By Michael Letendre

Looking to bounce back from its only loss of the season, the Bristol Eastern girls basketball team ended a stretch of three games in four nights against undefeated Berlin on Saturday.

The showdown, contested from the Thomas M. Monahan Gymnasium in Bristol, ended up going down to the wire.

And it took a little heroics by the squad’s sophomore sensation Autumn Udoh to ice the contest in the end.

With 33.6 seconds to play in regulation, Autumn Udoh drained a clutch three-pointer, giving Eastern the lead for good at 36-34.

But the Redcoats had a chance to tie up the event late.

After one free throw apiece from Vanessa Drury and Cassie Sward – stretching the edge out to three (37-34) with eight seconds left – Berlin took two more shots at it.

A late three-pointer did not find the mark and neither did the offensive rebound and put-back as the Kingstreeters won it by three, 37-34.

Eastern ended its 2023 portion of the schedule at 6-1 while Berlin fell to 4-1.

Udoh ended the afternoon with 12 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks to pace the home team.

Vanessa Drury added seven points, two assists and two steals while Cassie Sward went 2-for-2 from downtown, good for seven points.

Amanda Noel posted six points, eight rebounds and five blocks over a big defensive effort.

Savannah Drury dropped in five points and two assists, Lauren Ayotte hustled for eight rebounds, two assists and a couple steals while Natalia Vye and Alaina Joy each played critical minutes over the big victory.

The Redcoats struggled from the field, making their first field goal with 6:37 left to go in the second period.

Berlin led for all of 15 seconds in the first half, lost its lead to end the third, regained it early in the fourth before the game-winning shot by Udoh made things academic.

There were only four lead changes in the showdown but free throws helped to keep the Redcoats in the game.

Maddy Sadowski had a team-high 11 points while Brooke Walker added 10 for Berlin.

Early in the contest, Ayotte found Vanessa Drury for a 3, Noel then added a high-percentage bucket and when Udoh connected on two free throws with about seven minutes remaining before the half, Eastern constructed a 8-4 lead.

Ayotte once again dished off to Vanessa Drury for another trifecta late in the second stanza and when Savannah Drury tossed in a floater with 1:08 to go before the break, Eastern nabbed an 18-15 push.

But late hoops from Brooke Walker (10 points) and Emma Ellison (six points) propelled Berlin to a 19-18 edge at the half.

Eastern made just one basket in the third tilt but it gave the home program a late advantage.

Noel dropped in a free throw, Udoh went 5-of-6 from the line, and when Sward drained her first 3 of the game, the Lancers carried a slim 27-26 push into the fourth and final quarter.

And then the game went back-and-forth until the final horn sounded.

Trailing by three, Sward dropped in her second three to tie things up but one final Berlin three-point bomb had the visiting aggression rolling up a 34-31 lead with 3:03 left in regulation.

Eastern ramped up the defense and off a steal by Vanessa Drury, Noel slipped in a free throw to trim the deficit to 34-32 with 1:22 left.

Udoh added a huge block off a Berlin shot attempt and then the duo of Udoh and Vanessa Drury forced a jump ball with 49.3 seconds remaining as the Lancers were still down by two.

To put the game away, Vanessa Drury found Udoh – coming off a double screen by Ayotte and Noel – and the sophomore hit the game-winning 3 with 33.6 seconds left, watching the ball roll around the rim before eventually falling in – pushing the Eastern lead to 35-34 and Berlin was down and out.

Late timeouts and missed opportunities foiled the Redcoats as Eastern’s defense held Berlin scoreless over the final 3:03 – snaring a huge 37-34 win in the end to move to 6-1 overall. 

Bristol Eastern Girls Basketball – CCC South action

BRISTOL EASTERN 37, BERLIN  34 

from the Thomas M. Monahan Gymnasium, Bristol 

Berlin (4-1)                             4 15 7 8 –  34 

Bristol Eastern (6-1)             6 12 9 10 – 37 

BERLIN (34): Maddy Sadowski 5 0 11, Brooke Walker 4 2 10, Alyssa Walker 0 2 2, Katie Litwinko 1 2 4, Jenna Borselle 0 1 1, Emma Ellison 2 0 6. Totals: 12 7 34. 

BRISTOL EASTERN (37): Vanessa Drury 2 1 7, Cassie Sward 2 1 7,  Amanda Noel 1 4 6, Savannah Drury 2 0 5, Autumn Udoh 2 7 12, Lauren Ayotte 0 0 0, . Totals: 9 13 37. 

Three-point goals: Maddy Sadowski (Ber), Emma Ellison (Ber) 2, Vanessa Drury (BE) 2, Cassie Sward (BE) 2, Savanah Drury (BE), Autumn Udoh (BE). 

Records: Bristol Eastern 6-1 overall; Berlin 4-1. 

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