The Bromfield boys basketball team fell to three and five Friday, Jan. 7, in a 60-59 loss to the West Boylston Lions.
The Lions, a traditional league powerhouse, were just two and three coming into the contest. They fell behind Bromfield by a score of 11-7 after one quarter, thanks to poor transition defense and sluggish offensive play.
Bromfield slowly had their lead chipped away by the Lions, who consistently hit their foul shots, but they maintained the lead as a result of strong defense inside from senior center, and captain, Jeff Yates, and the hard-hitting guard combination of captains Luke Broganer, who finished with five steals, and Brian McCullough, who had three. The score was 24-22 in favor of Bromfield at halftime.
Bromfield caught the Lions on their heels to start the second half, quickly jumping out to a 34-24 lead behind strong play off the bench from Ryan Kennedy and Matt Griffin, who both finished with two points and three rebounds. Yates, too, made a three in that stretch.
However, the Trojans turned their momentum into sloppy play. After a timeout, the Lions scored an astonishing 17 straight points without allowing a single Bromfield hoop. They made their lead 41-34 before Yates drew a foul as the third quarter expired. He made two of his three foul shots.
After a quiet first three quarters, senior guard Jason Mandozzi helped Bromfield inch closer, making consecutive sets of foul shots on two possessions. Then, after two Boylston baskets, Yates airballed a three. Defensive specialist Mandozzi, though, grabbed the ball out of the air and shot a layup. He was fouled, and converted his fifth and sixth foul shots of the game. He finished with six points and three steals, before fouling out with two minutes remaining.
Mandozzi’s shots brought Bromfield to within eight points of the lead, with two minutes left. With Yates and Broganer, who were a combined 3-24 from the field, struggling on the offensive end, McCullough saw his time to step into the spotlight.
McCullough, not traditionally a three-point shooter, brought the ball up the floor and took a shot from behind the line. He swished the shot through, and was fouled in the process, giving him the opportunity to convert a rare four-point play.
After McCullough made the free throw to bring his team within four points, the Lions used another timeout. Senior Nick Ashe stole the Lions’ ensuing inbounds pass and fed McCullough for a quick layup, making the score 56-52.
West Boylston converted their next two free throws to extend the lead to six, before McCullough made his second consecutive three-pointer, once again bringing Bromfield within one possession, with 30 seconds remaining.
Trailing 58-55, Bromfield’s full-court pressure was beaten, which put them down by five points with just 15 seconds left. Then, with the score 60-55, McCullough drove to the hoop and was fouled. He sank both of his free throws.
The Trojan press’s quick-moving front line of Ashe, Broganer, and McCullough caused West Boylston confusion on the ensuing inbounds pass, and Ashe forced another turnover with six seconds left. Bromfield’s inbound play used Yates, the traditional three-point shooter, coming to the near corner, and Broganer picking for McCullough, who ended up with a one-on-one chance for a three-pointer with four seconds left. His shot sailed off the back rim, directly into his hands, and he converted his layup as time expired, bringing Bromfield within one, but that was as close as the Trojans would get.
McCullough scored 13 points in the final 90 seconds of game play. He had 16 points in the last quarter, and 25 on the game. He also added eight rebounds and four assists.
Bromfield shot an impressive 85 foul shots in just two games, against Ayer and West Boylston. They made 55 of those 85 shots.
