Centaur girls
ready for
state tourney
It was two good efforts last week for the Woodstock Academy girls’ basketball team.
It was enough to put a smile on the face of coach Will Fleeton for a considerably long time.
That’s because the Centaurs are now off until March 2 when they will play on the road at Norwich Free Academy in a Class LL first-round state tournament game.
“That’s a big gap but the norm is the norm, we have to work and get ready for the next one. Nothing really changes,” Fleeton said of the near two-week break for Woodstock Academy.
There was the possibility that the Centaurs were going to have to travel to some faraway place like Trumbull, Danbury or Norwalk on Monday.
Fleeton was fine with that.
“I don’t worry about the miles,” Fleeton said with a laugh. “When you are in Woodstock, you put a lot of miles on no matter what.”
It would have given the Centaurs some fresh faces to play.
Instead, as expected, the Centaurs finished as the 29th seed in Class LL and will travel a much short distance to play No. 4 Norwich Free Academy for a third time this season.
“It’s both a plus and a minus. We know them, they know us, so there is a little comfort because in state tournament play, you sometimes have to dig for information. With this being a league team and having played them twice, the information is right there. But they know who we are, too,” Fleeton said.
Norwich Free Academy won both meetings between the two in the regular season.
Last week Woodstock Academy finished the regular season with a 49-42 win over rival Killingly early last week.
The win meant the Centaurs finished with a 7-13 regular season record, good enough to qualify for the Class LL state tournament.
“The kids have been going hard and doing things the right way so there is not much to be sad about. In the big scheme of things, their effort has paid dividends recently and that’s how we got to seven wins,” Fleeton said.
The Centaurs won four of their last six regular season games.
They followed that up with a hard-fought 31-30 loss to Ledyard in an ECC Div. I girls’ tournament play-in game Feb. 19.
The offense was hard to find at times for the eight-seeded Centaurs against No. 9 Ledyard (6-15) in the second meeting of the season between the two.
But the defense was stellar “That’s who we are,” Fleeton said. “We put our emphasis on the defensive end and, a lot of times; it might spark some transition offense. I thought we defended them well and we executed the defensive game plan.”
But that game plan, both offensively and defensively, against Ledyard was thrown askew when senior guard Kayla Gaudreau picked up her third foul with just a little over two minutes left in the first quarter.
The Woodstock Academy coach had a sub waiting to come in when Gaudreau picked up her second foul just about a minute and a half before.
Without a stoppage in play, Peyton Saracina kneeled in front of the scorer’s table and Gaudreau, playing Ledyard’s top offensive threat, Natalyah Williams, was whistled again before Peyton Saracina could get on to the court.
After the third foul, Fleeton knew he had to sit Gaudreau for an extended period of time as she was likely to quickly draw her fourth against the physical Williams.
She didn’t return to the floor until midway through the third quarter.
Fellow senior Hallie Saracina, who had at least four steals in the first half, took over on Williams defensively and held her at bay as the sophomore scored only six points prior to the break.
Woodstock Academy owned a 16-14 lead at the end of the half following an Alexa Pechie (11 points) 3-pointer with 1:34 left in the second quarter.
The biggest margin in the second half was a four-point Woodstock Academy lead on a Katie Papp basket off an assist from Gaudreau with a minute left in the third quarter.
But Ledyard tied the game and the Centaurs clawed back within one when Peyton Saracina (7 points) hit a free throw.
Hallie and Peyton Saracina forced turnovers on the next two Ledyard possessions and Woodstock Academy finally was rewarded when Pechie was fouled and she sank the two free throws.
Another offensive board by Ledyard set up what proved to be the game-winner. A desperation shot by the Centaurs at the buzzer fell short.
The win over Killingly earlier in the week was the second this season and second in a week for Woodstock Academy over their rivals
Fleeton said the game felt like a 1-point game throughout even though the Centaurs briefly established a double-digit lead on Killingly’s home floor.
“I felt the pressure, thought it was a tight game, even though we were managing it,” Fleeton said.
Papp led the Centaurs with 18 points.
Gaudreau added 10 points in the win.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
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Beware of
utility scam
HARTFORD — State officials last week urged families to recognize the signs that they’re being targeted by scam artists threatening to turn off their utilities.
In this scam, someone typically calls, but might also text message or email claiming to be a representative from a local utility company. Scammers will threaten to shut off consumers’ power unless they pay hundreds of dollars immediately in an untraceable form of payment such as a wire transfer or prepaid card.
The Office of the Attorney General has received reports that scammers are specifically targeting low-income Eversource consumers, who already struggle to pay their bill, threatening utility shut-off and demanding immediate payment via a prepaid card.
If you receive a phone call, email or text message from a scammer who threatens to shut off your power unless you provide payment immediately, you should: Hang up the phone. Don’t click on any links, and if it looks suspicious, don’t open the text or email.
Never pay anyone via prepaid card or wire transfer. Reputable companies will never require you to. Contact your utility company to report the scam, and to verify that you don’t owe any money. Use the contact information you typically use to contact them, not any contact information you received through a potentially fraudulent message.
Remember, your utility company will not demand immediate payment to prevent shut-off over the phone in Connecticut.
“Scammers target both residential and business customers and no part of the state is immune,” said Eversource Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer Penni Conner. “The key to stopping these scammers is to stay calm - don’t panic and don’t pay. Together with our fellow energy companies, the Attorney General, the Department of Consumer Protection, AARP and local law enforcement, we’re urging any of our customers who receive a suspicious phone call or home visit to call us at 1-800-286-2000 to verify any request for payment or personal information.”
“The Regional Water Authority (RWA) takes steps to ensure that residents of the communities in our service area can easily verify the work we do in order to help protect themselves against scammers,” said RWA Police Captain Paul Ruggiero. “A common tactic of scammers is to pose as utility employees and warn of an imminent service termination unless you pay. When someone tells you there is no time to stop and think, it’s usually the best time to do so. If someone contacts you or a loved one and claims to be from the RWA, always ask for identification and don’t hesitate to call our office directly at 203-562-4020 and ask for verification. Most importantly, never let someone in your home if you do not know them or they don’t prove their identity.”
The Office of the Attorney General also began to receive reports last year that scammers may have access to important information about consumers such as accurate account numbers and delinquent bills, making it even harder for consumers to detect the scam:
Consumer Protection: https://ct.gov/dcp/complaint; (860) 713-6300
Office of the Attorney General; https://www.dir.ct.gov/ag/complaint; (860) 808-5318
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PSA takes 3rd
in national
tournament
It would have been so much easier if they got blown out, lost by 20, never had a chance.
But for the Putnam Science Academy girls’ prep basketball team, a one-point loss in the semifinals of the Insider Exposure Independent School Nationals last weekend meant that their third-place overall finish was, well, bittersweet to say the least.
The Mustangs won games Feb. 21 (66-47 over TPLS) and Feb. 22 (62-60 over Niagara Prep) to advance to the Final Four Saturday night. It was there that their season came up just short, when they fell 46-45 to eventual champion Winston Salem Christian Academy.
“To lose by one point, it really makes you think,” PSA coach Devin Hill said Feb. 23, following the team’s 55-39 win over King’s Christian Collegiate in the consolation game. “When you’re that close, and you have a lead with a few minutes to go, you felt like you had control and that we had a real chance to play for a championship...It’s really tough to get that close and really feel like, ‘Hey we can run this thing, we can do this.’
“So it’s an ‘all things considered’ kind of thing. But yes, I am proud of how we finished.”
The Mustangs (16-9) led Winston Salem by five with about two minutes to play but got into foul trouble, leading their opponent to get back in the game. But PSA still had its chances. Sharpshooter Delaney Haines missed a contested 3-pointer late that would have tied the game, and Aaliyah Brittian’s field goal in the final seconds could have been an and-1 opportunity but the referees did not call a foul despite at least some contact on the shot. Brittian’s basket accounted for the final score.
Shawni Cornfield had 11 points, Sabou Gueye 10, and Gaines nine in the loss.
Sunday morning’s third-place game, despite the wide final margin of victory, was no sure thing for PSA. KCC actually led 13-4 early before PSA responded.
“It’s the human element,” Hill said. “We just played two really tough games, physically and emotionally tough games, so there was going to be some kind of letdown. But we responded, especially in the second half.”
Lani Cornfield scored a game-high 14 points in the win. Shawni Cornfield and Haines finished with 13 apiece.
PSA opened its weekend with its second win of the season over TPLS; the teams played in the season-opener back in October. Just as that first one was a convincing victory, so was too this.
Lani Cornfield went for 20 and Sabou Gueye 17 for the Mustangs. Sarah Streete also had her best game of the season, giving PSA seven big points.
“Sabou was great,” Hill said of the incredibly gifted wing player, who still has another year to go at PSA. “The secret is about to be out on her.”
The Mustangs handled their business in the second round as well, taking down Niagara Prep in a tight game. Brittian and Niya Fields came up with huge steals in the final minute to seal the victory.
Stephen Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy
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caption:
‘The Professionals’
The 7 p.m. shift at the NOW Bartender Night saw the highest team total of the night with $2,000.75 raised by “The Professionals.” The team featured Earl Rosebrooks of Fluid Coating Technology, Dick Loomis of the Loomis Team at RE/MAX, Jason St. Onge of The G Seven Catering Company, and Laurence Hale of Weiss, Hale & Zahansky Strategic Wealth Advisors. Courtesy photo.
PUTNAM — The 2nd Annual Northeast Opportunities for Wellness, Inc. (NOW) Bartender Night Aug. 29 raised $9,000 to support youth wellness programs and scholarships for children living in the 10-town area of northeastern Connecticut. The Bartender Night featured six teams of four bartenders each, facing off in 30-minute shifts, competing to raise the most in tips. Putnam Elks bartender Sharon Stewart assisted.
From 5:30 to 6 p.m. “The Killer J’s” started the event with a strong lead of $1,388 and featured team members Jack Burke of J&B Transport, Joe Carlone Jr. of Linemaster Switch, Jake Dykeman of Putnam Ford, and Jeff Rawson of Rawson Materials.
At 6 team “Take it to the Bank” raised $672.50 with Lynn Bourque of Putnam Bank, Kevin Merchant of Jewett City Savings Bank, Maria Thomas of bankHometown and Elizabeth Zachow-Deary of CorePlus Federal Credit Union.
At 6:30 the “Legal Eagles” raised an impressive $1,277 with members Tom Borner and Kate Cerrone of The Northeast Law Center, Ed Higgins of Bachand, Longo & Higgins, and Madilyn Smith of Madilyn C. Smith, attorney & Rawson Materials.
The 7 p.m. shift saw the highest team total of the night with $2,000.75 raised by “The Professionals.” The team featured Earl Rosebrooks of Fluid Coating Technology, Dick Loomis of the Loomis Team at RE/MAX, Jason St. Onge of The G Seven Catering Company, and Laurence Hale of Weiss, Hale & Zahansky Strategic Wealth Advisors.
$775.50 was raised by Jay Byrnes of the Byrnes Agency, Kristin Duethorn of Quest Martial Arts, Sheila Frost of the Courthouse Bar & Grille, and Gary Osbrey of WINY Radio, making up the team “Talented Talkers.”
And the final team of the night, “Keep Calm & Sell On” closed out the event with the second-highest tips, totaling $1,578.25. The team consisted of Jeff Bousquet of Bousquet’s Appliance, Matt Desaulnier of Gerardi Insurance, Dan Salvas of The Putnam Elks, and Sam Stamatiou of Verizon WirelessZone.
In addition to the tips from each shift, the event also raised funds through a drawing for several items donated by local businesses and individuals. NOW volunteers sold pizza-by-the slice, with 15-inch giant” cheese pizzas donated to NOW by Giant Pizza. The Putnam Elks also contributed to the event by donating $1 of all guest-priced drinks back to NOW.
NOW Executive Director Sarah Wolfburg said: “We are thrilled with the results of the 2nd annual NOW Bartender Night. We were optimistic that we would raise as much as the previous year’s event, but were once again blown away by the generosity of our community!”
All funds raised at the event will support NOW youth wellness programs in the region. NOW, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, is dedicated to making a positive impact in the lives of Quiet Corner children by ensuring each child’s access to wellness, including fitness, nutrition, and athletics. Serving the 10-town area of Northeast Connecticut, NOW partners with other local youth organizations to provide scholarships to children ages 3-14 who otherwise may not be able to afford such opportunities.
The next NOW’s next fund-raising event is the 8th Annual NOW Road Race & Walk “Lap the Lake” Sept. 15 at The Lake Tavern in Dayville.
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