The Bristol Central girls basketball team put together its first .500 regular season since 2014-2015 by going 10-10. That 10-10 record included its first win over rival Bristol Eastern since 2004.
Tonight, there will be another first in a season of them for the Rams. Central will host a state tournament game for the first time since 2000, according to a tweet from Bristol Central principal Pete Wininger. The Rams are the No. 16 seed in Class L and will tip off against No. 17 Platt at 6:30 p.m. The Rams and Panthers play in the CCC South Division and split their two regular season meetings.
Here’s a quick history lesson: Central went 15-5 in the 1999-2000 season and was the No. 11 seed in Class LL. In a bit of irony, the Rams hosted a CCC foe, No. 22 Newington, and won, 52-42.
If Central wins tonight, it would play top-seeded Newington on Friday at 6:30 p.m.
The 1999-2000 version of the Rams upset sixth-seeded Naugatuck, 51-47, in the second round in Class LL. That put Central into a quarterfinal matchup against third-seeded Fairfield (this was before the school was split into Ludlowe and Warde). The Rams saw their run end in the quarterfinal round with a 55-43 loss. It was Central’s longest stint in a state tournament since the 1995-1996 season, when it finished as the runner-up in Class L.
This year’s Central team hopes to start its own state tournament run with a win tonight over Platt.
