The Woodstock Academy boys’ basketball team advanced to the Eastern Connecticut Conference Division II tournament championship game with a 65-61 semifinal win over third-seeded Griswold Feb. 24 at Waterford High School.
The seventh-seeded Centaurs met No. 1 St. Bernard, a 70-53 winner over Lyman Memorial in the other semifinal on Feb. 24, Feb. 21 at Waterford High School.
“It’s fantastic to be in a championship game with no seniors (on the roster) and having started the season with a 2-8 record,” said Centaurs coach Marty Hart after the semifinal win over Griswold. “We gained experience, trust and togetherness along the way.”
The Centaurs’ recent unselfish play continued against the Wolverines.
All five starters finished in double figures with Chase Anderson leading the way with 14 points. Aaron Johnson added 13 while Cole Hackett, Luke Matthewson and Aidan Morin all chipped in with 12.
“Teamwork and execution helped us get the lead; balance and composure allowed us to maintain it,” Hart said.
The Centaurs (11-12) jumped out to a six-point first quarter lead and were still up by four at the half.
That lead extended to double digits, 47-37, at the end of three, but the Wolverines (13-9) gained back some ground in the final quarter when they put up 24 points.
Max Gregory, held scoreless in the first three quarters, scored all nine of his points in the fourth for Griswold while Pharaoh Curtis added seven of his 13.
“Hats off to a tough Griswold team which was a well-disciplined group that kept making runs at us. I appreciated our maturity and composure down the stretch,” Hart said.
The Centaurs earned themselves a semifinal berth with a 68-56 win over Plainfield on Feb. 22 in a quarterfinal game.
“What is big is seeing them play team ball, seeing the ball move to places where it should and see it go through the basket. We pride ourselves on defense and we had a tough task. (Plainfield) is pretty big inside and have some guys who can throw in some shots around them. It makes them tough to guard,” Hart said.
The Centaurs got a little help from the Panthers who made only 23 of 65 shots from the floor. One of their leading scorers, Connor Davis, didn’t make one. The Centaurs held the guard to just a pair of free throws.
“That’s very special,” Hart said. “His name was at the top of our board. We said we had to stop him and contain the other guys.”
Offensively, the Centaurs were conservative, but effective.
They took only 42 shots, but made 27 including 16-of-21 in the second half when they finally pulled away from the Panthers (15-6).
Hackett, while not as big as some of the Plainfield inside players, found he had a little more quickness than the Panther bigs.
“The inside wasn’t working so I decided to go outside where I was quicker than them and was able to drive,” Hackett said.
That played a large role in the third quarter when Hackett scored eight points and The Academy broke the game open.
Hackett’s first four points of the third quarter tied the game on both occasions as Plainfield had taken its only leads of the game.
Baskets by Jake Marsalisi and  Anderson (17 points) put the Centaurs ahead to stay and, after Zack Lewis scored for Plainfield, two more Hackett baskets gave The Academy a little cushion.
Hackett finished with a team-high 18 points.
“From Clark Kent to Superman,” Hart said of Hackett’s effort. “We said, ‘Cole, get out front and just go right by them. He put on his cape and went to work and the guys recognized it. They share the ball. They find the mismatch when they can and they’re happy to see each other score.”
Two baskets by Morin (10 points) put the Centaurs ahead by double digits, 47-37.
They led by eight at the end of the third quarter and Plainfield could not get any closer the remainder of the way.
The Academy was one of only four teams that also had to participate in a play-in game just to get into the tournament. That, combined with the final regular season game of the season last Monday against Ellington meant the Centaurs had to play four games in six days.
“They would rather play than practice anyway,” Hart said with a laugh.
Fortunately, the play-in game against 10th-seeded Wheeler wasn’t too strenuous as the Centaurs prevailed, 76-41.
Wheeler did make an early statement as the Lions put down four 3-pointers in the first eight minutes of play to take an 18-15 lead into the second quarter.
But the Centaurs took over in the middle quarters where they more than doubled Wheeler’s scoring, 38-16.
Hackett scored 15 of his 16 points in the second and third quarters to lead the Centaurs.
Nathan John, coming off an injury, was the only other player in double figures for The Academy with 13.
Ian Spracklin led the Lions, who finished their season with a 2-19 record, with 14.
Marc Allard
Sports Information Director

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Harry R. Hammond,
WWII vet
WALLINGFORD — Harry R. Hammond, 94, formerly of E. Killingly died Feb. 19, 2018, at the Masonic Home in Wallingford.
He was born Dec. 13, 1923, in E. Killingly, the son of the late Harold and Lucina (Smith) Hammond. Harry was the husband of the late Lorraine White Hammond.
He served in the U.S. Army during WWII, and worked as an engineer with AT&T for 38 years. Harry was an avid golfer.
He leaves his brother Roy Hammond of Browns Mills, N.J.; nieces and nephews.
A graveside service was Feb. 23 at Westfield Cemetery, Danielson. Tillinghast Funeral Home, Danielson.

Nellie Marie LaBonte
PUTNAM — Nellie M. (Zaklukiewicz) LaBonte, 93, of Kennedy Dr. died peacefully, Feb. 25, 2018. Nellie was born in 1924 in Putnam, the daughter of the late Jon and Zofia (Ukleja) Zaklukiewicz. She was the  wife of 73 years to her husband, the late Eugene LaBonte Sr.
Nellie was employed as a secretary and worked for the Rectory School of Pomfret.  She enjoyed flower gardening, traveling and fashion.
She leaves two sons Eugene LaBonte Jr. of Rochester, Mass., and Daniel LaBonte (Michelle) of Cape Coral, Fla.; five grandchildren Brandon, Sarah, Garrett, Maura and Joshua; and three great-grandchildren, Emma, Alexander and Maxwell. Nellie is predeceased by her five sisters Pauline Witkowski, Cecelia Zaklukiewicz, Helen Pempek, Catherina Zaklukiewicz and Victoria St. Jean.
Visitation is from 6 to 8 p.m. March 1 at the Gilman Funeral Home and Crematory, 104 Church St. Putnam.  A gathering will begin in the funeral home at 9 a.m. March 2, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. in St. Mary Church of the Visitation, Putnam, with burial in St. Mary Cemetery. Donations: St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital P. O. Box 1000 Department 142, Memphis, TN 38101.

Barbara M. Hebert
ENFIELD —  Barbara (LaBonte) Hebert, 83, of Enfield St., formerly of Woodstock, died Feb. 19, 2018, at home.  She was the wife of John D. Hebert of Enfield and the late Russell Marcy who died in 1989.
Born in 1935 in Webster, she was the daughter of the late Freeman and Catherine (Jarosz) LaBonte.
Mrs. Hebert worked at Webster Shoe and Linemaster Switch.  She was a communicant of Most Holy Trinity Church and worked in the rectory in her retirement.
In addition to her husband John, she leaves her brothers, Donald LaBonte (Maria) of Navarre, Fla., Francis LaBonte of Webster, and David LaBonte (Susan) of Thompson;  nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews.
The Mass of Christian Burial was Feb. 23 in Most Holy Trinity Church, Pomfret, with burial in St. Joseph Cemetery, Webster. Donations: Most Holy Trinity Church.  Gilman Funeral Home & Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam.

Thelma R. Barker
THOMPSON — Thelma R Barker, 82, of Thompson, died Feb. 23, 2018, at Vibra Hospital in Leicester, Mass., after a period of declining health due to a stroke she suffered in mid-December.  Thelma was born in Branford, the daughter of the late George E and the late Adeline (Tefft) Barker.  
She leaves one son: John Barker of Springfield, Ill.; one sister: Gay Choiniere  of Thompson; one brother: Richard Barker of Thompson; nieces, nephews and cousins.
Thelma was a dedicated educator for more than 30 years at the Rectory School in Pomfret, retiring in 2008
She was active at her parish, St.. Andrew Bobola Church, and was a teacher with the CCD program. Thelma enjoyed reading and was an avid bird watcher.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10 a.m. March 2 at St. Andrew Bobola Church on W. Main Street in Dudley with burial in St. Joseph Garden of Peace Cemetery, Webster Visitation is from 5 to 7 p.m. March 1 at Bartel Funeral Home & Chapel, Dudley.

Judith A. Couture
THOMPSON — Judith Ann Couture, 78, of Thornfield Hall, Thompson died Feb. 18, 2018, at Day Kimball Hospital in Putnam.
She was born Oct. 18, 1939, in Manchester, daughter of the late James W. and Edith (Elliott) Couture. Judy enjoyed a family-enriched home life at Thornfield Hall.
She leaves many relatives from Connecticut, New York and Florida.
A Service was held Feb. 23 in Tillinghast Funeral Home, Danielson. Burial will be held in the spring in Bartlett Cemetery, E. Killingly.

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Poster Contest
At the Daughters of the Holy Spirit U. S. A. Provincial House, in Putnam, judges consider the entries in the 2017-2018 Connecticut Knights of Columbus Vocation Poster Contest. Shown left to right are two of the four judges, Rev. Richard L. Archambault, a former superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Norwich; Immaculate Conception Convent Retreat Administrator Bernadette Vance; who was not a judge, and Sister Jaisy, of the Sisters of St. Martha. Photo: John D. Ryan


PUTNAM — It’s natural for children to think about what they’re going to do when they grow up, but they might not think about becoming a Catholic priest, a nun, a religious brother or a deacon. The Knights of Columbus is working to change that. The Connecticut State Council of the K of C sponsored a vocational poster contest among Catholic elementary and middle school-age children throughout the state.
This year, entrants were asked to make posters representing one or more life vocations in the Catholic Church, including marriage, the single life or being a priest, nun, deacon or a religious brother. A committee made up of three professed religious sisters and a priest met recently at the Daughters of the Holy Spirit U. S. A. Provincial House, in Putnam and selected the state’s three winners for 2017-2018. They are first- and second-grade winner Nathan Ballestrini, of Preston, third- and fourth-grade winner Isabella Somma of Norwalk, and seventh- and eighth-grade winner Felicia Crowley, of New Milford. “We need vocations. The priests and the nuns are important,” Archambault said. “It’s good to get young people dealing with this