It came down to the last minute of play, but Bromfield varsity boys basketball came away victorious, 40-38, at Hudson last Tuesday, Jan. 17.

Bromfield had a strong offensive first quarter, scoring 14 points in only eight minutes. Senior co-captain Brian McCullough scored a three-point shot closely followed by junior starter Trevor Granville's back-to-back layup and three-point shot. After Bromfield had two consecutive defensive rebounds, forward starters Ryan Kennedy and Matt Griffin each scored two points.

McCullough ended the first quarter with a defensive steal and a jump shot under the basket.

Senior starting center and co-captain Sam Shepherd started off the second quarter with an offensive rebound and a two-point shot. McCullough led his team in strong defensive play with two rebounds, a save right on the out-of-bounds line, and another defensive steal.

Brian McCullough gets a quick pass off before his opponent can stop him in a recent game. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)

Shepherd scored another basket off an inbound play under Bromfield's basket before sinking one more shot, giving Bromfield 20 points, only one ahead of Hudson, going into the second half of the game.

"It was a great defensive game and we are finding ourselves more and more to be a defensive team as the season progresses," McCullough said. "We were slacking a bit offensively, but we are making progress on our plays; they are effective as long as we are patient and run them through."

In the third quarter, Griffin had two points and two rebounds. Shepherd had two points and led his team with aggressive rebounding and two clean blocks against Hudson. After missing a shot inside the foul line, McCullough got his own rebound and then was fouled on his second shot; he earned one point from the foul line. Hudson made three consecutive three-point shots in the third quarter, narrowing the Trojans lead by three points.

As a result of a technical foul called against Hudson, Granville took full advantage of the opportunity and sank both free throws awarded to Bromfield. The next runs down the court, Granville scored two consecutive three-point shots followed by a jump on the next play. He contributed 18 points overall during the game.

In the last two minutes of the game, Bromfield stepped up its offense and defense. With only 59 seconds left and the score tied at 38, Griffin was fouled on the floor and went to the foul line for two free throws. Making both shots, Griffin put his team ahead by two points, leading to a final score of 40-38.

Hudson missed one three-point shot and two field goal tries in the last 30 seconds of the game, securing Bromfield's lead.

Bromfield effectively ran a zone defense throughout the game and held its opponents to less than 40 points. Hudson's two strongest players have been averaging more than 40 points between them in each game.

"Without a doubt, defense won us the game," said Bromfield coach Tom Hill. "The boys played strong under the basket, and we had some strong rebounding."

Senior Hunter Siegrist agreed with his coach. "Our defense kept Hudson from scoring and kept us in the game," he said. "We should have been able to win by more, but it was good we finished with a win."

Bromfield prepares for a league game at Ayer on Friday, Jan. 27, at 6 p.m. and then will play at home against Lunenburg on Monday, Jan. 30, at 7 p.m.