Bryan Morgan drives past an Ayer defender. (Photo by Rob Williams)
It was an action-packed day of basketball on Tuesday, January 23 when all four Bromfield basketball teams went into action against local rival Ayer. All the Bromfield teams came away with victories.
Both of Bromfield’s varsity teams, playing at home later that evening, were able to fight off tough Ayer teams. The girls varsity team is now 11–4 for the season, having won ten games in a row. The boys varsity improved their record to nine and five.
Despite a depleted roster, the girls junior varsity team came out of the locker room ready to compete. The game remained close for the first half, but the Trojan women pulled away in the end for a 32–24 victory. Sophomore co-captain Carrie Magee hit two second-half 3-pointers, while eighth-grader Emma Rothkopf and sophomore co-captain Jordan McDonnell each added two lay-ups in the second period.
Magee finished with eight points for the team lead. McDonnell added seven along with freshman Hali Burke, who made seven goals and five rebounds. Freshman Alli Reusch scored five points and grabbed four rebounds for the Trojans. Rothkopf had four, and fellow eighth-grader Katie Finnegan rounded out the scoring with one point. Eighth-grader Julia Alexander had eight rebounds for her team.
Coach Mike LeClair was proud of his team’s overall effort. He felt the entire team “stepped up” and “played fantastic.” The team has a 10–6 record at this point in the season.
The second game of the junior varsity doubleheader was much closer than the first. The Trojan boys opened up the game with a 14–2 run. Sophomores Sam Peisch and Kevin Molinaro started the scoring with 3-pointers on consecutive trips down the court. Freshman Cody Osgood had three lay-ups, good for six points, during the opening minutes. Freshman Dan Ockene also launched an eight-foot jump shot. The team closed the first half on a similar run with 3-point field goals coming for Peisch and Osgood. The halftime score was 24–23 in favor of Bromfield.
Osgood and Molinaro controlled the scoring in the second half for Bromfield. Osgood opened the second period with a steal and a lay-up on the other end of the floor. Molinaro added two points on a reverse lay-up. He then increased the Trojans’ lead to five points with another 3-point shot. With tough defense down the stretch from Osgood and freshman Sam Aney the Trojans were able to hold onto the lead. They won 38–36.
Osgood finished with 17 points and three steals. Molinaro had eight points while Peisch had seven. Ockene scored four and freshman Tyler Shepherd had a pair of free throws. Other players contributing to the win were sophomores Ross Jacobson, Keiron Stoddert and Caleb Frost, as well as freshman Zack Clements, Michael Child, Peter Guercio and Dylan Gatto.
The boys’ current record stands at six wins and eight losses. Coach John Neusch commented on the win: “Coming off a three-game losing streak, the kids played tough: they just found a way to win.”
