By Michael Letendre

BRISTOL – The Bristol Central boys basketball team celebrated its senior night last Monday and that group of players plans to leave the 2021 campaign undefeated.

And while the senior crew all aren’t regular season starters, those athletes come ready to play every practice – challenging the starters and always makes a good accounting of themselves when their number is called.

Before the 74-41 victory at Central over Plainville, the Rams honored its senior core of Elijah Rodriguez, D’Ante Ross, Dominic Amara, Devon Astacio, Tre Jones, and starter Sean Wininger.

Wininger (53 career games, 36 three-pointers) has been in the line-up since his sophomore campaign and doing a very credible job while not being the number one scoring option.

He’s had a good final season, posting 8.7 points-per-game, gobbling up several rebounds and scored a season-high 13 points at Lewis Mills this past Friday.

And those other seniors have done a great job filling in here and there as well.

“A lot of my seniors are not my starters so it makes it even more difficult,” said Central coach Tim Barrette on senior night. “I start four juniors and Sean [Wininger]. It’s easy on Sean. He started fifty games for me now to this point of his career.”

“Everyone else, you have to adapt to roles.”

Rodriguez (career-high 17 points at New Britain) has been extremely productive this season, averaging 3.3 points-per-game.

He enters this week third on the team in three-pointers made (seven) and is an excellent reserve guard who played in all ten games.

D’Ante Ross is also an important reserve guard/forward, playing in eight of Central’s 10 games.

Ross averages 3.3 points-per-game, can shoot from downtown, and scored a season-high seven points this year.

Dominic Amara has also played in eight games this season and is a defensive guru for the program while Devon Astacio made a few appearances in 2021 for the Rams. 

Jones can chase after the best of them on court, playing in all but one game, and scored a couple buckets .

“Everyone has a different role,” said Barrette. “And some kids can take it and some kids can’t. I give some kudos, some congrats to my seniors that have made it through and understand their role.”

It takes a full roster to make a successful team and that senior crew is a big reason while the program is undefeated this year – whether those contributions come during the bright lights of a game or at practice.

“They want to be part of a team,” said Barrette. “They were up all night on the bench and when their number is called upon, they’re always ready to play and they play hard. That’s all you can ask about subs that come in is ‘give me everything you’ve got and play as hard as you can.’”

“That group of seniors definitely does that.”