By Ron P. Coderre
In one of the worst weeks in local boys’ high school basketball history the six schoolboy teams in the Putnam Town Crier coverage area posted a combined 1-15 record. High school followers are scratching their collective heads wondering what’s happened to basketball in our corner of the State.
Putnam, which had two losses, was the only team to post a victory and that was over winless Ellis Tech. Killingly, Woodstock Academy and the Techsters were each 0-3 on the week, while Tourtellotte and Plainfield all were 0-2.
In the prep ranks, Putnam Science Academy continues to move toward a slot in the National Prep Tournament as the Mustangs were ranked #4 in the latest National poll and boast a 21-2 record. Pomfret School, Marianapolis and Hyde School-Woodstock all picked up at least one win during the last week.
Where Have All
the Victories Gone?
Putnam posted the only high school victory of the week in a woeful showing for the schoolboys. The Clippers beat lowly Ellis Tech 67-40 behind 17 points by Dan Porcic and 12 from Brevon Harmon. The 6-6 and 4-2 Constitution State Conference – East Division Clippers were beaten in their other two contests 63-47 by Norwich Tech and 62-51 by Whitney Tech. Porcic had 16 in the loss to Norwich Tech and Harmon 10 in the loss to Whitney Tech.
Ellis Tech continued its downward spiral, losing its other two games, 82-64 to Grasso Tech and 100-30 to Rocky Hill. The 0-12 on the season and 0-6 in the CSC – East Division Golden Eagles only consistent scorer was Trent Raymond who posted 23 against Grasso Tech and 19 in the onslaught at Rocky Hill.
Killingly fell to 4-9 overall and 1-4 in the Eastern Connecticut Conference – Medium Division when the Redmen lost 59-46 to Griswold, 69-54 to Bacon Academy and 70-47 to Waterford. Freshman Luke Desaulnier had 11 points in the losses to Griswold and Waterford. Against Bacon Academy Chace Wood had 20 and Brendan Turner posted 15.
Tourtellotte at 4-9 overall and 0-4 in the ECC Small Division was dumped by Griswold 73-44 and by St. Bernard 69-44. Evan Ware with 17 against the Saints and 14 against the Wolverines was the lone double figure scorer for coach Neil Bernier.
Plainfield went to double overtime before falling to New London 65-58. The Panthers had a three-point lead with less than a second but a controversial foul call allowed New London to make three crucial free throws knotting the contest. Liam Jacobs and Jeff Nicolosi had 14 points apiece and Dylan Horn added a dozen for the 7-5 and 2-3 ECC Medium Division Panthers.
Plainfield lost another close contest in its other game, falling 68-65 to East Lyme. Once again Jacobs was high scorer with 16 points. He was matched by David Carpenter. Dylan Horn and Connor Davis each added 11 for Plainfield.
Woodstock Academy 4-8 on the season and 0-4 in the ECC Large Division lost to Montville 61-54 and Bacon Academy 65-31. Sam Majek with 19 in the Montville game and 14 against Bacon was high scorer for Woodstock. In a contest at CCRI against 16-2 Johnston, the Centaurs fell to their sixth consecutive loss 51-44. Nick Short had 17 points in the loss.
Putnam Science Academy
on a Roll
At the request of St. Andrew’s, who didn’t want to play in the Putnam Science Academy bandbox, the Mustangs moved the contest against the Saints to Hyde School-Woodstock. Regardless of the venue, PSA played its usual run-and-gun offense and in-your-jersey defense to pull away for a 104-82 victory.
The Scientists placed five players in double figures led by the smooth Hamidou Diallo with 23 points and sharpshooting Saul Phiri with 21 markers. It was however, the inspirational play off the bench by leftie Tyere Marshall that propelled PSA to the win. When they needed him most due to foul trouble for Mamadou Diarra, Marshall came through with flying colors posting 15 points. Diarra added 13 points and Eric Ayala with a strong floor game had 11.
The Mustangs then opened a two-game series with visiting the Lee Academy Pandas of Lee, Maine, with a hard fought 85-63 win on Saturday evening in front of Dr. Tieqiang Ding, president of the school, and an overflow crowd on the Maple Street campus. Much to the delight of the large throng they witnessed the debut of PSA’s latest addition Zach Brown.
Brown didn’t disappoint! He had 14 points and was an intimidating force on the defensive end of the court. He entered the game at the 15:17 point of the first half. His first basket as a Mustang was in the books at the 14:08 mark and his first personal foul at 13:13. His initial dunk, which brought the house to its feet, came at 12:56. Overall he had a very good first showing as he continues to learn coach Tom Espinosa’s offensive and defensive schemes.
Diallo, who is on a hot streak, paced the offense, which had four players in double figures, with 20 points. He was followed by Brown’s 14 and 13 points apiece from Diarra and Ayala. The Panda’s Sergio El Darwich had a great all-around game, scoring 26 points, grabbing 11 rebounds and picking up eight assists. For a good measure El Darwich also had three steals and three blocked shot for coach Igor Vrzina.
In a rough and tumble matinee affair on the last day of January the Mustangs prevailed over the Pandas 95-76, as New London’s Collin Sawyer came off the bench to ignite PSA in the second half. Sawyer, known for his three-point shooting, hit six-of-seven from long range and was the Mustang’s leading scorer with 19 point. Sawyer was joined in double figures by Diallo (15), Diarra (14) and Brown and Phiri with a dozen each. El Darwich had 18 for Lee.
Pomfret School raised its record to 10-3 with a 71-61 win over St. Mark’s School. The one-two punch of Cam Winston, who had 24 points and Vince Conn with 18, led the Golden Griffin to their fourth consecutive victory. Pomfret was 25-of-37 from the charity stripe.
Marianapolis lost two-of-three games, beating Hyde School 75-65 and losing to Brooks School 56-43 and Rivers School 63-42. In the win over Hyde the Golden Knights had four players in double figures, led by Joe Del Ricci with 19 points and Dominique Senat with 16. Audric Sandoval and Marley Blommers each chipped in a dozen for the 4-14 Knights. The Wolfpack’s Eamonn Joyce was the game high scorer as he was unstoppable pouring in 32 points in the loss. Rodney Ray added 16 for Hyde.
In the loss to Brooks, Blommers had 15 points and Del Ricci 14. Against Rivers School, the Knights were unable to put together a consistent offense as Del Ricci with 15 points was the sole double figure scorer.
Hyde split its other two contests. The Wolfpack beat Wheeler School 76-67 as Ray posted a double-double with 19 points and a dozen caroms. Jordan Burney was Hyde’s top scorer with 21 points and Joyce added 12. The Wolfpack then fell to Lee Academy 86-65 despite 21 points from Joyce, 19 from Ray and 10 from Burney. Hyde is 6-7 on the season.
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Charles E. Pike,
WWII vet
HAMPTON — Charles E. Pike, 90, of Hampton died Jan. 27, 2016, after a lengthy illness, to be with his wife in Heaven.
He was born on Sept. 24, 1925, the son of the late Clarence E Pike and Alice Alberty Pike.
He was a wounded U.S. Army veteran of WWII who saw action in the South Pacific. The transport ship he was on was torpedoed and a piece of shrapnel hit him in his right arm. A tough man, he bound up his own wound and carried on, retaining the shrapnel in his arm for the rest of his life.
Growing up during the Great Depression, he learned what hard work was when his father pulled him out of school while in the eighth grade and required him to work in order to help support the family. From that early introduction to work, Charles learned to be a “Jack of all trades,” skilled in carpentry, electricity, plumbing, mechanics, in addition to many other skills.
He later worked for the Molnar Construction Company from the 1950s until 1974 and was known as “Charlie Ponds” for the countless ponds he dug in the local area. He also cleared the land on which Parish Hill High School in Chaplin now sits. He founded Charles E. Pike and Sons Portable Sawmill in 1974 and worked full time on the mill into his late 70s, and part time after that.
Besides his parents, he is predeceased by his wife Virginia, who died in 2008, and his sister Alice. He leaves his step-son Randall Baird; and sons Clarence, Daniel, Charles Jr., William; and his daughters Alice and Norma; grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
The Funeral Service was Feb. 1 at Gagnon and Costello Funeral Home, 33 Reynolds St., Danielson, with burial in the spring in Litchfield Cemetery, Hampton, with military honors. Arrangements by Smith and Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam.
Joseph Truppa
KILLINGLY — Joseph John Truppa, 67, of “Joe’s Handyman Service,” of Killingly formerly of Putnam, died Jan. 24, 2016, at home. He lost his old life to cancer and gained his new life in heaven. He was the husband of Janet (Duquette) Truppa. They were married on May 8, 1971.
He was born Jan. 6, 1949, in Putnam, son of the late Carl and Mary (Corvo) Truppa.
Joseph was a devout member of the Putnam Baptist Church and a member of the Brown Hats. He was self-employed for 34 years. He loved taking his grandchildren on tractor rides. Joseph was a Yankee fan and loved music. His jovial, Christian outlook on life inspired many.
He leaves his wife Janet of Killingly; two daughters; Jennifer (Truppa) Chambers of Killingly, Mary J. (Truppa) Kanz (Christopher) of Whitinsville, Mass., siblings; Carmine (Marie), Frances and her husband Joseph, Theresa Gendron, Rosz and her husband Doug and a sister-in-law Barbara Truppa, grandchildren; Kayleigh, Cameron and Anthony. He was predeceased by a brother Stephen Truppa.
The Funeral was Jan. 30 at the Putnam Baptist Church with burial in Munyan Cemetery. Smith and Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam.
Claire L. Bennett
PUTNAM — Claire L. Bennett, 79, of Putnam, died unexpectedly, Jan. 27, 2016, at the Webster Traditional Care Unit in Webster. Born Feb. 23, 1936, in Putnam, she was the daughter of the late Roland and Mary (LaBossiere) Gaucher.
Claire was a lifelong resident of Putnam and was a communicant of St. Mary Church of the Visitation. Claire was a Constant Care Attendant at Day Kimball Hospital for more than 10 years, worked at US Button for more than 30 years and also at the C & M Corp. She enjoyed playing bingo.
Claire leaves her brother Roland, wife Diane and their three children, Roland, Matthew and Daniel; her children, Sandra Klein (Mark) of Putnam, Richard Bennett Jr. (Louise) of Putnam, David Bennett (Lori) of Pomfret; grandchildren Lynn, Angela, Brian, Rebecca, Christina, Mark Jr., Jacob, Nicole; great-grandchildren Branson, Riley, Leila, Layton and Nolan; her good friend Dot Murawski of Putnam. She was predeceased by her daughter Linda Bennett in 1960 and her former husband Richard in 2006.
The Memorial Service was Feb. 2 at Smith and Walker Funeral Home, 148 Grove St., Putnam, with burial in St. Mary Cemetery. Donations: DKH Cardiac Rehab, PO Box 632, Putnam, CT 06260.
Elois H. McElroy
WOODSTOCK — Elois “Ellie” McElroy, 85, of Hibbard Rd., died Jan. 28, 2016, at home. She was the wife of Richard G. McElroy for 57 years. Born in 1930 in Boston, MA, she was the daughter of the late Milton and Velma (Corlis) Hersey.
Mrs. McElroy worked as a nurse for Day Kimball Hospital and was a reporter for the Norwich Bulletin and the Hartford Courant. She was an avid reader and was involved in many local book clubs. She enjoyed traveling all over the world and especially London, England. She was a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church in Brooklyn.
In addition to her husband, Ellie leaves her daughters, Anne McElroy of Webster, and Pauline Delin of Medway, Mass.; grandchildren, Austin Delin and Griffin Delin.
A gathering for family and friends will be announced in the near future. Gilman and Valade Funeral Homes.
Mark P. Poitras Jr.
DANIELSON — Mark P. Poitras Jr. of Danielson died unexpectedly on Jan. 24, 2016. He was born on Nov. 5, 1970, son of Mark Poitras Sr. and Darlene Mazzarella. Mark had many interests in life. He was a quick-witted comedian and loved to make people laugh. His biggest and most important loves in his life were his two boys, Derek and Cross. He worked at Thrifty Car Sales of Franklin as a salesman and assistant F&I manager.
Besides his parents, he leaves his stepmom Frances Poitras; his two sons Derek Poitras of Orlando, Fla., and Cross Poitras of Danielson; his sister Angela Mancini and fiancé Mathieu Baker of Putnam; stepsister Connie Rivera; favorite aunt, who was more like his sister, Jackie Mazzarella of Danielson.
A Mass was Jan. 30 at St. James Church in Danielson. Shaw-Majercik Funeral Home, , Webster.
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WATERFORD — Brian A. Orenstein, president and CEO of Charter Oak Federal Credit Union, has been elected chairman of the Board of Directors of the United Way of Southeastern Connecticut. “It’s an honor for me to chair the United Way board and to work with such a respected team of leaders who care deeply about helping those in need throughout our region,” said Orenstein. “We’re all committed to continue our work this year to advance the common good and create opportunities for a better life for all those living and working here in southeastern Connecticut,” he said. Orenstein was elected to United Way’s Board of Directors in 2014 and was serving as Vice Chairman of the 22-member board prior to his election as board chairman. Orenstein has served as the chief executive of Charter Oak since 2007.
Engaged
Left: Mr. and Mrs. Richard Boulet of Putnam announced the engagement of their daughter Vicki Lee Boulet of Putnam to Charles Patrick Cogean of Rhode Island. A fall wedding is planned.