Springfield routs U-32 at Corey Plante tourney
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Stefan Hard/Times Argus |
Toolbox
By Tim Klein Correspondent - Published: December 30, 2008
MONTPELIER – The Springfield boys basketball team held U-32 to a single point in the fourth quarter in Monday's 54-36 victory during the first round of the Corey Plante Memorial Tournament.
The Cosmos were led by the stellar play of shooting guard Grant White, who scored a game-high 29 points, 17 of which came in the first half.
"Believe it or not, (White) actually had an off-shooting game tonight," Springfield coach Peter Peck said. "He is just a pure shooter, though, and somehow he found ways to score."
The game was closer than the score suggests, as the teams engaged in a defensive battle for the first 24 minutes of play. The Raiders started the game strong, as Jackson Cousins (seven points) scored the first five points for U-32 to give his team a 5-2 lead.
The Cosmos responded quickly, capitalizing on four consecutive Raider turnovers. A fast-break layup from Keith Cook (two points) at the end of the first quarter gave Springfield a 16-11 lead. Raider Jake McArdle (11 points) started the second quarter by converting a 3-point play to cut the Cosmos' lead to 16-14. Springfield answer back by going on an 8-0 run to extend the lead to 10 points. Ethan McCallister's up-and-under layup with 1:56 to go in the quarter pushed the lead to 11.
U-32 battled back when Justin Wark (nine points) came off the bench in the second quarter and provided a spark for the listless Raider offense by scoring five points. A Ryan Shea 3-pointer as time expired in the second quarter cut the gap to 27-22 and gave the Raiders much-needed momentum going into the second half.
"They played really tough defense in the first half and they forced us to adjust," Peck said. "Fortunately we have a bunch of heady kids on this team and they showed their maturity and poise in the second half."
The Raiders, just as they had done in the first half, came out strong to start the second. McArdle scored the first five points for the Raiders as the two teams traded baskets. Unfortunately for U-32, White took over the game midway through the third by scoring seven consecutive points to push the lead to 41-35.
"Grant White is the best scorer in Southern Vermont, hands down," U-32 coach Dan Gandin said. "Defensively we had to give him a lot of attention, but he still managed a way to score."
It was all Cosmos for the rest of the way as they held the Raiders to zero field goals in the final eight minutes of play. A White 3-pointer with 3:32 remaining pushed the lead to 48-36 and helped seal the victory for Springfield.
"You have to give them a lot of credit," Gandin said. "Their guards beat us off the dribble, and when we would shut down White he would make the open pass and the rest of the team would make us pay."
According to Peck, Monday's victory was the perfect way for his team get back on track after a brief layoff.
"Any time you don't play for an entire week, travel for two hours during the holidays and get a win, that is huge," he said. "We did not play great offensively, and you have to give credit to the U-32 defense for taking us out of our element, but I am happy with the win."
Springfield improves to 5-1 will face Hazen in tonight's tournament championship at 7 p.m. Hazen earned a 39-37 victory over Mount Abraham in Monday's other first-round game of the tournament. Billy Boyd scored a team-high 13 points for the Wildcats, who improve to 7-0. Mount Abraham falls to 3-3.
U-32 falls to 2-4 and will faces Mount Abraham in today's consolation game at 4 p.m.
Springfield 54, U-32 36
U-32 (36)
Sherman 0 0-0 0, Shea 1 1 0-0 5, Suskin 0 0-0 0, Prevost 0 0-0 0, Cousins 2 1 0-0 7, Cote 0 0-0 0, Helme 0 0-0 0, Wark 4 1-2 9, Gale-Pyka 2 0-0 4, S. McArdle 0 0-0 0, Fitzgerald 0 0-0 0, J. McArdle 3 5-8 11, Bolduc 0 0-0 0. Totals 12 2 6-10 36.
SPRINGFIELD (54)
Albee 2 0-0 4, White 8 4 1-1 29, Dana 2 0-0 4, Cook 1 0-0 2, Graham 0 2-2 2, Boyle 1 1-1 3, Brady 0 0-0 0, Wallace 3 0-0 6, McAllister 1 0-1 2, Wheeler 1 0-0 2, Otis 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 4 4-6 54.
Springfield 16 11 14 13 – 54
U-32 11 11 13 1 – 36
Three pointers: S – White (4). U – Cousins, Shea. Fouled out: None.
Hazen 39, Mount Abraham 37
MOUNT ABRAHAM (37)
Kimball 3 1 0-0 9, Sundstrom 0 2 0-0 6, Goldstein 0 0-0 0, Marcelle 1 1 0-0 5, Low 1 0-0 2, Butler 3 1-2 7, McDonough 0 0-0 0, Kayhart 1 2 0-0 8, Dolokowski 0 0-0 0. Totals 9 6 1-2 37.
HAZEN (39)
Adam Whitney 0 2 0-0 6, Appleton 1 2-2 4, Andrew Whitney 2 1-2 5, Flood 0 0-0 0, Benjamin 3 0-0 6, Tatro 1 0-0 2, DeLaricheliere 0 1-2 1, Vasiliadis 0 2-4 2, Coultas 0 0-0 0, Boyd 6 1-4 13. Totals
M.t Abraham 1 9 6 7 5 – 37
Hazen 8 11 11 9 – 39
Three pointers: MA – Kayhart (2), Sundstrom (2), Kimball, Marcelle. H – Adam Whitney (2)+. Fouled out: None.
39