Two of the hottest high school basketball teams in the area can be found in Bristol.
The Bristol Eastern boys pulled away from Rocky Hill, 58-39, on the road on Monday. The Bristol Central girls ran away from Bloomfield/International, 51-30, on Monday, also on the road. Both teams have won five straight games. The Lancer boys improved to 6-1 while the Ram girls moved to 7-2.
It was the Zaveyn Tate show in the fourth quarter of the Eastern game against Rocky Hill. Tate scored 11 of his points in that stanza and helped the Lancers get away from the pesky Terriers. After Brayden Dauphinais hit a free throw at the end of the third quarter and beginning of the fourth quarter, Tate took over. He scored on a three-point play and an up-and-under, and he was the recipient of some good passes from his teammates. Lukas Sward joined Tate in double figures with 15 points.
Central’s success has come because of defense. When Central beat Bloomfield/International, it was the sixth time in nine games that it held an opponent to 30 points or less. In those six games, the Rams have held the opposition to 20, 7, 30, 19, 18 and 30 points. Not surprisingly, Central has won all six of those games.
Brooke Watson and Arianna Rivera have been leaned upon for leadership by the Rams. Both are three-year starters, according to a season preview in The Bristol Press. Sophomore Callie Lodovico gained a bunch of experience by starting every game as a freshman, according to the preview.
Both teams look to extend their win streaks against Meriden schools on Thursday. The Eastern boys host Platt at 6:45 p.m. while the Central girls play at Maloney at 5:15 p.m. The Rams have already defeated the Spartans once this season.
