By Michael Letendre
STORRS – The ride for the Bristol Eastern girls basketball team ended in the second round of Class L state tournament play on Thursday night.
The 19th ranked Lancers gave it a whirl against No. 3 Edwin O. Smith but Eastern couldn’t get its shots to fall, dropping a tough 58-38 decision in Storrs to end the campaign at a credible 11-12 overall.
Smith (21-4) played aggressively on both sides of the ball, using its defense to jumpstart its offense, as balanced scoring fueled the home squad.
Jill Dingler led the Panthers with 15 points and was efficient with the ball in her hands when she wasn’t putting it in the hoop.
“The point guard did a nice job out there,” said Eastern coach Tony Floyd of Dingler. “She ran the floor [and] she executed really well.”
Also for the home team, Maddy Hughes added 14 points, Lilli Clark nabbed 11 while Paige Raynor added 10.
Playing in her final game in an Eastern uniform, Taigan Parent ended her career with an eight point, three assist effort – hitting two 3-pointers along the way.
Autumn Udoh played extremely well, hitting 9-of-17 shots overall for a career-high 20 points to go along with nine rebounds and four blocked shots.
“You saw a little bit of her talent” tonight said Floyd. “She made some outside shots, she made some moves to the basket, and she can elevate.”
Vanessa Drury zipped up six points, four assists and three steals, Jayle Evins-Mosley made her first varsity start, contributing two points and five rebounds, while Leah Roy added two points, four rebounds and a couple assists.
Lauren Ayotte scooped up four rebounds and Amanda Noel added three rebounds for the Lancers.
Smith, holding a 10-point edge after one quarter, extended its lead out to 15 late in the second and then spaced it out to 19 midway through the third.
“In the beginning of the second quarter [Smith] did a good job getting the ball inside, getting second and third shots and that really hurt us I thought,” said Floyd.
Eastern committed eight first period turnovers but trailed by just two possessions midway through the frame as the visitors showed a little grit.
Parent hit a 3 to open the Eastern scoring and when Udoh put back a miss, the Lancers led 5-2 just 76 seconds into things.
From there, Smith used a 14-2 burst to capture a 16-7 edge with 3:38 to go in the first period and never looked back.
Drury found Udoh for a traditional three-point play with 3:19 to go in the tilt – making it a 16-10 game – but the Kingstreeters didn’t score again for nearly five minutes.
And when Udoh broke the streak, banking in a hoop with 6:28 remaining in the first half, Eastern was hanging around – trailing just 20-12.
After a 3 by Clark, Eastern went on a mini 6-2 push and when Udoh ended the jaunt with another basket inside, Smith’s lead was just 25-18 with 2:23 to go in the second stanza.
But the Panthers netted eight straight points – including two lay-ups from Dingler – as the home team was punishing Eastern in the paint, seizing a 33-18 edge with 45 seconds remaining before the break.
“We didn’t shoot very well from outside,” said Floyd. “We didn’t execute very well I thought. There were a lot of openings we just didn’t recognize. We were a little slow [going at them]. But they’re a big team. It makes it tough when you have a big team like that, and the size helps.”
“And when a team like that gets ahead of you 12 or 15 points, it’s tough. Now you really have to execute, and I thought we weren’t patient enough.”
Evins-Mosley ended the half with a put-back and at intermission, Eastern trailed 33-20 but was hanging around.
To open the third tilt. Smith quickly pushed out its cushion to 19 via the power of an 9-3 run – despite another 3 by Parent – and with 5:15 showing on the clock, the Panthers were comfortably ahead, 42-23.
The home team allowed the Lancers just seven third period points and off another jumper from Clark, Smith secured a 46-27 lead with eight minutes left to play.
“I though defensively, Smith executed really well in the third quarter,” said Floyd. “They really gave it to us. I thought we didn’t talk on defense, lost our man a couple times and they made a couple big plays down there.”
Roy found Drury for a period opening 3 to make it a 46-30 contest early in the fourth frame but that would be as close as Eastern could get to the lead.
Midway through the fourth, Udoh hit a baseline jumper and then flashed in a 3 with about three minutes to play.
To end the evening, Drury canned one additional three and when Grace Browne replaced Parent with about thirty seconds left to play – drawing a nice ovation from the Eastern fans as Parent left the game one final time – Smith secured a 58-38 victory to move on in Class L play.
The game marked the final contest for Eastern’s lone senior standout Taigan Parent, a four-year varsity contributor for the Lancers.
“I felt bad for Taigan because it was her last game,” said Floyd. “We only have one senior, and the nucleus of our team is freshmen and sophomores. They’re going to get better, and they really blossomed over the whole season.”
Bristol Eastern Girls Basketball – CIAC Class L, second round play
EDWIN O. SMITH 58, BRISTOL EASTERN 38
from Edwin O. Smith High School, Storrs
Bristol Eastern (11-12) 10 10 7 11 -38
Edwin O. Smith (21-4) 20 13 13 12 – 58
BRISTOL EASTERN (38): Leah Roy 1 0 2, Jayle Evins-Mosley 1 0 2, Autumn Udoh 9 1 20, Taiwan Parent 2 0 6, Vanessa Drury 2 0 6, Lauren Ayotte 0 0 0, Amanda Noel 0 0 0, Tavia Swain 0 0 0, Grace Browne 0 0 0. Totals: 16 1 38.
EDWIN O. SMITH (58): Jill Dingler 6 3 15, Callie Liapes 0 0 0, Julia Winakor 0 0 0, Paige Raynor 4 0 10, Emily Miller 2 0 4, Bella Mallory 1 0 2, Riley DeForest 0 0 0, Jenna Boardman 1 0 2, Anne Tigeleiro 0 0 0, Maddy Hughes 6 2 14, Lilli Clark 4 2 11. Totals: 24 7 58.
Three-point goals: Udoh (BE), Parent (BE) 2, Drury (BE) 2, Raynor (EO) 2, Clark (EO).
Records: Edwin O. Smith 21-4 overall; Bristol Eastern 11-12.
CLASS L (Scores from second round action on Thursday, March 2)
No. 3 E.O. Smith 58, No. 19Bristol Eastern 38
No. 2 Holy Cross 67, No. 18 Masuk 50
No. 7 New Milford 49, No. 10 New Canaan 40
No. 9 North Haven 58, No. 8 Bristol Central 46
No. 1 Pomperaug 49, No. 17 Hillhouse 46
No. 6 St. Joseph 61, No. 11 Avon 38
No. 4 Torrington 48, No. 13 Fitch 42
No. 12 Windsor 40, No. 5 Simsbury 37
