The boys basketball team played some tough basketball against the Oakmont Spartans for four quarters on Jan. 5, but failed to come up with a victory at home, falling to 1–4 after a 54–47 loss.
The Trojans opened up the first quarter by playing tough defense. Senior captain Dan Ockene dominated the boards early with four straight defensive rebounds, but Bromfield struggled on the offensive end. Turnovers plagued the Trojans early as they failed to get a shot on four straight possessions midway through the first quarter.
Bromfield trailed 17–11 going into the second quarter. The Trojans opened up with a clever inbounds play from the sideline that resulted in a layup by junior sharpshooter Jeffrey Yates. Yates then hit a three-pointer, which keyed a 10–0 Bromfield run that cut the deficit to 1. Oakmont was able to battle back through some long-distance shooting of its own, but a nice pass from Nick Ashe to Bromfield leading scorer Tyler Shepherd and a jumper from Ockene kept the game close. The Trojans went into halftime trailing 31–29.
Soon after the opening whistle at the start of the second half, Shepherd tied the game on a put-back layup. Bromfield came out strong but lacked consistency; broken plays and turnovers led to missed opportunities and easy points for the Spartans. Oakmont was never able to dominate the game, but the team was able to get points at key times to maintain a lead throughout the third. Whether from timely three-pointers in the corner or tough inside drives, the Spartans maintained consistent offensive production that proved elusive for Bromfield throughout the night.
Late in the third, however, the Trojans started to pick up their game. Yates, the Trojans’ leading scorer of the night, cashed a three from the elbow, and Shepherd finished off a power drive in the lane to make it 41–40 at the end of three quarters.
By the fourth quarter it looked like the Trojans had the game for the taking. Yates finished a free throw after being followed on a short shot just outside the paint area and Dan Ockene nailed a jumper coming off a screen to make it 43–43. Yet the Spartans again proved to be impossible to put away. The Trojans’ lack of offensive efficiency and costly turnovers in the final three minutes caused the game to slip away from Bromfield.
