The Bromfield boys varsity basketball team secured two wins in its first two games of the new year. The Trojans beat the West Boylston Lions 66-56 on Friday, Jan. 3, and claimed victory over South Lancaster Academy on Monday, Jan. 6, 75-40.
Sophomore Jonathan LeGrand tries to sink a shot in the match-up with South Lancaster Academy.(Photo by Julie Gowel)
Senior and co-captain Brady Quirion came out swishing in the evening game at West Boylston High School, scoring two 3-pointers at the start of the first quarter. By the end of the first half, the Trojans had secured a 12-point lead over the Lions.
The game continued with Bromfield maintaining the lead, the Lions demonstrating frustration in their aggressive play. Coach Tim Skaggs explained the defensive strategy West Boylston used against senior and co-captain Ethan Russo during an interview with the Press.
“They played a box-on-one on Ethan. They had a football type player really focusing on him. He got banged around. He got clocked in the mouth pretty handily,” said Skaggs. A box-on-one defense is considered a “junk defense,” or a play in which man-to-man and zone defenses are combined. When a team has one exceptionally high scorer, as Bromfield does with Russo, the opposition can use this play to create chaos for the opposition’s offense.
Unfortunately for West Boylston, their efforts were for naught. Even with Russo on the bench for much of the match, game high-scorer and junior co-captain Owen Balsis stepped up with 17 points, leading the Trojans to the win.
On Monday, Bromfield had the home court advantage against South Lancaster. “I anticipated it being a much tougher game but the students played well,” said Skaggs. “Defensively, the players set the tone. We stayed in the zone throughout the game, minimizing turnovers and excessive dribbling and focusing on moving the ball.”
Coming off the 35-point win, Bromfield was scheduled to face the Ayer Shirley Panthers in Ayer on Friday, Jan. 10.
