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| Bristol Eastern’s Tyler Mason looks to pass as Bristol Central defenders Mike Lemke (left) and Dathan Hickey (20) keep their eyes on him. |
The Bristol Central-Bristol Eastern boys basketball game Monday night provided the best energy I’ve seen this season.
The Charles C. Marsh Gymnasium on the campus of Bristol Central High School was electric. It wasn’t sold out, but it felt like a sellout with the amount of noise and intensity in the gym.
It didn’t matter that Central entered the game at 9-10 and Eastern just 5-13. When it’s the Rams and Lancers, throw out the records. It’s going to be a battle.
Monday provided yet another good game in the Central-Eastern rivalry, with the home delighting its fans in a 68-62 victory.
The Lancers held a 34-25 lead after a contentious first half that featured a double technical foul during free throws. In the third quarter, things really began to heat up. Central senior Luis Diaz stole the ball and raced down the floor, only to be fouled hard by Eastern senior Roderick Jenkins. A flagrant foul was called, but Diaz missed both foul shots.
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| Bristol Eastern’s Roderick Jenkins looks to inbound the ball to teammate Carter Dziedzic (under the basket). |
The score at the time was 40-38 Lancers. By the end of the third quarter, the Rams held a 41-40 lead.
Central senior Aaron Collins took over from there. The guard scored 10 of his team-high 21 points in the final eight minutes, including a big 3-pointer and a big three-point play. Junior Jaekwon Spencer helped control the boards and scored 18 points for the game. Senior Mike Lemke and junior Alex Bernier each had 11 points in a balanced Ram attack.
Jenkins led Eastern with a game-high 23 points. Sophomore Carter Dziedzic tallied 15 points while junior Nate Silva had nine points. Senior big man Tom Gonzalez had six points before fouling out.
The Lancers showed plenty of fight for a team with just five wins (5-14 after Monday night). Eastern will lose Jenkins, Gonzalez, Jake Viollette and Justin Blake to graduation, but will see Dziedzic and Silva return.
Tyler Mason is slated to be back, as is Matt D’Amato, Naimer Heylinger, Christian Davis, Camryn Tate, Ariza Kolloverja and Rajon Collins. All saw action Monday night, and D’Amato and Davis are only freshmen. Those players now have the experience of Eastern-Central under their belts. That will only help them next season.
Central has shown its youth and inexperience at times this season, but there’s also plenty of talent. The Rams finished the regular season at 10-10. Central had an outside chance of making the CCC Tournament, but they are definitely in the Class L state tournament. As of now, Central is the No. 23 seed, but there are still regular season games left, so that can change.
If the Rams can play with the fire they did against the Lancers, they could be a tough out in the postseason.
