Bristol hopes to take tougher Independence Division
BucksLocalSports Editor
Last season under then first-yeDr KeDG cRDcK )rDnN 6cLROOD, BrLstRO cDStureG a Bicentennial Athletic League (BAL) Constitution DLvLsLRn tLtOe.
The deck has been resKuIfleG tKLs yeDr KRwever wLtK tKe WDrrLRrs nRw cRmSetLnJ DJDLnst tKe bLJJer DnG bDGGer RSSRnents Ln tKe BAL ,nGeSenGence cRnIerence LncOuGLnJ SerennLDO bRys KRRSs SRwer HROy GKRst 3reS.
“We NnRw Lt’s JRLnJ tR be a lot bigger challenge this yeDr DJDLnst HROy GKRst, CKurcK )Drm DnG LRwer Moreland; all of them are good teams,” said junior Ryan Rigby. “But we know our team has what it takes to tDNe Lt DOO tKe wDy. We KDve cRnfiGence becDuse we GLG it last year.
“We’re GefinLteOy rROOLnJ right now.”
Bristol certainly rolled Rver BAL ,nGeSenGence rLvDO 0D6T CKDrter )rLGDy Jan. 4 on its home court, using a balanced scoring effort, tough defense and rebRunGLnJ Ln SRstLnJ D 23-SRLnt vLctRry Rver tKe vLsLtRrs.
The good thing is the WDrrLRrs Dre JettLnJ scRrLnJ IrRm DOO SRLnts Rn tKe cRurt, meDnLnJ RSSRnents cDn’t IRcus Rn Rne Rr twR SODyers wLtK KRSes RI sKuttLnJ GRwn the entire offense.
Bristol has that luxury tKLs seDsRn. ,n Lts SrevLRus OeDJue wLn Rver 1ew HRSe6ROebury (1H-6), tKe WDrriors got double-digit scoring from Mo Towner and CKDG 3DOmer.
2n )rLGDy, -Dn. 4, BAL ,nGeSenGence rLvDO 0D6T CKDrter NeSt tKRse twR Ln tKe sLnJOe GLJLts. 1R SrRblem for Bristol, which got 14 SRLnts DnG nLne rebRunGs IrRm senLRr TrevRr LeRne DnG 11 SRLnts IrRm RLJby Rn Lts wDy tR D ORSsLGeG 60-37 vLctRry Rver tKe 3Dnthers.
TKe WDrrLRrs DOsR JRt SRLnts IrRm seven RtKer SODyers Ln Lts sL[tK wLn RI the season, their fourth BAL trLumSK RI tKe seDsRn.
“We GRn’t KDve Dny mDLn scorers on this team,” exSODLneG RLJby. “We KDve D ORt RI Juys tKDt SODy tKeLr rROes. WKen tKe Juys Jet JRLnJ tKey Jet tKeLr SRLnts uS DnG tKDt’s KRw we tKrLve in our offense.”
0eDnwKLOe, 3DOmer cDme tKrRuJK wLtK nLne SRLnts DnG seven DssLsts DnG TRwner DGGeG seven Ln scRrLnJ. Sean Coughlin and Ryan WeLnNRSII cKLSSeG Ln wLtK five SRLnts, eDcK. -D-uDn RDnNLns (4 Sts.), ALGDn Coughlin (3) and Brandon WDOOLcN (2) DOsR cRntrLbuteG tR tKe WDrrLRrs’ cDuse.
4uLLyLm 6DunGers SDceG MaST Charter with 14 SRLnts. DevLn -DcNsRn DnG 6KDne HROmes SLtcKeG Ln wLtK sL[ SRLnts, eDcK.
BrLstRO RutSDceG tKe 3DntKers Ln every SerLRG but tKe third, when each side registereG 14 SRLnts, eDcK.
“We’ve KDG sRme struJgles holding leads that big,” sDLG RLJby. We cRme Rut reDOOy strRnJ Ln tKe first KDOI. In the third quarter, we get a sense of [comfort] and it hurts us.
“TRGDy, we GLGn’t [JLve] too much of the lead [back] so we handled it well.”
,n tKe finDO IrDme, wLtK tKe reserves SODyLnJ, tKe WDrrLRrs RutSDceG 0D6T, 14-8.
“The fourth quarter, we bounced back strong, we stDrteG mRvLnJ tKe bDOO around and started getting back to what we were doing Ln tKe first KDOI.”
BrLVtol outSaced nonleague New 0edLa Technology, 42-35, 0onday, -an. 7 at hoPe EeIore IallLng at the handV oI BAL rLval Devon 3reS -an 11 Ln overtLPe.
TraLlLng the TLde, 20-8, at the halI laVt )rLday, the :arrLorV roared Eack to lock thLngV uS Ln regulatLon only to Iall, 42-36, Ln OT.
Now, BrLVtol headV Lnto a Vtretch where Lt wLll Iace some its toughest division rLvalV VtartLng wLth a hoPe PatchuS -an. 11 agaLnVt Devon 3reS. A road SaLrLng -an. 15 at Holy *hoVt and a hoPe gaPe vV. Church )arP -an. 18 enVueV. On Dec. 15, Church )arP tagged the :arrLorV wLth theLr only BAL loVV thuV Iar, outSacLng the red-andwhLte, 45-34.
“:e’re goLng to keeS goLng,” VaLd RLgEy. “:e have a lot oI confidence headLng Lnto the Vtretch.”
:Lth laVt )rLday’V wLn over 0aST, BrLVtol SuVhed to 6-3 overall, 4-1 Ln the BAL.
*** DO:NASHOR( DurLng the ChrLVtPaV Ereak, the :arrLorV took a trLS to the Eeach, coPSetLng Ln the Eoardwalk EaVketEall claVVLc Dec. 29 and 30 at :Lldwood ConventLon Center. The :arrLorV went 1-1 deIeatLng Ocean CLty 49-45 EeIore IallLng 52-47 to VLneland.
“:e never had that exSerLence EeIore here Ln BrLVtol,” VaLd RLgEy. ,t waV Iun to go down there and get some good team-bonding tLPe, get VoPe good exSerLence SlayLng Ln a ELg arena.”
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