Junior Ben Neville maneuvers around a Littleton opponent in the final game of the season. (Photos by Lisa Aciukewicz)
Junior Ryan Bollman looks for the shot.
The Bromfield boys’ varsity basketball team’s impressive season came to an end Wednesday, Feb. 25, as the Trojans fell to the Littleton Tigers 59–36 at home in the first round of the Central Mass. playoffs. Bromfield had been the number-six seed in the playoffs, while Littleton was ranked 11th.
Coming into the playoffs, the Trojans brought up sophomores Noah Dyer and Riley Sennott from the junior varsity team, along with getting junior Tommy Jackovitz back onto the roster from a sprained ankle injury. Bromfield started the game with an all-junior lineup featuring Jake Frackiewicz, Liam Sullivan, Ben Neville, Ryan Bollman, and Mark Schwiegershausen. The Tigers’ lineup consisted of Nicholas Fontanella, Christian Watson, Connor Bassett, Nicholas Murray, and Joseph Fontanella.
Bromfield struck early in the first quarter with free throws from Neville, taking the early lead within the third minute. However, only he and Bollman were able to score for the Trojans, while the Tigers had four scorers, including freshman Mitchell Crory, who made four of the 15 points Littleton posted in the first quarter. Bromfield tallied only six points in the quarter, starting out a little rough.
The second quarter saw more life from the Trojans, who scored 11 points over nine by the Tigers, narrowing the gap to seven. Frackiewicz opened the scoring for Bromfield with a 3-pointer, along with more offense from Neville, Sullivan, and sophomore Ross MacMahon, who together put up eight points. Littleton used two timeouts during the quarter, trying to stop Bromfield’s running game before the half ended at 24–17.
Tigers roar in final quarter
The second half opened with a few 2-pointers from Crory and Bassett, causing Trojan Coach Ryan Kilian to regroup his team in a timeout with 6:50 remaining in the quarter. Afterward, Frackiewicz managed to nail down seven more points for Bromfield but was overshadowed by 10 from Tiger N. Fontanella. The Trojans called another timeout before the quarter ended at 38–26 in Littleton’s favor.
The Tigers roared in the fourth quarter with a flurry of points in a 21–10 run during the game’s final eight minutes. Littleton boasted seven scorers in the quarter, steamrolling past the Trojans, who got points only from Frackiewicz, Schwiegershausen, and Neville before the game ended at 59–36.
The Trojans had a remarkable season, making their way into the playoffs in Coach Kilian’s second year. Ending up with a 12–7 record to make it onto the postseason was an extraordinary feat. Next year, the Trojans will be without seniors Adam Siddiqui, Kevin McCauley, and Will Sennott.
