BBA pounces early in win over Springfield

Burr & Burton is one of the top boys basketball teams in all of Vermont. It showed Thursday night at Dressel Gym.
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BBA pounces early in win over Springfield By Jason Orfao | Jan 09, 2015 Share on print Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on email More Sharing Services 0 SPRINGFIELD — Burr & Burton is one of the top boys basketball teams in all of Vermont. It showed Thursday night at Dressel Gym. The Bulldogs pounced on Springfield early with pressure defense complemented by a potent offense and cruised to an 89-52 victory. Joey Shehadi paced BBA (9-1) with 27 points on 10-of-17 shooting. The senior drained 6-of-8 attempts from 3-point range. It was the second highest offensive output of the season for the Bulldogs, who are averaging 69.7 points per game and lit up the scoreboard for 96 points against Hartford on Dec. 18. “They’re well-coached. They’re very disciplined,” said Springfield head coach Tim MacDonnell. “Joey Shehadi is an extremely talented player. We tried to limit his touches, but he moves well without the basketball. He got a couple of backdoors early on, hits a few 3s and the basket is a mile wide. “Everyone around him can play and they work well together,” he added. “That’s a senior-laden group. We knew it would be a tall task coming in.” Josh Rivers led Springfield with 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting. He also dished out a team-high four assists. Justin Gomez contributed 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting off the bench. Putting the ball in the basket wasn’t the problem for the Cosmos (3-5), who dropped their third straight game despite shooting 56.8 percent from the floor. Turnovers plagued Springfield early and led to transition buckets for Burr & Burton. The Bulldogs started the game on a 14-1 run. “We probably had five or six turnovers right off the bat,” said MacDonnell. “You can’t have empty trips like that against a good team or they’ll make you pay and they did. It’s tough to come back from that.” Although Springfield countered with a 7-0 surge on hoops from Rivers, Michael Messer and a 3-pointer from Ed Shambo, BBA closed the quarter on a 9-0 spurt and led 23-8 after the first. The Bulldogs held a 20-point cushion at halftime and were never threatened. “We like to defend and we have a senior-laden team,” said BBA head coach Dave Shehadi. “Most of the guys we roll out there shoot the ball very well. We like pressure defense, ball movement and quality shots — and we were able to do that.” BBA had its most productive quarter in the third. The Bulldogs put up 31 points, which included four 3-pointers — three on consecutive possessions — from Shehadi. Coach Shehadi was pleased his team remained sharp coming out of the locker rooms. “That’s a challenge,” he explained. “We have 10 seniors on this team. Compared to other years, they’ve done a better job of being mentally prepared. Springfield is a scrappy club. You can’t wander in anywhere and just get a win. You have to be prepared.” Burr & Burton rested most of its starters in the fourth quarter and Springfield took advantage. Rivers and Tyler Thomas were particularly effective, combining for all 15 of the Cosmos’ points in the final frame. Springfield will look to bounce back Monday at Oxbow. “That’s a very good basketball team and it’s going to take a full 32 minutes to be competitive with those teams,” said MacDonnell, “and that’s what we’re struggling to put together.” Box Score BURR & BURTON (89) Joey Shehadi 10-17 1-2 27, Taylor Muench 5-11 3-4 14, Cody Gilbert 2-3 0-0 4, Conor Harrington 7-12 0-0 15, Ryan Smith 2-2 0-0 4, Jack Bunker 4-4 1-1 9, Carter Vickers 1-2 4-4 7, Griffan Stalcup 3-4 0-0 6, Will Tate 1-3 0-0 3, Roy Trugler 0-2 0-0 0, Moritz Hofmann 0-1 0-0 0, Sean Apps 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 35-61 9-11 89. SPRINGFIELD (52) Tanner Shumski 0-0 0-0 0, Ed Shambo 2-7 0-0 6, Michael Messer 2-2 0-0 4, Matt Graham 2-3 0-0 5, Josh Rivers 6-12 3-5 15, Michael Kollman 0-1 0-0 0, Conor Foulois 0-2 0-0 0, Ty Albert 1-1 0-0 2, Justin Gomez 5-6 2-2 14, Tyler Thomas 3-3 0-0 6. Totals 21-37 5-7 52. Burr & Burton 23 22 31 13—89 Springfield 8 17 12 15—52 3-point goals — Burr & Burton 10-22 (Shehadi 6-8 Harrington 1-4, Muench 1-3, Tate 1-3, Vickers 1-1, Gilbert 0-1, Stalcup 0-1, Trugler 0-1), Springfield 5-8 (Shambo 2-4, Gomez 2-2, Graham 1-2). Rebounds — Burr & Burton 25 (Shehadi 5), Springfield 14 (Shambo 4, Rivers 4). Assists — Burr & Burton 21 (Smith 9), Springfield 18 (Rivers 4). Records — Burr & Burton 9-1, Springfield 3-5.