Bromfield senior Luke Broganer goes airborne for a two-pointer. (Photos by Lisa Aciukewicz)
Senior Brian McCullough drives past his Keefe Tech opponent, scoring a basket and drawing a foul. (Photos by Lisa Aciukewicz)
The 11th-seeded Bromfield Trojans basketball team was unable to upset the third-seeded Keefe Tech Broncos last Friday, falling by a score of 61-41.
The Trojans were short-handed, losing starting senior Sean Thurston to a sprained ankle on one leg, and a sprained knee on the other.
Bromfield, coming into the game with a 13-8 record, began the game with an unconventional defense, a triangle and two, with three players in a zone and two players guarding man-to-man. Nick Ashe and Brian McCullough, the Trojans’ best contain defenders, guarded the Broncos’ Eduin Mieses and Anthony Morales, who posed serious threats as offensive players.
Bromfield was outscored 18-6 in the quarter, largely due to the fact that Ashe, a prolific rebounder, was kept out of the paint due to his defensive duties on Morales. The Trojans were also outrebounded 14-5 in the quarter, including seven offensive rebounds.
Bromfield fought back in the second quarter, limiting Keefe Tech to just seven points in the quarter, after switching to a two-three zone on defense and sending big man Jeff Yates into the paint to score on offense. Yates added six points on post plays in four minutes to end the first half, and the Trojans were losing just 25-20 two quarters in.
Bromfield came out with a fast-paced offense in the third quarter, relying on Ashe, Yates, and sophomore Matt Griffin to grab rebounds down low. McCullough paced the offense with five assists, and Ashe ran the floor well and hit his layups to shoot five of nine from the floor for 10 points. A Yates three tied the game at 36 with a minute to go in the third, and Bromfield was losing just 39-36 after three quarters, with momentum in their favor. During that 15-minute run, Bromfield outscored their opponents 30-18.
But the fourth quarter was a different story. Keefe Tech dominated Bromfield on the defensive end, using a zone full-court press to force turnover after turnover. The usually sure-handed Yates and McCullough turned the ball over six times in the final quarter. Ashe got into foul trouble early in the quarter, sitting with four fouls before entering the game again with three minutes left.
Bromfield did not make a three-pointer in the fourth quarter. The Broncos pressured senior Trojan sharpshooter Luke Broganer, never leaving him alone outside the three-point line. Yates had similar pressure, and the two together made just one of 17 three-pointers.
The Broncos pulled away, limiting Bromfield to five points in the quarter, while adding 22 of their own. Mieses finished with 12 points on the game, and Morales added 12 points and 15 rebounds.
Yates had 14 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists in his final game for Bromfield. Ashe added five rebounds to his 10 points. Broganer, also a senior, scored four points, had three assists, and added three steals. Senior Jason Mandozzi scored four points and had two assists in his last game for the Trojans.
Bromfield finished the season with a 13-9 record, while Keefe Tech improved to 18-2. Keefe Tech lost in the district semifinal to top-seeded, and state favorite, Whitinsville Christian, by a score of 87-38.
