Bristol Eastern girls hoop team pulls away from Lewis Mills in 2nd and 3rd quarter, then hangs on for a 53-46 Friday victory

Bristol Eastern coach Tony Floyd rallies his players earlier in the season. | M. Letendre

Posted By: Jack Krampitz January 20, 2024

Bristol Eastern’s girls had just enjoyed their biggest win of the season the night before against their cross-town rivals, and they understandably came out looking a little sluggish at Lewis Mills on Friday. Against a team they had handled easily in early January, the Lancers slogged their way to a 53-46 win Friday night.

On a night when the Lancers shot only 34% from the field, they emerged with only a two-point margin, 14-12, through one quarter. But they improved in the second and third stanzas to gain a comfortable margin.

Eastern led 34-24 at the half, and outscored Mills 11-2 in the third period to widen their lead to 45-28 going into the fourth.

But for the second night in a row, the Lancers had to withstand a furious rally by their opponents, as Mills hit for 18 points in the fourth period while Eastern only tallied 8.

Vanessa Drury and Autumn Udoh again led Eastern in the scoring column, tallying 17 and 16 points respectively. Freshman Cassie Sward made a big contribution with a 9-point performance.

Layla Ljubuncic  had a huge night for the Spartans, pouring in 18 points. Jillian Tito chipped in with 12, as Mills showed a major improvement over their 30- point loss at the Lancerdome on Jan. 2.

Eastern improves to an impressive 11-2 on the season, while Lewis Mills is now 5-5. The Lancers travel to Farmington on Monday; game time at 6 p.m.

Bristol Eastern  53     Lewis Mills  46

BRISTOL EASTERN (11-2):  Vanessa Drury  5  4  17,  Leah Roy 0  2  2, Amanda Noel 1  2  4, Lauren Ayotte 0  0  0,  Savannah Drury 2  0  5,  Autumn Udoh  6  4  16,  Cassie Sward  4  0  9.  Totals:  18  12  53.

LEWIS MILLS (5-5):   Jillian Tiso 6  0  12,  Sadie Aston 2  0  4,  Taytum Fitzgerald 1  0  2,  Brooke Martineau 0  1  1,  Abriana Wroblewski 2  2  6,  Lillian Martineau 1  0  3,  Layla Ljubuncic  8  1  18.  Totals:  20   4   46.

Bristol Eastern:   14   20   11   8  – – –  53                                                                                           
Lewis Mills:          12   12    4   18 – – –  46

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