Roundup
Centaurs see season come to end in quarters
For the first time since 2018, the Woodstock Academy girls’ basketball team reached the state tournament quarterfinals. Unfortunately, that is where the 2024-25 season would come to a close.
The sixth-seeded Centaurs traveled to Wallingford to take on No. 3 Sheehan on Friday in the final eight of the Class MM state tournament but were ousted by their hosts, 49-38.
Things were going well for Woodstock early as the two teams squared off in a defensive struggle to start.
The game was tied at 11 at the end of the first eight minutes with senior Sophia Sarkis getting six of her team-high 16 points.
The Centaurs, who finished the season with a 16-8 record, then held Sheehan to just four second quarter points.
The offense, however, was only marginally better than Sheehan’s which gave the Centaurs a 17-15 halftime advantage.
Sheehan began to heat up in the third quarter as Megan Wresian scored eight of her 13 points and helped the Titans regain the advantage, 30-26.
Sheehan did not hit a two-point basket in the fourth quarter but had five 3-pointers and pulled away for the win.
Kaylee Saucier was the only other player in double figures for the Centaurs with 10 points while Vivian Bibeau added eight.
Woodstock advanced to the quarterfinal with a 45-44 win over No. 11 Ledyard.
“This is the first time since we’ve been in high school that we have made it a couple of games into the state tournament. Unfortunately, in tournaments, we have not been the best but this year, we want to make a run,” said Saucier after the game.
Woodstock had lost its first state tournament games in the last two years although last year’s was a second-round contest as the Centaurs received a first-round bye.
“It’s nice to be in the quarters. I’m still absorbing (the Ledyard win), so it hasn’t really set in. It’s very nice to be one of the last eight teams in the state but Sheehan is very, very, very good,” said coach Will Fleeton.
The Colonels gave the Centaurs a war.
In their first meeting of the season, it came down to a buzzer beater on a putback by Sarkis for the Centaurs to escape with a 46-44 win on Dec. 20.
Woodstock had a 13-point lead in the third quarter of that contest only to see Ledyard fight back.
On Wednesday, the two teams were tied at 31 with 2:37 to play in the third quarter.
That’s when the Centaurs opened a little daylight between the two.
Sarkis and Saucier (14 points) hit baskets before the end of the quarter to give the hosts a four-point lead going into the final eight minutes.
Maggie Dykes – who scored 22 in the first meeting but was held to 11 by the Centaurs this time — did hit one of her baskets 38 seconds into the fourth but Sarkis stepped back and buried a trey from the top of the key and Bibeau added a basket to put the Centaurs up, 40-33, with 6:09 to play,
It was the Centaurs last basket until just 1:24 remained.
Saucier found the range for a 3-pointer, just her second of the night and 51st of the season, to give Woodstock a 43-39 lead.
“Even the bunnies weren’t falling but I still know that I’m capable and just had to keep shooting. My teammates gave me the confidence and, eventually, one fell when we needed it to,” Saucier said.
Freshman Julia Bonser, who finished with a game-high 19 for Ledyard (14-9), countered with a layup to make it a two-point game. The two teams exchanged turnovers and Bibeau was fouled with 17 seconds to play.
The junior, who finished with 10 points, sank them both.
“We struggle with free throws at times and I’m speaking about myself too, but in that clutch moment, we needed them from her,” Saucier said.
Dykes did hit a 3-pointer with 1.7 seconds left but Ledyard was out of time outs and the clock ran out on the Colonels.
“It was a hard-working night for all of us, not just the kids, but myself as well. Emotions were up-and-down, but that’s playoff basketball,” Fleeton said. “We did a bunch of good things; we just couldn’t string them together. We would make a couple of plays and then have a couple turnovers or make a defensive stop but gave up an offensive rebound. We just had difficulty stringing things together.”
Earlier in the week, the numbers were against Amistad Academy.
The 27th-seeded Wolves came as the decided underdog for a Class MM girls’ basketball 1st-round state tournament game. But that also put a little pressure on sixth-seeded Woodstock.
No team can afford to let an underdog stick around for long and gain confidence.
“We knew we had to be aggressive and come at them strong to get an early lead. Defense leads to offense, so we just went at them and tried to take the ball,” said Bibeau.
And they were largely successful at that as Woodstock posted a 52-25 win.
The Centaurs forced nine turnovers in the first quarter and even though their own shooting was not spectacular, it was good enough to open a double-digit, 14-4, lead by the end of the first eight minutes.
Woodstock followed that up with a 13-0 run to start the second quarter and was up at the half, 29-5.
“Having a big cushion was really important especially going into the state tournament because the games are going to be tougher, and it was really important to have a good first game and set the tone,” Bibeau said.
Bibeau led the Centaurs with 15 points while Saucier added 13.
Fleeton emptied his bench with 10 of the 12 Centaurs on it, getting into the scoring column.
Gymnastics
Olivia Aleman finished off her Woodstock gymnastics career with a beautiful performance at the New England gymnastics championship.
Aleman placed fifth in the All-Around with a 37.175 total, just tenths of a point behind the first-place finisher, one of Aleman’s partners at Deary ‘s Gymnastics in Danielson, Killingly High School’s Ella Perreira, who finished with a 37.55.
Woodstock and Killingly coach Kasey Tocchio had to leave prior to the awards ceremony. The individual competition took place in the morning and Perreira and Aleman finished first and second.
But three gymnasts who took part in the team competition in the afternoon split them up, dropping Aleman to fifth.
“Olivia was one of the first to text me and send me a video of Ella showing her plaques. That’s just the kind of person she is, she was so happy for Ella. Ella works extremely hard and I am happy that she was able to go 4-for-4 and come out on top,” Tocchio said.
Aleman finished fourth in the bars competition and sixth on the floor.
It could have been even better but the judges for the beam competition did not give credit to Aleman for a connection in her routine on the beam which would have bettered her score. Tocchio said she did appeal but was denied.
“Olivia is such a special person to me and to this program. I am going to miss her representing Woodstock Academy a lot. She is just a great kid and someone I want everyone to look up to,” Tocchio said.
Indoor Track
Coach Josh Welch anticipated a school record or two might fall early last week and he was right.
Three members of the teams, two from the boys and one from the girls, took part in a Last Chance qualifier for Nationals at Boston University and the trio of them all either added their name to the Woodstock record books or bettered their own mark.
Senior Colton Sallum took part in the 3000-meter and finished in 8 minutes, 49.39 seconds to, not only qualify for the Nike Nationals in New York City next week, but also wipe out the previous school record by over 10 seconds.
“He ran a perfectly executed race; his pacing was like clockwork, and he navigated a very dense pack well,” Welch said. “He just controlled the race from the back, pushing the pace up until the end and won his heat in the last turn with a kick to the finish. He looked great post-race and says he had more in the tank so I’m looking forward to seeing his two-mile effort in New York City which should break that school record by a landslide.”
Sallum had plenty of motivation as he had a less-than perfect effort in the State Open which cost him a trip to New Englands.
Fellow senior Christian Menounos was in the same boat.
He did not compete in Boston the day before despite a good effort the week before at the State Open.
He just chose to compete in the wrong event as the 600-meter at the Open had 13 of the top 90 in the country involved in it.
Having narrowly missed the New Englands, Menounos was fired up for the 800-meter and finished in 1:55.32 to break the former Woodstock record by four seconds.
“He had already qualified for Nationals in the 800m by his 600m conversion so he was running this as a first attempt at the longer distance to prepare for Nationals,” Welch said. “He ran a smart even race in a dense pack and pulled through to beat his heat in the last 100m as well. He looked very smooth doing it so we’re hoping to see him drop another couple of seconds in New York City.”
Senior Juliet Allard did get a chance to compete in the New Englands in the 300-meter.
She finished in 11th place and was near her personal best in the event, saving a little for the Last Chance qualifier where she competed in the 200-meter.
Allard had owned the school record with a 27.07 finish but eclipsed that when she crossed the line in 25.98 seconds.
“She was using her 200m as a tune up for her 400m championship in Boston and to repair a 200m record that she wasn’t happy leaving on the books when she leaves. She left a lasting mark for the record board, and looked to be back at top form so she should have an exciting end to the season at New Balance,” Welch said.
Unlike her teammates who will be headed to the Nike Nationals in New York City, Allard will compete in the 400-meter in the New Balance Nationals in Boston this weekend.
Avery Plouffe also competed at New Englands and finished 11th in the shotput, Her throw of 37-feet, 1 ½ inches, about a half inch off her own school record in the event.
“Avery was right on the precipice of some epic throws at New Englands; you can really see her form and power coming together. She was able to almost match her personal best, but has a couple of things to dial in before she breaks new ground there. She has a couple more feet in store soon, hopefully, she will unlock that at Nike Nationals,” Welch said.
Plouffe will be headed to New York to compete in both the shotput and weight throw.
Others who will compete include Emma Weitknecht (55m hurdles) and Teagan Maloney (55m dash).
Boys’ Basketball
Up-and-down. Those are the words boys’ basketball coach Donte Adams used to describe the 2024-25 boys’ basketball season.
It came to an end on Wednesday as the Centaurs lost to Canton in a Div. IV state tournament second-round game, 68-41.
“The guys learned a lot,” Adams said. “We had injuries; sickness that hit us unexpectedly. We started 0-5, got it together midway through and the resiliency showed through at the end.”
The Centaurs, who finished 9-14, had to win their last four games to qualify for the state tournament. They accomplished that.
They battled hard against ECC Div. II champion, Killingly, before suffering a quarterfinal loss on the road in a game where 6-foot, 7-inch senior center and leading scorer, Brady Ericson, was unavailable.
They also picked up their first state tournament victory since 2014 with a 54-46 CIAC Div. IV state tournament win over Lakeview Regional early last week.
“It was a big turnaround for them and while it may have been up-and-down, I enjoyed it. I learned a lot so I’m definitely looking forward to keep building the program and coaching here,” Adams said.
The season-ending loss to Canton was dictated by one factor- the Warriors shot the lights out. Prior to the game,
Adams watched five films of Canton in action. In none of them did he see Mike Valenti. “He came off the bench, wasn’t on our scout, and hit (five) 3-pointers. They hit a lot of 3’s (eight) and, if you’re good at math, 3’s are better than 2’s,”Adams said.
Canton had seven of those 3’s in the first half and opened up a six-point first quarter lead to 19 by halftime and cruised to the victory.
“We couldn’t make much around the rim and it cost us,” Adams said.
Ericson was held to eight points as was freshman Drake Abdullovski. Senior Will Bushey, suiting up for a last time as a Centaur, led the team with 13 points.
“It was one of those up-and-down games and that’s the type of player he is, energetic, likes to get out in transition and he just matched their energy and got a few layups. It kind of hurts to see the guys go out like that but they battled,” Adams said.
Earlier in the week, Woodstock made a long trip to Litchfield worth it.
As is generally anticipated in state tournament play, there wasn’t a lot of breathing room against the Bobcats.
“It was definitely a battle,” Adams said. “I told the guys that the bus ride was just half the battle. We were going into someone else’s house, trying to get a playoff win. The guys were mentally prepared and they went in there ready for a fight.”
The Centaurs fell behind their hosts, 16-13, in the first quarter but made up ground in the second thanks to their defense.
Their Bobcat hosts could only muster six points and the Centaurs were able to take a 26-21 lead into the break.
But Patrick Weaning (18 points) picked up his game for Lakeview in the third quarter where he scored six points and helped pull Lakeview within two, 37-35, going into the final quarter.
It was Abdullovski to the rescue in the final eight minutes for Woodstock.
He went 11-for-11 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter, to finish13-for-13 on the night, and posted a game-high 23 points.
“He got fouled because he was going downhill and the best thing about it was that he didn’t shy away from the contact. He kept going in there, kept getting fouled, and he made the free throws. He was rewarded for it and it definitely was big for us but also for him to see the ball go in the hole,” Adams said.
Ericson also had a productive night as he finished with 13 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks in the win.
With Ericson and others leaving, it will be Abdullovski and crew left to carry the banner.
“We have Drake and a few other guys coming up from JV. It has to be a big summer for them. I told them in the locker room (after the loss to Canton), that it doesn’t stop here. This was just the start for them. The last three years we’ve been building and that will continue. They have to come in next year better than they left off. They cannot come back as the same player or same person. I’m looking for them to have a big summer,” Adams said.
Prep Select
Centaurs season comes to a close in Power 5 Conference AA tournament
An interesting first season came to a close for the Prep Select basketball team last week.
The Centaurs picked up a win in the Power 5 Conference AA tournament play-in game as the eighth-seeded hosts downed No. 9 Springfield Commonwealth, 59-51.
But that meant a quarterfinal game against top-seeded Broome Street Academy on Wednesday in Manhattan and the results were not as pleasing as the Centaurs fell short, 106-48.
The loss ended the Centaurs inaugural campaign with a 9-23 record.
But aside from the win-loss record, members of the team found the experience an enriching one.
“It’s been a great experience so far for me, coming from Germany, first time in the U.S. So far, I have only good things to say and I hope I can enjoy the rest of my year here,” said post-graduate player David Volz.
It was not easy at the beginning of the season as players had to overcome language barriers and differences in style of play.
“You can see the progress that everyone has made since the beginning and how we’re playing more as a team and learning how to play with one another. It was difficult at the beginning because it was our first time together,” added sophomore Xawier Matwiej from Belgium.
The Centaurs did look good especially early against Springfield Commonwealth.
Volz was dominant in the first 10 minutes of the game when he scored 14 of his team-high 20 points including three 3-pointers.
It led to a 27-7 lead for the Centaurs with 10:13 left to play in the first half.
“We started really hot and got that 20-point lead really early,” Volz said.
But as teams often do, the Centaurs cooled off and led by only 11, 35-24, at the half.
“Substitutions, new guys came in and we lost our momentum a little bit and the game slowed down, but luckily we were able to pick it up in the second half and secured the win,” Volz said.
Springfield Commonwealth got as close as six points, 49-43, with 7:42 to play.
But Matwiej (10 points) helped fend off the visitors.
The sophomore hit a pair of back-to-back daggers, 3-pointers, to give the Centaurs the 12-point advantage back.
“I think those just lifted up the whole team,” Matwiej said of the 3-pointers. “If someone is making shots, everyone will start playing better.”
Volz finished things off with a couple of baskets to send the Prep Select team into the quarterfinals.
“I’m ecstatic,” said coach Tom Holmes of the win. “We hit some shots that I didn’t think we would hit. Xawier and David both had great games. We rebounded the heck out of the ball. We played our hearts out.”
Holmes knew Broome Street Academy was going to be a handful and it was.
Junior forward Bram Von Rooij led the Centaurs with 14 points in the loss in New York City while DeNash Davis added 11.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
Woodstock Academy
Seniors Colton Sallum, left, and Christian Menounos were all smiles after both broke school records at the Last Chance Nationals qualifier. Photo by Josh Welch/Woodstock Academy.
2025 Cam Nason: Woodstock Academy senior Cam Nason and his boys’ basketball teammates picked up their first state tournament victory since 2014 with a win over Lakeview Regional last week in a Div. IV state tournament 1st-round game. Photo by Sam Clark/Woodstock Academy.
2025 Brady Ericson: Woodstock Academy senior Brady Ericson will be trading in the basketball uniform for a baseball one as his final basketball season came to a close last week when the Centaurs lost to Canton in a Div. IV state tournament 2nd-round game Photo by Sam Clark/Woodstock Academy/
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