By Shawn Bates
The Lady Clippers pulled off the trifecta this week winning all three match ups against Griswold, Wheeler and Grasso Tech.
The Clippers become the first team in the northeast corner to achieve a state tournament berth with a record of 9-1, with two games left at the mid-season turn. Putnam would start off the week at home against Griswold with a 50-40 victory.
Ashley Burke and Victoria Dias each netted 12 points and Kayleigh Lyons, 11.
Next up Jan. 10 the ladies would travel to North Stonington to face the Wheeler Lyons where the Lady Clippers would edge them out in a close one, 36 to 28 road win for their eighth of the season. Ashley Burke again would be in the double digits netting 12 for the Clippers.
And for the final game of the week the Clippers headed to Grasso Tech where Putnam would put on a clinic and defeat Tech with a 66-7 win.
This ended the week with a record of 9-1 and they earned a CIAC Tournament berth.
Boys
The Clippers split their two games this week after almost a week off due to snow. They first squared off against an old ECC foe in Griswold and would fall behind in the 1st quarter, unable to catch up for a 64-35 loss on the road.
The second game of the week would have the boys on the long trek down to Groton to face Grasso Tech. Clipper Sebastian Ramos came out shooting. Ramos dropped 9 of his 18 points in the first quarter to give the Clippers a 21-17 lead.
Putnam would not look back and outscored Grasso in the second 30 to 6 by pressing all of the quarter to go into half time 51-23 lead. The 2nd half would be much of the same for Putnam which defeated Tech 82-50. Putnam had three players in double digits. Colby Livingston lead all with 19 points followed by Sebastian Ramos with 18 and Tyion Harris with 15.
Putnam, almost in the middle of its schedule, is 5-3 with 12 games remaining. The Clippers are in decent shape for a State Tournament berth if they get to the magic number of eight wins.
Putnam Middle School
The Wolf Pack (3-1) hosted two games and got two wins in Putnam last  week. In the first game Parish Hill came to town and outscored 56-25. Putnam would apply a half court press and would force multiple turnovers to jump out to a 25 to 3  first-quarter lead with Karson Bates leading the charge with 10 out of his tea- high 13 point in the  1st quarter .  Putnam Coach Coderre would take advantage of the mismatch and would use his entire bench reserves. And 12 out of 13 would record points in the book.
For the second game of the week the Wolf Pack hosted the first-place Eastford Squad Jan. 11. Putnam would fall behind in the first 8 to 6 in the quarter but would bounce back to gain the lead going into half time, 26 to 12. That came with help from Alonzo Henries’ six points, Karson Bates’ 6 points and Cooper Livingston’s five points — each to outscore Eastford in the second quarter 20 to 4.
In the second half of the game Karson Bates would take advantage of every hole he could find in the Eastford defense to net 22 of his team-high 28 points in the second half to give Putnam the 58-39 victory.  Alonzo Henries scored 10 points for the top scorers for the Wolf Pack.

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