By Michael Letendre
NEW HAVEN – Needing overtime for the first time since its epic encounter against East Catholic in the finals of the 2021 Central Connecticut Conference Tournament, the Bristol Central boys basketball team ended up shutting out Wilbur Cross over the extra frame – squaring up a huge 71-59 win in the main event of the 6th Annual Robert Saulsbury Invitational in New Haven on Wednesday.
Wilbur Cross (8-6) threw everything it could at Central (14-0) in front of their home fans at the Floyd Little Athletic Center – forcing OT after coming back from a 49-39 deficit late in third quarter play.
And with all the momentum in the Governors’ favor going into the extra period, Donovan Clingan (29 points, 22 rebounds, 12 blocks) and company did not allow the home team a single point over a four-minute defensive smothering.
Cross led by eight nearly a minute into the third tilt (37-29) before the bottom fell out on the home outfit.
An 18-0 burst by Central – which saw all five players on the floor scoop in points over a suffocating six-minute jaunt – saw the Governors’ trail 47-37 with 1:10 remaining.
Over the final 19:11 of the contest, Cross was limited to just 24 points as the Rams’ defense took over the game despite the added overtime session.
That was after Cross put up a 23-point second period scoring bonanza as Central trailed 29-20 off a blistering 3 from Fredo Delgado (team-high 18 points, six three-pointers) halfway through the quarter.
Central outshot Cross from the free throw line 20-6 and used just six players as Julius Powell made a quick appearance to open the second period.
Damion Glasper (career-high seven assists) was clutch for the Rams, posting a season-high 23 points and his three-pointer in overtime with 2:43 left proved to be the game-winner as Central led 62-59, never looking back.
And then the grouping of Steve Alseph, Victor Rosa, and Carson Rivoira (career-high 14 rebounds) all dropped in hoops at the best possible times during the showdown when Clingan was stuffed in the paint by double and triple-teams.
Christian McClease netted 17 while Camaree Williams dropped in 15 over a balanced scoring attack for the Governors.
Early in the bout, Cross raced out to a 12-7 lead, capped by a lay-up from McClease, before Central went on a run to capture the lead.
An 8-0 push saw Clingan cash in on two misses, Rivoira hit a jumper and when Glasper nabbed a hoop to close out the quarter, Central’s edge reached 15-12 through one.
The Rams’ lead lasted just 1:42 as Delgado started heating up from deep.
After a Clingan dunk and free throw by Glasper made it a one-point game (21-20) with 5:21 left before the half, Cross scored nine straight points as Delgado connected on two 3s to push the Central deficit to 29-20 with 3:28 remaining.
Glasper answered with a 3 to start a 7-0 Central run but Cross closed out the half with a mini 6-2 jaunt and at intermission, the Governors led 35-29.
And then trailing by eight early in the third, that 18-0 onslaught by Central nearly knocked Cross out of contention.
Alseph started the run with an and-1, Rivoira put-back his own miss to give Central the lead again and when Rosa ended the dash by banking in a 3, the Rams’ were in control at 47-37 with 1:10 remaining in the third.
But a 10-0 push by Cross – opening with another Delgado 3 – knotted things up at 49-49 with 6:00 left in regulation.
It was 51-51 with 4:46 remaining before the scoring dried up as both squads were gassed.
Two scoreless minutes later, a scrum broke out on the floor and off the play, Delgado drew a technical foul and Central was looking for a little breathing room.
Glasper hit both charity shots, the Rams got the ball back and when Clingan slipped in another high-percentage bucket, the visitors led 55-51 with 2:26 left in regulation.
Cross scored the next five points and when Delgado splashed in another 3, the Governors led 56-5 with 1:41 showing on the clock.
Defense fueled Central to the lead again as a steal by Rosa led to a Clingan hoop and after Williams missed on the flip side and the Rams were playing keep away with a 57-56 edge in hand and less than a minute to go.
Glasper was later fouled and canned two charity shots to propel Central to a 59-56 lead with 22.7 seconds showing on the clock.
On the ensuing possession, Elijah Guillaume was fouled – hitting his first free throw but missing the second.
Williams grabbed the offensive rebound and banked in a shot as the bucket produced a 59-59 stalemate with 10 seconds to play.
A late Central turnover saw Cross’s heave at the buzzer fall short as four minutes were added to the clock for overtime.
Cross had nothing left in the tank for the extra session, outscored 12-0 in the fifth quarter, as Glasper opened the frame with a 3 as the home team never drew even again.
Rivoira later nailed a floater and off a couple loud rejections, Clingan roared back with a traditional three-point play and with 1:25 to go, Central’s 69-59 cushion was more than enough to secure the victory – eventually sizing up a 71-59 win on the road to stay undefeated.
RIM DUST…Central won for the 29th straight time and is running away with the Division II standings. Second place Northwest Catholic (11-1) has a remaining schedule no scholastic coach in the state would desire…In the previous game that evening in New Haven, Hillhouse outscored Windsor 15-9 over the final four minutes of play for a 76-70 upset over the Warriors. Windsor is now 10-2 after thumping Rocky Hill 104-38 the previous game (that’s called basketball karma).
Sixth Annual Robert Saulsbury Invitational
BRISTOL CENTRAL 71, WILBUR CROSS 59
from the Floyd Little Athletic Center, New Haven
Bristol Central (14-0) 15 14 20 10 12 – 71
Wilbur Cross (8-6) 12 23 7 17 0 – 59
Records: Bristol Central 14-0 overall; Wilbur Cross 8-6.