caption, page 2:
Hassan Diarra. Photo by Jeremy Useted.
Diarra sets PSA record
Back in January, after Hassan Diarra scored his 1,000th career point for Putnam Science Academy’s boys’ prep basketball team, he said he had his sights set on another milestone.
He was in shouting distance at that time of becoming the school’s all-time leading scorer and said it was something he wanted to do.
As he got closer and closer to the mark of 1,415 held by current NBA player Hamidou Diallo, Diarra wanted no knowledge. He just wanted to play and win, and when it happened, he would find out some time around then.
Well, March 7, against Our Savior Lutheran in the championship game of the Great Atlantic Tournament, it happened.
Diarra’s free throw with about seven-and-a-half minutes to go in the second half gave him 24 points in the game, and one more than Diallo. Diarra also made his second free throw and added eight more points to finish with 33 for the game and 1,425 for his career.
“It’s a great accomplishment,” Diarra said. “It’s a real blessing to just be in this position. I have to give thanks to my coaches and teammates over the years who put me in position to score so many points.
“A lot of great players have come through here and we all play with other great players. It’s hard to shine as much as you might want to, but people buy into what we’re trying to do and win national championships and figure out how to be better playing as part of the team. To be the leading scorer, that’s only possible with teammates who are willing to make sacrifices and help out and put me in positions to score.”
One of those teammates is Mary Silvera, Diarra’s closest friend on the team.
“That’s so big,” Silvera said. “Hami was a big factor and the face of the PSA program and now he’s an NBA player. It’s just another step for Hass in his journey and I’m really happy for him.”
Diarra got to the line after rebounding his own miss following a drive to the basket. He tied Diallo, who currently plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder, about a minute earlier by draining a corner 3-pointer off an inbounds play.
Diarra believes that has become the biggest improvement in his game over the years.
“I wasn’t really a good shooter, I couldn’t really shoot all that well,” he said. “But I worked hard at it and my jump shot has become a lot more consistent. I’m not afraid to pull the trigger on it now.”
Coincidentally, Diarra holds the program record for career 3-pointers as well.
PSA coach Tom Espinosa acknowledged that PSA is a fairly new program, but it should in no way diminish Diarra’s accomplishment.
“Even though we haven’t been around for 100 years, we still have a lot of rich history and a lot of really, really good basketball players who have come through” Espinosa said. “For him now to have scored more points than anyone, it’s pretty special. He’s a special player and I hope for him that we can end this season on a positive note and win the national championship.”
Stephen Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy
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Right: Woodstock Academy senior Jenna Davidson, competing on the balance beam, finished as the CIAC State Open champion. The Woodstock Academy gymnastics team with its runner-up plaque following the CIAC State Open gymnastics championship March 7. Photos by Marc Allard.
Davidson 1st;
Centaurs 2nd
at State Open
Woodstock Academy senior Jenna Davidson did something very unusual March 7.
For the first time this season, the gymnast fell during her balance beam competition.
Instead of letting that one mistake determine the outcome, Davidson turned a negative into a positive.
“I knew I had to make up a lot of points on the floor,” Davidson said. “I just had fun. I showed off everything and it worked out.”
Davidson scored a 9.55 on the floor, her final routine of the day in the State Open gymnastics championship, and walked away as the State Open champion with a 36.575 total.
The Centaurs, as a whole, were not as successful.
They had won seven of the last eight State Open titles but fell short, finishing second to Southington, 136.625 – 136.1.
“We didn’t have our best meet (Saturday),” said Woodstock Academy coach Kasey Tocchio. “We had some little things. We were coming off of our best meet last week and we knew we had to repeat that because there are some strong teams here.”
Davidson scored a 9.15 in the vault and a 9.225 in the bars before heading to the beam.
She slipped early in the routine. “I consider beam to be my event and I was pretty upset after that. I hadn’t come off all year. Going into floor, it was more about the team. I had to pull it together, do it for them and do it for myself,” Davidson said.
She finished with an 8.65 score on the beam.
But Davidson had a little something in her back pocket going into her final rotation of the day.
She had raised the difficulty of her floor routine in the week between the State Championship meet and the State Open. “She nailed all of her landings. She finished her bonus which we really worked on in the gym for her to get that start value. She came out of a 10.0, whereas at States, she came out of a 9.8. She got herself back in the mindset, though, of we’re going to finish for this team,” Tocchio said.
Davidson said, “I had to dig down deep. I was upset, but it didn’t matter anymore. I had another event. I had to put everything else aside and just do what I had to do,” Davidson said.
She did. And the relief afterwards was palpable.
“I’m really happy. I wasn’t sure I was going to win this meet. I’m just relieved. I’m upset that we didn’t win the All-Around (team competition) but we did the best we could,” Davidson said. “It’s OK to finish second once in a while. We won States. We had a great meet. Coming to a new gym, it can set things a little off. We had some mistakes, one more mistake than we needed.”
Tocchio knew it was going to be an uphill climb for her team throughout.
There is no scoreboard in gymnastics and coaches rarely take the time to go over to the computer screen that has the cumulative scores displayed on it.
But they can feel when things are going right and when things could be better.
Tocchio was feeling the latter much of the day.
“After vault (the Centaurs first rotation), we didn’t have the vault scores that we put up at States. So starting there, it was let’s do the best that we can do,” Tocchio said.
The Centaurs finished with a 34.450 in the vault which is where Southington gained a lot of ground as it finished with a 35.2.
The Centaurs followed that up with a 33.350 on bars and a 32.725 on beam.
“Besides Jenna’s unfortunate fall, they all stayed on beam, which was awesome,” Tocchio said.
Emily Arters finished with an 8.150 total on beam, Lindsey Gillies put up an 8.125 and Hannah Bell scored a 7.8.
The Centaurs moved on to floor where they posted a 35.575 total, the best score for any team in any of the rotations.
“Floor showed the team that they are,” Tocchio said.
Both Gillies and Arters scored an 8.8 and Elise Boisvert added an 8.425. Gillies finished 13th in the All-Around with a 34.050. Arters finished 18th overall with a 33.65 total.
It will be even tougher next year when the Centaurs lose Davidson, Arters and Boisvert.
“We’re not really gaining any freshmen so next year will be interesting. We have to keep fighting through it and next year, we will probably be saying that so-and-so stepped up,” Tocchio said.
Tocchio is hopeful that Taylor Markley, a freshman this year who was sidelined by a back injury, will be able to return.
This season, however, is not over.
The Centaurs, with their second place State Open finish, qualified for the New England championship March 14.
“I think there are some really strong Massachusetts teams. It’s really hard to tell when you don’t see what is going on. We’re just planning on having fun at New England’s and finish strong as a team,” Tocchio said.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
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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 963-0000.
Feb. 27
Eric Borkiewicz, 19, Stetson Road, Brooklyn; speeding.
Feb. 28
Christine Walley, 47, Laurel Drive, Woodstock; speeding.
Christopher Cedeno, 33, Providence Street, Putnam; evading responsibility, insufficient insurance, improper use of license registration, operating unregistered motor vehicle, operation without a license.
Feb. 29
Claudette Stockwell, 49, Wainwright Drive, Woodstock; speeding.
Justin Grenier, 37, Appel Road, Brooklyn; second-degree breach of peace.
March 1
Leann Ducat, 38, Pine Crest Road, Woodstock; speeding, operating an unregistered motor vehicle.
Roxanne Crows-Heart, 32, North Street, Danielson; third-degree assault, disorderly conduct, three counts of risk of injury to a minor.
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Team member
WORCESTER —The Assumption Department of Athletics has announced that Ellie Jellison of Pomfret Center, is a member of the College’s inaugural Women’s Ice Hockey team, one of the three new teams formed under the Blue & White Sports program.
On dean’s list
FRANKLIN, Mass. — Three local students were named to the Dean College dean’s list for the fall 2019 semester: Olivia Cunha of N Grosvenordale, Jacob Laflamme of Pascoag and Nancy Lavallee of Dayville.
Honored
BURLINGTON, Vt. — Three local students were named to the dean’s list at the University of Vermont for the fall semester: Julia Chute of Woodstock, Zachariah Merson of Chepachet and Austin Viveiros of Chepachet.
President’s List
FRANKLIN, Mass. — Dean College announced that Yong Wang of Woodstock was named to the President’s List for the fall 2019 semester.
Honored
NEWTON, Mass. — Three local students were named to the Lasell University, dean’s list for the fall semester: Matthew Walker of Thompson, Alexandra Chitwood of Dayville and Spencer Fulone of Thompson.
Graduates
CLEMSON, S.C. — Samantha Anne Slotnick of Pomfret graduated from Clemson University with a master of education in teaching and learning Dec. 19, 2019.
Honored
BOSTON — Two local students were named to the dean’s list at Wentworth Institute of Technology for the fall 2019 semester: Corey Edward Barry of Brooklyn and Maria Cara Fredette of Putnam.
On list
NEWARK, Del. — Samantha England of Pascoag has been named to the University of Delaware’s Dean’s List for the Fall 2018 semester.
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