Gold prep
team opens
with win
It’s a difficult time of year for a prep basketball team to keep focus. The Christmas break begins for those at The Woodstock Academy at the end of the week.
“It’s a tough time. Everybody is going back home to see their family,” said center Jamine Charles. For Charles, it’s the first time he will be heading home to St. John, Antigua, since the early summer.
“It’s really good that these guys are going home to see their families. I always try to remind people what this is all about. You credit the schools that play over Christmas break but it’s still important that these guys go home and see their families,” said coach Jacque Rivera. “From a human side, it’s really good. From a basketball perspective, we will figure it out.”
For now the Centaurs Gold prep basketball team is scheduled to play in the Basketbull tournament in Springfield, Mass., Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.
“We have Notre Dame-West Haven and South Kent when we come back and January is really a tough month for us. Every three to four years, the calendar falls in a weird way and we have 13 games in the month of January, but we can’t look past this week,” Rivera said.
The week began on a positive note. The Centaurs downed Winchendon School, 87-61, Dec. 12. The win followed a tough loss at St. Thomas More Dec. 10 and raised the Gold team’s record to 8-4 on the season.
“We wanted this so bad so we can get back on a winning streak. We don’t want to lose any more games after this,” Charles said.
Winchendon (1-4) opened a 9-3 lead in the first three minutes. It’s something Rivera is getting used to although he’s not fond of it.
“We got to stop these slow starts. They have come back to bite us multiple times. We played Friday against St. Thomas More and spotted them 18 points. You just can’t do that. Even though we know our pressure will allow us to get back into games because of the way we play, it’s not going to allow you to win games with these slow starts,” Rivera said. “I don’t know if we’re still in a pandemic bliss. I don’t know if every team is having a slow start or what. Maybe it’s just me. Maybe I’m too calm.”
Woodstock took its first lead on a basket by Tyshawn Trail (12 points) with 12:40 left in the first half.
Charles helped by playing dominant defense in the paint and added six of his 12 points as the Centaurs outscored Winchendon, 29-20, the remainder of the half to take a 10-point halftime lead.
“We just had to play more aggressively. We started slow, didn’t finish our layups, we just needed to play more aggressive and get more touches in the paint,” Charles said.
The Centaurs ratcheted up the defensive pressure in the second half and pulled away by scoring 14 of the first 19 points and followed that up with a 14-point run to put the game out of reach at 77-49.
Jalen Bradberry led the Centaurs with 15 points while Dominic Strothers added 11 and was also instrumental in both runs, getting his hands on the ball, making steals and playing great defense.
“I thought Dominic was great,” Rivera said. “He’s starting to find his stride. He played great at South Kent and at St. Thomas More before getting into foul trouble. Everyone has small, quick guards so if we can bother people with our length up top, Dominic may have just clipped a 7-foot wingspan and is long and agile. He will be a really good college player because he knows how to play and can shoot the ball. He still has to get a little stronger but his best basketball is still ahead of him.”
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
The following charges were listed in the Putnam Police Department logs. The people charged are innocent until proven guilty in court. The Town Crier will publish dispositions of cases at the request of the accused. The dispositions must be accompanied by the proper documentation. The Putnam Police Department confidential Tip Line is 860-963-0000.
No logs available at press time.
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The Putnam Rotary Interact Club’s Salvation Army kettles were filled with donations totaling $1,704 (and counting) the weekend of Dec. 4. The two-week total is $5,847. Volunteers included: Dawn Rivers, Roberta, Mike and Leo Rocchetti. Student bell ringers included: From Woodstock Academy - Abby Smith, Curtis Desabre, Ella Favreau, Natalie Romano, Alexadra and Alyssa Thompson, Owen Tracy, Ethan Craig, Ella Musumeci, Magnolia Hart, Paige Owens, Lennon Favreau, Dylan Mayo, Lily Pierce & Scarlet Pierce; from QMC - CJ Orthmann, Rheilley Vegiard, Marylynn Whitfield; from Killingly High - Avi Miller, Elizabeth Marcoux. Rotarians helping: Missy Meyers, Pam Brown, Charlie Puffer and Mike Rocchetti. Pictured are Elizabeth Marcoux and Avi Miller. For more info about the club: 860-933-8603. Courtesy photo.
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The little point
guard that could
Mila Veljanoska has said that one of the biggest misconceptions people have about her is that they think she is taller than she actually is.
“I’m only 5-4 but before they meet me, for some reason, they think I’m 6-foot or something,” she said recently with a laugh.
But the little point guard came up big in Putnam Science Academy’s girls’ Prep Red 83-79 win over Navy Prep Dec. 4, finishing with 24 points, six assists, five rebounds, and two steals.
“I just try to get the ball to my teammates as much as possible,” she said. “I took shots when I was open and they were good shots. But I really wanted to get everyone involved and bring up their confidence. I wanted to be a leader today.”
Eleven of those points came in the second quarter when PSA (3-0) a 47-34 halftime lead, but her biggest buckets came late in the fourth when the Mustangs were desperately trying to hang on. Navy Prep cut the lead to jut two points with 3:30 to play when Zoe Bayer scored after a steal, Alice Meunier scored in a 2-on-1, and Veljanoska had an uncontested layup after another steal, pushing the lead to 79-71 with that quick 6-0 run over just 40 seconds. The Rams answered with a 3-pointer before Veljanoska did it again, this time beating her defender off the dribble on the left wing and laying it in for an 81-75 lead that was too much to overcome.
“It got tense,” Veljanoska said. “A lot of shots weren’t falling for us but we pulled through. We’re clutch. We’re clutch.”
Bayer, who played all 40 minutes, finished with 25 points, seven assists, six steals, and five rebounds, while Zuza Komor added 17 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and three steals for the Mustangs. Meunier also played well for PSA, chipping in with eight steals and eight rebounds to go with her seven points.
Mixed Week for Black Prep
PSA’s Prep Black team went 1-2 last week, holding on for a final-second win on November 30 before dropping to tough games Dec. 2 and 3.
The Mustangs first went to New Jersey to take on Life Center Academy, and where Jada Mills scored 10 points and blocked a potential game-winning 3-pointer in the final seconds.
“I knew they were going to look for (her),” Mills said, “and my main focus was not to let her score.”
Janeya Grant finished with 17 points and six rebounds, and Ines Goryanova had 17 points and three steals for the Mustangs, who also got 10 points from Molly Moffitt.
It was into Pennsylvania Dec. 2, where Goryanova led the team in scoring for the fourth straight game, finishing with 16 points and four assists, but the Mustangs nevertheless dropped their first game of the season, 56-50 to Westtown. Moffitt had 10 points and seven rebounds, Genevive Wedemeyer nine points and four steals, and Grant pulled down eight rebounds for PSA.
It was back to Jersey Dec. 3, and a 67-57 loss to Blair Academy, despite Moffitt’s 19 points and nine rebounds. Anna Kitch added nine points, Goryanova seven before exiting early with an injury for the Mustangs (3-2).
By Stephen Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy
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