scorers, Dev Ostrowski and Ned Diaz, to just three points between them, a Diaz 3-pointer, in the first quarter and only trailed, 13-8. But the good feeling would not linger into the second quarter. Ostrowski and Diaz also came alive in the second quarter, scoring 26 of the 28 Viking points.
Shields scored 14, 12 on 3-pointers, and Ostrowski added six two-point field goals in the second quarter as East Lyme expanded its lead to 20 points, 41-21, by the half.
Ostrowski and Diaz, both of whom finished with 23 points, added 15 more in the third quarter between them as the Vikings extended the lead to 30 going into the fourth quarter and sailed to the victory.
Chase Anderson led the Centaurs with 12 points and 10 rebounds while Luke Mathewson added 10.
The Centaurs also lost by double digits to the Falcons, 78-56 Jan. 10 and fell to 2-1 in Division II of the Eastern Connecticut Conference.
The Falcons also forced the tempo a bit by pressing hard in the back court. Woodstock Academy was able to handle that, according to Hart, but couldn’t slow things down on the offensive side.
The Centaurs hung in the game through the first half, trailing only 39-32 at the half.
Hackett, despite falling on the elbow, led the Centaurs with 14 points and Aaron Johnson added 12.
The Falcons (5-3, 2-0 Eastern Connecticut Conference Division II) held Anderson, who came in averaging over 20 points a game, to just eight points. Despite the two losses, Hart is still pretty happy where the Centaurs are. “I’m OK with 4-3, I would like to be 6-1, but 4-3 will work for me. It took us several games to get to this point last year and it’s something to build on,” Hart said.
Marc Allard
Sports Information Director
The Woodstock Academy
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