Killingly — It came down to the best gymnastics team in the state, defending State Open champion Woodstock Academy, and the team that beat the Centaurs this season, Stonington.

And when Monday's Eastern Connecticut Conference championship meet was over inside a crowded Deary's Gymnastics facility, vaulters to the left side of the gym and uneven bars competitors to the right, Woodstock Academy won its 11th straight title.

By the slimmest of margins at nine-tenths of a point.

Woodstock senior Jenna Davidson defended her all-around title with 36.75 points and the Centaurs topped Stonington 139.4-138.5, with Stonington having taken a narrow lead entering the fourth and final rotation with an extraordinary performance on the floor.

Stonington coach Leslie Gomes, awaiting the final awards ceremony from a spot where she was leaning on the balance beam, bowed her head briefly and laid it on the beam when she was handed the scoresheet.

Gomes traditionally does not keep track of scores as the meet is ongoing.

Stonington broke its school record with the 138.5.

"That it was so close," Gomes said, asked what she was thinking at the moment she saw the final score. "It's good, good gymnastics. A lot of teams. A lot of kids.

"We broke a school record and that was one of the goals. They couldn't have done anything more. They had a great night. ... Who comes close to Woodstock like that?"

Following Davidson, Stonington's Hanna Laskey finished second all-around with 35.25 points and Lydia Laskey, a freshman, was fifth with 34.7.

Hanna Laskey was second on the floor (9.25) and Katya Torruella third (9.2), while Torruella was second on beam (8.9) and Hannah Laskey and Lila Rich tied for third (8.85) — "it was so fun to watch them all," Gomes said of the awards ceremony for the beam, "all the Bears up there."

Hanna Laskey was also second in the vault (9.1).

Killingly's Kiera O'Brien won the floor (9.35), while Woodstock's Lindsey Gilles claimed the vault (9.2) and Davidson the bars (9.15) and beam (9.45).

Killingly was third in the team scores with 129.05, followed by East Lyme/Waterford/Norwich Tech with 121.5, Norwich Free Academy with 117.65 and Fitch with 89.75.

Hanna Laskey emerged from the meet smiling.

"I'm very happy about what happened tonight," Laskey said. "We broke the school record with 138.5, so we're very happy about that. Me and my sister both placed all-around. When we were on our last event, it was like, 'We did it.' We thought we were going to get Woodstock.

"(Finishing second by a narrow margin) just happens. We're just happy we did the best we did."

Stonington, which shares the ECC regular-season title with Woodstock, defeated Woodstock Jan. 8 at Stonington by a 136.75-131.15 margin. Lydia Laskey won the all-around that day, with Hanna following in second.

The second meeting between the teams came last Monday at Deary's. With Woodstock on its home floor, the Centaurs won the sequel 137.8-133.1.

Gomes said having that meet so close to the ECC meet helped her team come to the league championship meet with confidence.

"They got used to the equipment. It definitely helped," Gomes said.

Stonington started out on the uneven bars Monday with Woodstock on the vault, with Woodstock taking a 35.45-33.05 lead. But Stonington had its two strongest rotations back-to-back, scoring 35.2 on the beam and 36.3 with a series on spirited floor exercises to lead Woodstock 104.55-104.2 headed to the final apparatus.

If that's not close enough, there is a possibility the teams will meet again.

Woodstock is the defending Class S champion and Stonington the runner-up. It will not be announced which teams are in which CIAC divisions until the Wednesday before the state championships on Feb. 29.

v.fulkerson@theday.com