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The Woodstock Academy Centaurs Gold prep basketball team went a little against the norm last week.
The Centaurs, generally fast starters, found themselves locked in a battle early with the Springfield Commonwealth Academy prep team.
But a run late in the first half ended all doubt and the Centaurs prevailed for the 34th time in 35 games last Wednesday with a 112-75 win over the Tornadoes at the Alumni Fieldhouse.
The Centaurs had the rest of the week off after a scheduled game with the Masters School was moved to this Tuesday (the game ended too late for this edition).
“We came out slow, warmed up slow and started out slow. We woke up and turned it up,” said guard T.J. Weeks of the game with SCA.
The two teams were tied at 30 when the Tornadoes took the lead on a fall away jumper by Josiah Marable (19 points) and a pair of free throws by Emmanuel Ferreras.
It’s not often when an opponent has owned the lead with 5:49 left in the first half against the Gold this season.
The Centaurs took notice and scored 29 of the next 34 points to own a 59-39 lead at the half.
Weeks was a big part of the surge.
The guard hit four of his eight 3-pointers in the run for the Centaurs.
Weeks finished with 37 points, his high as a member of the Centaurs, but not his career high as he did score 40 points as a senior in high school in Rhode Island
“(Springfield Commonwealth) left me wide open so I just took my time, used my legs and finished them,” Weeks said of his long-range acumen. “I just found the open spots, my guys found me and I just hit ‘em,” Weeks said.
Weeks came into the game averaging about 15 ½ points per game for the Gold and has become one of the go-to guys for the Centaurs.
“When I’m scoring, it allows the bigs to get open, rebounds get open, the post looks open because my guy won’t help low when I’m scoring so there is room for everyone else to score,” Weeks said.
The Centaurs quickly extended the lead to 30 in the second half after a pair of Tre Williams buckets.
Woodstock Academy cruised to the win from there.
Weeks had 26 points in the first half and seven of those 3-pointers. He was also the leading scorer in the second half for the Centaurs with 11.
That equaled the output of both Preston Santos and Jacob Toppin who finished with 11 points each in the game.
Weeks got off to a slow start this season due to a battle with shin splints.
His current surge has started to increase the interest level from colleges.
It was the finish to a pair of good games for Weeks.
Weeks was dominant in the first half and Jacob Toppin picked it up in the second for the Woodstock Academy Gold prep basketball team when it downed Rocktop Basketball last Monday, 113-75, at the Alumni Fieldhouse.
“We were just having fun,” said Toppin, who finished with 24 points. “Coach (Tony Bergeron) told us at halftime just to have fun and not get hurt. That’s what we did.”
Woodstock Academy built a 19-point lead in the first 4 ½ minutes of the game against their Philadelphia-based opponents.
Weeks scored nine of his 20 points and Matt Cross added six of his 14 in that early run that saw the Centaurs score the first nine points and stretch it from there to a 23-4 advantage with 15:42 left in the first half.
That lead continued to swell and the Centaurs were comfortably ahead at the break, 66-36.
Bergeron went to the bench often in the second half with those who scored often in the first half yielding to others, including Toppin, in the second.
The 6-foot-6 player from Ossining, N.Y. scored all but two of his points in the second half. That production included four 3-pointers.
Tre Mitchell only scored six points but finished with 12 rebounds. Mikal Gjerde had eight caroms and Darion Jordan-Thomas added seven.
Santos was the only other player in double figures with 10.
“We’re playing very well together,” Toppin said. “We’ve been together for about five months now so we’re playing really good as a unit.”
Toppin admits though the season, as compared to high school, has been pretty long.
“I only played like 20 (games) in high school. It’s difficult, my body is breaking down. My shoulders hurt, my knees hurt, it’s a lot for me,” he said.
There are, fortunately for the Centaurs, only about 2 ½ weeks left of the season.
But Toppin said that’s bittersweet.
“I’m happy and I’m sad at the same time. I don’t want to leave my brothers. We’ve made a family here. I don’t want to leave anybody but I’m also happy because it has been a long season,” Toppin said.
Over the next couple of weeks, Toppin will also have another decision to make.
He has not decided where he will play next.
“I have a few offers and I’m looking to get a few more. I’m going to make my decision soon,” Toppin said.
Marc Allard
Sports Information Director
The Woodstock Academy
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