Boys Basketball

Team Updates 

Season comes to a close for Centaurs

The Centaurs boys basketball team produced 13 points in the first quarter Monday, 11 of those by Chase Anderson.

On any given day, that would have them in the game.

Not so against North Haven.

The 10^th-seeded Indians doubled the No. 23 Centaurs output in the first quarter, put 51 points on the board by halftime and rolled to a 91-53 Division III first-round state tournament win.

The loss ended the Centaurs season at 11-14.

“North Haven was a solid basketball team,” coach Marty Hart said. “Strong guards along with size inside and lights-out shooters almost all the way around.  Our defense has carried us through the season, but (on Monday) we couldn't locate and close out on the shooters quickly enough to challenge their shots.”

The Centaurs trailed 51-25 at the break and North Haven extended that to 38 points by the end of the third quarter.

Anderson was the only player in double figures for The Academy with 25 points. Cole Hackett added nine.

“Of course we are disappointed about the outcome (Monday), but when we step back and take a look at the season as a whole, we can be very proud of how far we have come,” Hart said.  “In the locker room after the game, I said I was proud of each and every one of the players for the work they put in and the progress we made.  Playing a physical opponent who can handle pressure and shoot so well, shows us we have plenty of room to improve.”

The boys basketball team has plenty to be proud of.

After a 2-8 start, they rebounded to post a 9-6 record in the second half of the season and postseason.

Hart pointed out numerous highlights.

The wins over Stonington at home and Bacon Academy on the road which paved the way for the victory at Fitch that clinched a postseason berth for the Centaurs.

There was also the near-upset of a very good Waterford team at the Alumni Fieldhouse and a 57-point loss in Waterford.

“Our run through the (Eastern Connecticut Conference) Division II tournament as the seven seed with wins over Plainfield and Griswold to advance to the championship game versus St. Bernard gives us a blueprint for success moving forward,” Hart said.

The biggest plus of all; the Centaurs manufactured the turnaround without a senior on the roster.

“I challenged the players to improve in the off-season because that's the time to work on strength, conditioning, and individual skills.  Teams get better at playing together during the season, but players get better during the off season,” Hart said.  “With no seniors to say goodbye to, imagine how much further along we can be at the beginning of next season.  Already, we have developed maturity and composure down the stretch this season.  We have also learned how to best handle adversity and that working together as a team we can achieve more than the sum of the parts.”

Centaurs fall short in ECC Division II championship

The Centaurs went into Wednesday night’s Eastern Connecticut Conference boys basketball tournament Division II championship game with one thought in mind – win.

“We want to win the games we’re in so the run getting us here was exciting and we enjoyed those wins, but it’s a one-game tournament for us and we didn’t win (Wednesday). We’re proud of the effort overall, but it’s hard to find the silver lining right now. The guys worked hard, but ultimately, we want to have more points on the scoreboard at the end than the other team does. That didn’t happen,” Woodstock Academy coach Marty Hart said.

The seventh-seeded Centaurs, seeking their first ever ECC tournament championship, had to settle for runner-up status after a 51-45 loss to top-seeded St. Bernard at Waterford High School.

It was the second straight Division II title for the Saints.

“No one expected us to get past the second round with Plainfield so getting here, it wasn’t a win, but it was more than what everyone else expected. We did what we knew we could do and it was just a tough game (Wednesday),”Woodstock Academy junior Luke Mathewson said.

Read the entire story on Centaur Nation.