Hartford shuts down Springfield, 52-34

Boys basketball at Springfield.
http://rutlandherald.com/article/20140201/THISJUSTIN/702019906

Hartford shuts down Springfield, 52-34 By POODY WALSH Correspondent | February 01,2014 Rutland herald SPRINGFIELD — It’s been a tough year so far for the Hartford boys, but coach Steve Landon is optimistic about the rest of the games this winter. On Friday night the Hurricanes had a defensive first half that limited Springfield to just 13 points in what would eventually be a 52-34 Hartford win. “We’re really trying to simplify things,” said Landon and one of the prime items of concern was rebounding. “We didn’t give them many second-chance opportunities at their offensive end and we’ve been talking about that.” The win brought the Hurricanes to 4-9 and Landon is happy about the way the team is starting to come together. “We play the best teams and there is a lot of hope for what’s ahead of us,” said Landon. “We were patient on offense and didn’t take shots with three players hanging on to us.” Springfield has also been going through a troublesome season at 4-10 and have lost seven in a row. However, there were some bright spots for the Cosmos who had a much better second half after falling behind 34-14 at the half. Justin Gomez came off the Springfield bench to drop in three from beyond the arc and had 10 of his team’s first 14 points. “The first half was our worst half of the year, but we limited them to 12 points in the first 12 minutes of the second half so that was a big improvement,” said Springfield coach Pete Peck. Hartford connected on eight 3-pointers in the first three quarters then in the fourth quarter scored 10 points, all from the foul line. Both Dylan Rice and Cam Gaudette had a trio of 3-pointers and Branson Landon had two. Hartford was hot out of the gate taking quick 14-2 lead in a period that would end up 17-6. After a taking a 2-0 in the first 30 seconds the next 15 Hartford points of the period would come on 3-pointers. What really powered the swift start for the Hurricanes was the defensive board work lead by burly Kyle Perkins against Springfield team that starts just one player over 6 feet. That one Springfield player was Josh Rivers and he picked up two fouls in the first quarter and had to sit. Springfield also lost the services of starter Ed Shambo to a second-quarter leg injury and he did not return. Landon finished with 14 points for Hartford while Rice had 12 and Gaudette 11. Gomez finished with 13 for Springfield with Tanner Aberle adding 10. Springfield hosts Fair Haven Monday and on Wednesday Hanover comes to Hartford.