Week 3: Woodstock Academy off to a 6-1 start

It's going to be a nice New Year's holiday for the Woodstock Academy girls basketball team.

The Centaurs have plenty to celebrate and plenty to look forward to in 2023 after a 79-19 win over Griswold Friday at the Alumni Fieldhouse.

The one-sided win raised Woodstock Academy's record to 6-1.

"I'm very happy with the record, but I'm even happier with (Friday's) game," Woodstock Academy coach Will Fleeton said. "Our defense held first which created other things and that's exactly what we're after for the season."

The Centaurs didn't waste any time against the Wolverines (1-4) as they scored the first 13 points of the game.

Sophia Sarkis and Kaylee Saucier hit a pair of 3's in that early run and after Griswold's Abby Matheson hit a 3-pointer, Saucier (14 points) and fellow freshman Isabel D'Alleva-Bochain (19 points) ignited another 14-2 run with a pair of treys to put Woodstock Academy 27-5 at the end of the first quarter.

"It's so much fun playing when everyone is working together, especially hitting those shots early, it's a blast," Saucier said.

The Centaurs didn't take their foot off the gas in the second quarter.

Another freshman, Allison Camara, scored all nine of her points in that second quarter as Woodstock Academy owned a 49-12 halftime lead.

"I hate to use the term 'bench' because no one is really delegated to the bench. They are all contributors who contribute in their own way," Fleeton said.

Saucier had numerous assists early as the Centaurs scored on fast breaks with ease.

"I think we were ready and the energy was there," the freshman guard said. "We made those shots early and then the assists, getting out and looking to run which led to some easy buckets."

With a 37-point lead at the half, the Centaurs could have easily lost focus.

That didn't happen.

"I think defense will do that for you," Fleeton said. "If we had stopped playing 'D', everything else might have gone haywire. If you continue to play 'D', even if you take a few ill-advised shots or a few risky passes because you are comfortable with the lead, you can always fall back on the defense. It keeps you stable."

Sidney Anderson added 12 points in the win while Eva Monahan tossed in 10.

Earlier in the week, Woodstock Academy made its annual trek to Cranston, R.I. for the Cranston Holiday tournament and brought home a pair of victories.

The Centaurs completed the sweep on Wednesday with a 49-28 win over the Prout School.

The Centaurs downed Cranston East, 52-28, in the tournament opener on Tuesday.

There was little doubt about the outcome of the game with the Crusaders on Wednesday.

Woodstock Academy broke out to a 15-1 first quarter lead thanks to a strong early effort by D'Alleva-Bochain who scored seven of her 10 points.

Anderson followed that up with five of her seven points in the second quarter as the Centaurs extended their lead to 16 at the half, 28-12.

Saucier and Monahan took up the mantle in the second half.

Saucier scored nine of her team-high 12 points and Monahan added six of her eight on the day to keep the Centaurs well ahead of Prout.

On Tuesday, Woodstock Academy led by only seven at the half against Cranston East, but broke it open in the third quarter.

The Centaurs outscored their hosts, 14-1, to make for an easy fourth quarter.

Senior Leila MacKinnon had a pair of 3-pointers and finished with 16 points to lead the Centaurs in scoring.

Saucier also hit a pair of treys and finished with 10 points as did Monahan.