The Woodstock Academy Gold Prep basketball team saw its 15-game win streak come to an end last week.
Then, it found itself on a two-game losing streak.
But the Centaurs got back on track Feb. 2, scoring a 70-67 win over Arizona Compass Prep at the National Prep School Invitational at Rhode Island College.
Jordan Mitchell and Quran McPherson combined to make it so. Mitchell got a rebound with five seconds left and the score tied.
The 6-foot, 8-inch post ran up the right side of the court and tried to cut left, but started to fall down. He happened to spot Quran McPherson.
“It was an unbelievable pass,” said Woodstock Academy Gold Prep basketball coach Jacque Rivera.
McPherson took the pass, let it fly, and watched it sink through the twine as the buzzer sounded.
“Credit Quran with the big shot, he’s a big-time player, but the presence of mind of Jordan Mitchell to be able to make that pass under duress was just as impressive,” Rivera said.
The win came against a team that Feb. 1 had handed Putnam Science Academy its second loss of the season.
“It’s huge,” Rivera said of breaking the brief losing streak. “It’s not just the two losses, it was how we lost.”
The Centaurs (22-3) had opportunities against Power 5 Conference foe, Springfield Commonwealth Academy Blue, early last week, but fell short, 82-77.
That was followed by another setback.
The Centaurs lost to DME Academy Jan. 31, 81-78, in their first game at the National Prep School Invitational.
Woodstock Academy came back from a double-digit deficit against the Florida-based team and was tied at 78 going into the final seconds. A missed shot by DME resulted in an offensive rebound and a basket.
The Centaurs should have gotten the ball back with about three seconds to play.
But an official thought the original shot had not hit the rim and called a shot clock violation, nullifying the basket.
When he was informed by other officials that the ball had hit the rim, the officials decided to give the ball back to DME Academy.
Keegan Murray, who finished with 35 points, hit his sixth 3-pointer of the second half as regulation time expired to give DME the win.
Joe Moon led the Centaurs with 16 points, Ronnie DeGray added 12 and Dyondre Dominguez finished with 11.
Centaurs Blue Prep Battles 'The Wall'
The wall is staring the Woodstock Academy and many others who play prep basketball in the face.
It’s the time of year when players, most of them having graduated high school the year before, learn that unlike the previous level where 25 or 26 games constitute the entire season, there is still a lot of season left. We just had this conversation and harped on not hitting that wall. A year ago, the season was over unless you were playing in a state championship game. Your body is used to saying the season is over with by now and we still have a whole lot of basketball to play, a month and a half,” said Centaurs Blue head coach Denzel Washington.
For that reason, Washington was happy to see his team perform the way it did late last week.
The Centaurs rolled past a team who had beaten them earlier this season, Cheshire Academy, 82-54 Feb. 1 and the day before that, handed Hyde School of Maine an 85-81 defeat.
Center Paul Hosey was the man of the hour for the Centaurs against Cheshire.
He scored 32 of the Blue team’s 49 first-half points to give the Centaurs an insurmountable 24-point advantage.
“The 38 points wasn’t expected but with the effort he gave (Saturday), he was more than deserving,” Washington said of Hosey. “I have to attribute it to the team as well. They recognized the hot hand (Saturday) and made an effort to continue to feed him. It was beautiful to see.”
Nahshon Battle was a key part of that as he contributed a team-high 10 assists.
“It was great to play Cheshire again. Compared to last time, we were shorthanded, but we still found a way to get the win. Our motto is always ‘Let’s go 1-0 today.’ I’m really proud of our effort,” the Blue prep coach added.
Vondre Chase added 17 in the win.
The victory over Cheshire was easier than the day before when the Wolfpack from Hyde tested the Centaurs.
“It was tough and hard fought. We expected that. They gave (the Centaurs) Gold (prep basketball team) a pretty tough game the other day and I expected nothing less,” said Centaurs forward Walter DeFritas.
The problem for the Wolfpack, a NEPSAC Class C team, is that it doesn’t have a lot of depth. Hyde-Maine brings only eight players.
The Centaurs Blue team wasn’t much better Jan. 31. Illness and injury have depleted the Centaurs ranks to just nine players.
“It’s tough but it’s the ‘next man up’ attitude. It’s always take care of one another and I think we did an amazing job of that (Friday),” Washington said.
Woodstock Academy opened a 14-point lead in the first half when DeFritas hit a basket to make it, 41-27.
But Hyde crept back in and trailed by only 11, 42-31, at the half.
The Centaurs were able to get it back into double digits early in the second half.
White helped put Hyde in the lead, 61-60, with 7:36 to play and they still held it with 4:16 left when White completed a three-point play.
Amani Gottlieb put the Centaurs up for good with a bucket with 3:44 to play. It was the start of a 9-1 Woodstock Academy run that put the game out of reach.
Battle led the Centaurs with 18 points while DeFritas added 16.
The wins raised the Centaurs record to 16-11.
Woodstock Academy had a 50-50 start to the week.
It opened with an 89-73 win over Springfield Commonwealth Academy.
Hosey led the way for the Centaurs with 15 points while both Malikai Delgado and Gottlieb added 13.
Woodstock Academy then had to travel Jan. 29 to Bridgeport Prep. Their opponents had just given the Putnam Science Academy prep team a run for its money and the Centaurs found out why. They fell to Bridgeport Prep, 100-92.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
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It’s not an easy task to be a sprinter and a hurdler.
At least, not in the ECC indoor track championship meet. The 55-meter hurdles and the 55-meter dash are run back-to-back and it takes a special athlete to not only compete in both but to be one of the top athletes in both.
Woodstock Academy junior Daisy Li was up to that task Feb. 1. Li finished second in the 55-meter hurdles and followed that up with a first-place finish in the 4 55-meter dash.
Her efforts helped the Centaurs to an overall third place finish as a team in the ECC Division I championship meet.
The Centaurs (60 points) didn’t have the number of participants to keep up with the likes of first-place E. Lyme (207) or second place Norwich Free Academy (128).
“I don’t feel super-tired because it’s only 55 meters, but mentally, it’s tough. I had to run right back to the starting line after I finished the hurdles,” Li said.
She also was a member of the Centaurs 4x180 relay team which posted a third-place finish.
“She did a phenomenal job,” Woodstock Academy indoor track coach Josh Welch said. “I knew she would a top contender in her events, but I didn’t know she would take a first, second and third. She had to be one of the top medalists here (Saturday). She’s just a consistent, hard-working kid.”
Li finished in 7.63 seconds to win the dash. That bettered her personal best by two-tenths of a second.
Darya Mikusova of E. Lyme won the 55-meter hurdles in 9.36 seconds, Li finished in 9.69 seconds for second place.
The third-place finish in the relay meant she helped the Centaurs to get 24 of their points.
Senior Julia Theriaque took first in the high jump, clearing the bar at 5-feet-2.
Welch said the 5-2 jump put her in good shape for the Class L championship meet Feb. 15. She will go into that competition as the top seed as she had cleared 5-4 earlier this season.
Since she was the only one to clear the 5-2 height and guaranteed the win, she opted to put the bar up to 5-5, hoping to qualify for Nationals. She failed to clear.
Welch said, however, that her attempts at 5-5 looked very good and that it was more her timing than the height of the bar or her ability, that held her back this time.
Sophomore Linsey Arends also brought home a first-place medal and lapped a lot of the field in so doing.
She finished in 12 minutes, 11 seconds — she was hoping for a sub-12 finish.
Arends will get that push she needs in the Class L state championship meet. Six runners, including herself, have posted sub-12 minute performances this year including a scorching 10:53.25 by Chloe Scrimgeour of Conard.
Isabella Sorrentino also qualified for the Class L championship meet for the Centaurs when she tossed the shotput 29 feet, 3 ½ inches to finish sixth in the ECC championship.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
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captions:
Heading Toward
Woodstock Academy senior Greg Weber heads toward the bar in the high jump competition at the ECC boys’ indoor track championship.
Crosses Hurdle
Adam Schimmelpfennig crosses the last hurdle on his way to a second-place finish in the 55-meter hurdles. Photos by Marc Allard.
Basketball was Greg Weber’s first love.
He had played for Woodstock Academy for the last three seasons.
But things didn’t work out this year and Weber, now a senior, decided to try indoor track.
Now, he regrets that he had not done so sooner.
“I wish I had done this since freshman year,” Weber said after he finished second in the long jump and third at the high jump at the ECC Div. I boys’ indoor track championship meet Feb. 1.
With only the remaining one or two indoor track meets left and the outdoor season left in high school, he is now hopeful to pursue a collegiate track career.
Weber did not finish as strongly as he had hoped and neither did the Centaurs boys’ indoor track team.
The Centaurs had to settle for a tie for fourth with New London at 39 points, well behind Norwich Free Academy with 208.
Junior Ethan Aspiras wouldn’t have made up the entire difference but probably could have brought 10 points or so to the table.
Aspiras could not go because he was battling the flu.
Weber cleared 20 feet, 3 ¾ inches to take second in the long jump.
That was below his season best of 21-5 ½ and had him seeded second for the event behind NFA athlete Osaretin Osagie. Osagie chose not to compete but another NFA athlete, Justin Costick, was able to take home first when he jumped 20-5 ½ .
Weber has cleared 5-10 in the high jump this season but had to settle for 5-8.
One thing he was not that used to, the pressure of competing in a championship environment.
“He missed a first by an inch and change to a really good NFA competitor, it’s something he could have got, it’s just dialing things in. He’s so new. Getting there and just getting steps, getting into the swing of things, is a lot for him. He did a really good job of keeping all of that under control and having a solid day,” Welch said.
Osagie did deny a member of the Centaurs a first-place finish.
The NFA senior took the 55m hurdles in 7.87 seconds ahead of Woodstock Academy junior Adam Schimmelpfennig who finished in 8.4 seconds.
Eric Phongsa was the only other individual to score a point for the Centaurs.
The relay teams accounted for the remainder of them.
“It looks like we have 15-to-18 kids (boys and girls), depending on who is in what relay who have qualified for States. It will be good to get down to that focus group and really begin to fine tune some things with people, without being so spread out like we are during the regular season,” Welch said.
The Centaurs finished up their dual season against Massachusetts teams Jan. 29 with four wins to finish 12-3 on the season.
Woodstock Academy downed Massachusetts high schools Bartlett (55-31); David Prouty (67-13); Northbridge (55-25) and Grafton (64-20). Schimmelpfennig placed first in the hurdles and second in the 300 meter. Joe Zhou tied for first in the high jump competition.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy
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On President's List
ELON, N.C. — Anna Grace Murphy has been named to the President’s List for the 2019 fall semester at Elon University.
Murphy is the daughter of Emily J. Murphy of Woodstock and Raymond F. Murphy III of Massachusetts.
She is a member of the Class of 2022 and is majoring in BSBA Business Management - Human Resource Management with Political Science and Accounting minors
She will study abroad in Italy in the fall.
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