The Bromfield boys varsity basketball team secured its spot in the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) state tournament that will take place in early March after beating Murdock 62-20 at home Friday, Feb. 9. The win followed a tough loss for the Trojans at an away game Tuesday, Feb. 6, when they lost to Ayer Shirley 78-40.
The Ayer Shirley game was an upset after December’s matchup in which Bromfield lost by only one basket with less than a second on the clock, but the loss was not entirely surprising, according to Bromfield’s head coach, Tim Skaggs. In a postgame interview, he discussed how the Panthers entered the game against the Trojans with one goal in mind: to become the Midland-Wachusett D League champions. The game against Bromfield was Ayer Shirley’s qualifier to be league champs, and they played with a different strategy than they had the rest of the season, according to Skaggs. “They did the exact opposite of what we prepared for,” he said. “We were hoping to avoid their typical scoring in the paint [the area under the net] … and they did the complete opposite in the first quarter. I hadn’t seen [the Panthers high scorer] shoot like that before. He shot two 3-pointers as their first baskets.”
Ethan Russo outjumps his competitors to make his shot in a Feb. 12 game against North Brookfield. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)
Tuesday’s loss was quickly forgotten as the Trojans entered the game against the Murdock Devils last Friday. By the end of the first quarter, the Trojans were up by 20 points. At the end of the first half, Bromfield was dominating 38-7 and finished the third quarter ahead by 38 points at 54-16. While junior Ethan Russo led the team in points with 14, junior Brady Quirion was a close second with 10 points and junior Aaron Magala and sophomore Owen Blasis each had 8 points. “It is always a coach’s dream when you get to play everyone,” said Skaggs, on giving the second string and swing players (who play for both the junior varsity and varsity teams) court time. “We practiced some new stuff on them and it worked well. We worked on trapping, getting loose balls, and getting layups. It gave us a nice cushion early.” The win put Bromfield in the state tournament in March, but there is still one week left of the regular season for the Trojans.
Bromfield was scheduled to face North Brookfield at home Monday, Feb. 12, which was also senior night. The team planned to recognize captains Luke Mac- Lean and Christopher Demetros as well as team manager Matt Hood. Skaggs noted that North Brookfield is a “scrappy team,” which he describes as not large, but deceptive. He said he prepared his team for anything, as one of the opposing players will shoot from anywhere, even the stands, Skaggs said, tongue in cheek.
The Trojans were scheduled for two more games after North Brookfield. On Wednesday, Feb. 14, Bromfield faced Assabet Valley at home. On Thursday, Feb. 15, in the final game of the season, the Trojans had a rematch with Gardner at home. “Gardner is a finesse team and well coached,” said Skaggs. “It is a good barometer for the types of teams we will face in the MIAA state tournament.”
Julie Gowel is a boys varsity basketball parent.
