By Ron P. Coderre
The 2013-2014 girls’ basketball season came to an abrupt halt as the three remaining high school teams and the lone prep school squad was eliminated from post season play, effectively closing the curtain on an entertaining season.
Tourtellotte Memorial High School, seeded #8, lost in a Second Round contest to #24 Lyman, while Plainfield and Putnam fell hard in First Round games. Pomfret School lost to Tilton Academy in the NEPSAC Class B Championship contest held in Dedham, Mass.
Lady Tigers Are Final Team to Fall
The Tourtellotte Lady Tigers, the only local team to make the Second Round of the CIAC postseason tourney, fell hard at home to the lower seeded visiting Lyman Bulldogs 57-37, concluding a productive season at 15-7. The record was the best in many seasons for the Carla Faucher coached ladies.
The first half between the two teams was evenly matched as they were knotted 24-24 at intermission. Lyman however, dominated the second 16 minutes of play outscoring Tourtellotte 33-14 for the final margin.
Jess Dodd was Tourtellotte’s lone standout as she posted 18 points, 10 rebounds and a pair of blocked shots. The usually high-scoring Ali Ablondi was bottled up by the Lyman defense as she was limited to five points. Although held scoreless Nicole Dion contributed eight rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Putnam fell with a thump at the hands of Housatonic Regional 64-25 to close out the season at 9-12. Senior Cynthia Briere with 10 points was the lone Lady Clipper to reach double figures.
Plainfield was eliminated by Coginchaug 63-45, closing out its season at 12-9. The Lady Panthers placed two players in double figures as Adrienne Lorange captured game-high honors with 15 points and Julie Jordan chipped in 10 markers.
Pomfret Outgunned by Tilton
Pomfret School’s hopes of bringing home a NEPSAC Class C Championship trophy were dashed by Tilton Academy 71- 39 as the Lady Griffins were unable to upset the #1-seed Tilton. Mary Redmond and Alyzae Davis, who have been consistently in double figures all season, paced the offense with 14 and 10 points respectively. Redmond also was the top rebounder in the loss with 10 caroms. Pomfret closes the books on a very good season at 16-6.
Scoring Leaders: Janicha Diaz – Hyde-Woodstock – 15.5; Meagan Bianchi – Killingly – 14.6; Ali Ablondi – Tour. – 14.1; Juliette Lawless – Pomfret School – 14.1; Alyzae Davis – Pomfret School – 13.6; Mary Redmond – Pomfret School – 12.9. Three-point Leaders: Ali Ablondi – Tourtellotte – 42; Mary Redmond – Pomfret School – 42. RPC’s Super Standings: Pomfret School – 16-6; Tourt. – 15-7; Marianapolis I – 15-7; Plfd. – 12-9; Putnam – 9 - 12; Marianapolis II – 5-10; Hyde-Woodstock – 5-11; W. Academy – 3-17; Killingly – 2-18; Ellis Tech – 0-20.
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By Ron P. Coderre
This week’s sporty RPC shoutout is sent along to Thompson resident John LaChance. A former standout athlete at Putnam High School, LaChance is best remembered for running back punts and kickoffs for the Clippers. Today, LaChance can be found at Quinnatisset Country Club whenever the sun is out. He blew out another candle on the cake on March 3.
Paul Brooks, who came to Putnam Science Academy last year to work on his academics and basketball skills, has proven that the year he spent in the Antique City was the correct decision. Following his postgraduate year, Brooks decided to attend Worcester State University. The Arlington, Mass., native was one of the main reasons for the success of the Lancers this season.
In a recent announcement from the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) office in Westfield, Mass., Brooks was named the 2013-2014 MASCAC Rookie of the Year. In garnering the honor, Brooks had picked up the conference Rookie of the Week honors three times during the season.
The 6-foot, 9-inch freshman center certainly had the statistics to back up and justify his selection. He finished the season third in the MASCAC in field goal percentage at 50 percent, while averaging seven points and 4.8 rebounds a contest. Brooks also averaged 1.96 blocks per game, which ranked him in the top five in the country in Division III. His performance helped WSU to the top seed in the conference with a 9-3 regular season mark.
“We’re very happy for Paul for what he’s achieved this season on the college level. His performance is something we can show our players as they strive to find the right level of basketball when they leave our program,” said coach Tom Espinosa.
Massachusetts Man Named Woodstock Lacrosse Coach
In a recent announcement from the Woodstock Academy Athletic Department the school selected Jacques Charles as the coach of the Centaurs lacrosse program. Charles comes to Woodstock with impressive lacrosse experience as a player and a coach.
Most recently Charles served as the boys’ varsity lacrosse coach at West Springfield High School, where he coached from 2005 to 2012. During his tenure his teams made the postseason tournament four times, won their league title three times and were sectional semifinalists twice. In 2010 the Charles coached Terriers posted a 15-1 regular season record and were 17-2 overall. That year he was recognized by being named the US Lacrosse Coaches Council High School Coach of the Year.
Charles was a three-sport athlete at Williston Northampton Academy, lettering in soccer, ice hockey and lacrosse. He attended Roger Williams College where he played lacrosse. He’s employed at ATTAIN Physical Therapy and Fitness where he serves as the director of Administrative Operations. He lives in West Springfield.
Running Agrees with Thompson Lady
As a high school student Kim Merulla Rosebrooks was a cross country runner at Tourtellotte Memorial High School. Like most students, following her graduation she got away from the sport as other events in her life took precedent over running.
Last year the running bug hit Rosebrooks once again and she prepped for a run in the 2013 O’Putnam 5K, which she completed in satisfactory time by her standards. But what followed is what changed her running life, as she now is once again seriously into the sport.
Rosebrooks found a trainer and began putting herself through the rigorous preparation of getting back to where she was when she was a young runner. In the space of one year she’s gotten to the point where she was ready for a half-marathon. On Fe. 23 with the support of her husband Earl Rosebrooks and her family, she took on the Hyannis Half Marathon.
For all intents and purposes she attained her goal as she completed the 13-plus mile run in slightly more than two hours with a time of 2:02. The Quinebaug resident took on her second O’Putnam 5K on March 9 with a much different mindset than she approached it in 2013. Running is now her game.
Another Former Mustang Grabs Headlines
Last season Jemal Mosely was a mainstay of the Putnam Science Academy Mustangs. Following his postgraduate year he accepted a scholarship to the University of New Haven, a member of the Northeast -10 Southwest Division. As a freshman he’s seen significant action but hasn’t played up to the standards he set for himself. All that changed recently.
In the rugged Northeast – 10 Tournament Mosely has come to life. In a quarterfinal victory over St. Michael’s Mosely was a catalyst in an 83-65 victory, scoring nine points with a three-for-three performance from the floor. Proving that his showing against the Purple Knights wasn’t a fluke, Mosely helped the Chargers beat favored St. Anselm’s 85-58 in the semifinals. Coming off the bench once again, he posted five points including a halftime buzzer-beating 32-foot bomb in front of the St. A’s bench.
New Haven moved into an all - Southwest Division and all - New Haven Championship game against Southern Connecticut State University, which is ranked #6 in the country in Div. II.
From The Annals of Putnam Sports History
March 1914: The Putnam High Schools boys won the Quinebaug Valley League championship, beating Killingly three out of four games. (Information contributed by Willie Zamagni)
RPC’s Closing Thought For The Day: Count your blessings, think about them every day.
(If you have sports items worthy of publication please e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. )
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caption:
Winners
This is the Woodstock Academy gymnastics team. Courtesy photo.
By Ron P. Coderre
No matter how you slice it; dice it; dissect it; or analyze it the Woodstock Academy gymnastics team are Triple Crown winners. Under the constant guidance and leadership of coach Robin Deary-Fillmore the Centaur gymnasts deserve to be recognized for the trifectas they’ve strung together this year and over the years.
In looking at 2014 Deary-Fillmore’s young ladies already have achieved a Triple Crown this season, having won the Eastern Connecticut Conference Championships, the State Class S title and most recently the Connecticut State Open competition.
The State Class S was the fourth consecutive year in which Woodstock has taken that honor. To say that they were prohibitive favorites going into the Open competition is an understatement. Despite the pressure of going for another Triple Crown, winning the Open title for the third year in a row, the Academy gymnasts proved they were true champions by capturing the crown and posting a score of more than 150 for the third time this year in Championship competition.
By the way, I guess that qualifies as another version of the Triple Crown for these amazing acrobats of the mats, beam, vault and bars.
In winning the State Open March 8 at New Milford High School, far away from home, the Centaurs easily outdistanced second-place finisher Daniel Hand High School of Madison 150.5 to 142.7. Third place in the competition went to Southington with a mark of 137.65 and fourth to Trumbull at 135.425.
Although Connecticut’s flagship newspaper, The Hartford Courant, failed to give Woodstock headline billing, this team deserves recognition for the way it’s performed not only this season but for all the previous championship seasons. What they’ve accomplished is a truly remarkable feat in the history of Connecticut high school gymnastics, one that won’t be achieved in the near future, unless of course it’s by Deary-Fillmore Woodstock teams.
Leading the way for the Centaurs in the Open competition was a pair of freshmen, Paige Stuyniski and Grace Logan. The fact that they are only in their first year at Woodstock Academy bodes well for the future of the Academy Road school.
Stuyniski in pacing the Centaur win posted an All-around score of 38.35, while her fellow frosh, Logan was right behind at 37.825. Another Academy gymnast, Courtney Osborn, finished fourth with a score of 37.250. Senior Bree Hussong, who for the past three years has been Woodstock’s standard bearer, was sixth with a score of 36.9 and Jacqueline Deary finished ninth at 36.225.
The lithe Stuyniski was the top performer in the beam and floor events and posted third-place finishes in the vault and bars. Logan was a Gold winner in the vault and bars and finished second behind Stuyniski in the floor exercise. Osborn was consistent with a pair of second place finishes in the vault and bars, while the veteran Hussong tied for second in the beam.
Thanks to the success of the program, the Centaurs will be sending four gymnasts to the New England Championships. On Saturday, March 15 the quartet of Stuyniski, Logan, Osborn and Hussong will compete at Algonquin Regional High School for yet another crown.
There have been some great dynasties in sports. The great teams of the New York Yankees, Boston Celtics and Montreal Canadiens come to mind immediately. Horse racing’s Triple Crown, which consists of the Kentucky Derby, The Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes, has had some memorable winners, namely Secretariat, Citation, Seattle Slew and Whirlaway.
The success of the Woodstock Academy gymnastics team has certainly put a target on the back of the gymnasts but like all great dynasties and Triple Crown winners they are able to rise up to the challenge and demonstrate the true makeup of champions.
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Donald E. Deary
N. GROSVENORDALE — Donald E. Deary, 57, of Stawicki Rd., died March 8, 2014, after a long battle with cancer. Born in 1956 in Webster, he was the son of the late Edward and Shirley (Mason) Deary.
Donald worked as a HVAC technician at Day Kimball Hospital. He was a member of the Thompson Knights of Columbus, Thompson Lions and Valley Springs Sportsman’s Club. He enjoyed all Boston sports, Nascar, riding his Harley, vacationing. He played in many softball and hockey leagues.
Donald leaves behind the love of his life Nancy Kenyon of Thompson; his children, Erica Deary of Worcester, Derek Deary of Thompson; stepchildren, Wendy Durand (Daniel) of Woodstock, Lisa Pesce (Crispin) of W. Hartford; brother, Paul Deary (Eileen) of Thompson; sister, Beth Pelletier of Hope Valley, R.I.; five grandchildren, Damian, Rachel, Emma, Ella and Abigail.
Relatives and friends are invited to visit with Donald’s family from 4 to 7 p.m. March 14 in the Valade Funeral Home, 23 Main St. N. Grosvenordale. A gathering will begin at 9 a.m. March 15 in the funeral home, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. in St. Joseph Church, N. Grosvenordale. Donations: Day Kimball Healthcare Cruisin’ for Cancer Care, P.O. Box 632, Putnam, CT 06260.
D. E. ‘Dutchie’ Skala
DANIELSON — Doris E. “Dutchie” (Simpson) Skala, 89, formerly of Maple Court, and Massachusetts, died March 7, 2014, in the Pierce Memorial Baptist Home in Brooklyn. She is the wife of the late Robert E. Skala. Born in 1924 in Franklin, Mass., she was the daughter of the late Lewis and Edith (Little) Simpson.
She leaves three daughters Tamara Kelley of Longmeadow, Mass., Kathleen Bouchard of Chicopee, Mass., and Barbara Dexter (Todd) of Sterling; a brother Lewis Simpson of California; a sister Mildred Beers of Florida; grandchildren, great-grandchildren.
A Celebration of Doris’ Life will be held at 10 a.m. March 15 in the Chapel of the Pierce Memorial Baptist Nursing and Rehabilitation Home, 44 Canterbury Rd., Brooklyn. Donations: Pierce Memorial Baptist Nursing and Rehab Resident Council, 44 Canterbury Rd., Brooklyn, CT 06234. Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam.
D. A. 'Dee' Harper
PUTNAM — Dorilda Anne (LaPlante) Harper, 96, of Church St., died March 5, 2014, in Matulaitis Nursing Home. She is the wife of the late Paul A. Harper. Born in 1917 in New Bedford, Mass., she was the daughter of the late Stanislas and Malvina (Vanasse) LaPlante, and was a graduate of the Putnam High School class of 1935.
On Aug. 3, 1940, at St. Mary Church of the Visitation in Putnam, she was united in marriage to Paul A. Harper who died Jan. 27, 1996.
Mrs. Harper was a secretary in the Putnam Public School system for over 36 years retiring in 1983. She was the first high school clerk serving with Francis Curran, who was promoted from being a Latin teacher and Dean of Boys to the first Principal at Putnam High School in 1935.
Dee enjoyed reading, and doing crossword puzzles, and was a member of St. Mary Church of the Visitation.
She leaves her two daughters Paula Bernier (Norman) and Donna Briere (Edward); and two grandchildren, Matthew Bernier and Lauren Briere, all of Putnam. Dee was predeceased by all of her siblings.
The Mass of Christian Burial was March 10 in St. Mary Church of the Visitation, Putnam, with burial in St. Mary Cemetery. Donations: PAWS Cat Rescue, 244 Route 171, Woodstock, CT 06281 Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam.
Allen L. Kelley
DANIELSON — Allen L. Kelley, 73, of Maple Court, died March 9, 2014, in Day Kimball Hospital. He is the husband of Carolyn (Brihkman) Kelley. He was born in 1940.
Mr. Kelley worked for many years as a custodian. Allen is predeceased by a brother Eugene Kelley. Gilman Funeral Home, 104 Church St., Putnam.
Barbara W. Phaneuf
MOOSUP — Barbara W. (Wells) Phaneuf, 76, of Stanley Drive, died March 4, 2014, at Matulaitis Nursing Home in Putnam. She was born Dec. 27, 1937, in Pittsfield, Mass., daughter of the late David and Olive Wells
Barbara graduated from Weaver High School in 1955.
She worked for many years at Day Kimball Hospital as a nurse in ACU. She was a member of the Society of Gastroenterology Nurses.
Barbara was a communicant of St. Joseph Church in Willimantic. She loved to bowl and was an avid reader. .
She leaves her daughter Gayle-Susan Flanagan (John); grandsons Connor George, Michael Charles and Daniel John Flanagan.
She was predeceased by her husband George S. Getske in 1973; her infant daughter Gail-Suzanne Getske in 1960; her brother David and her sister Beverly.
The Mass of Christian Burial was March 8 in St. Joseph Church, Willimantic, with burial in St. Joseph Cemetery, Windsor.
Donations: Killingly Little League, PO Box 627, Dayville, CT 06241.
Gagnon and Costello Funeral Home, 33 Reynolds St., Danielson.
James P. White
OXFORD, Mass. — James P. White, 74, of Oxford, died March 8, 2014, at Ichabod Washburn Hospice House in Worcester.
James was born in Webster, son of the late Earl and Eva (Plante) White and lived in Oxford most of his life.
He owned and operated White’s Auto Body for 10 years.
He was a motorcycle enthusiast and was a retired member of the Booze Fighters Motorcycle Club in Connecticut.
He leaves his wife of 55 years, Sandra C. (Zemsky) White of Oxford; a son, Kenneth J. White (Diane) of Springfield, Mo.; two daughters, Cynthia Caskey (John) of Danielson and Patricia Veber (Gary) of Woodstock; 13 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
Donations: Ichabod Washburn Hospice House, 1183 Main Street, Worcester, MA 01606.
Shaw-Majercik Funeral Home, Webster.
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