Hartford stifles Springfield for 46-28 victory

Hartford used a page out of the New England Patriots’ playbook on Wednesday night and took the air out of the ball — at least figuratively, anyway.
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Hartford stifles Springfield for 46-28 victory By Jason Orfao | Jan 22, 2015 Photo by: Jason Orfao Springfield sophomore Conor Foulois hoists a shot Wednesday night during the Cosmos' 46-28 defeat to Hartford at Dressel Gymnasium. SPRINGFIELD — Hartford used a page out of the New England Patriots’ playbook on Wednesday night and took the air out of the ball — at least figuratively, anyway. The Hurricanes coupled a strong defensive effort with a patient offensive approach and stifled Springfield for a 46-28 victory in a VPA Division II boys basketball clash at Dressel Gymnasium. Hartford scored the first nine points of the game and kept the Cosmos off the board until GJ Scherington hit a jumper with 30 seconds left in the first quarter. The sophomore cut the deficit to 9-4 with a buzzer-beating hoop to end the frame. Ed Shambo knocked down a 3-pointer to start the second quarter, trimming the gap to 9-7. However, Triston Potter answered with a trey on the other end, before a bucket from Bryce Landon and a 3 from Hunter Perkins helped the Hurricanes build a 17-9 cushion and Hartford didn’t let the lead dwindle to fewer than six points the rest of the way. After a 13-point second quarter, the Cosmos (3-8) managed just 11 points in the second half. “We’re struggling to score the basketball right now,” said Springfield coach Tim MacDonnell. “We’re going to try to find a way to right the ship and figure it out.” Hartford (4-7) has recently started to sharpen its defensive game. “We’ve made that a focal point in the last two weeks,” explained Hartford coach Steve Landon. “Early in the season, with a group as young as we have, we could only push them so far. Now, we’re able to do more things defensively because we know more. “If you play better defense, you don’t need to score as many points,” he elaborated. "We’re protecting the ball a little more and trying to get the ball to the rim. We were taking 30 3s per game, but it wasn’t successful for us.” The Hurricanes owned a 26-17 lead at halftime and methodically stretched the advantage to 34-21 going into the fourth quarter. Back-to-back buckets from Josh Rivers brought the Cosmos within 10, but the senior fouled out shortly thereafter and Hartford secured the win. Rivers was in foul trouble all night and saw approximately 10 minutes of playing time as a result. “Josh is a big part of our offense, but we have to move on without him. He wasn’t out there, so other guys needed to step up and make plays. I thought, at times, we did,” said MacDonnell. “We’ve talked about trying to be consistent.” Landon led Hartford with 12 points, while Jacob Perkins scored all eight of his points in the final quarter. Connor Brooks had four points and four steals. “The one senior that I’ve got is my point guard (Brooks), so I guess I’m lucky. He can control the game,” said Coach Landon, whose team is trending upward after some competitive losses early in the season. “With a group this young, they’re not going to know how to finish until they lose first. Then, they’ll learn how to win and that’s where we’re at. It’s part of the process.” Shambo scored a game-high 13 points for the Cosmos, who will try to snap its six-game skid on Saturday at home against Oxbow. The tip is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. “Everyone has to contribute,” said MacDonnell. “We have to continue to work as a group to get better.” Box Score HARTFORD (46) Jacob Perkins 4 0-0 8, Connor Brooks 0 4-6 4, Bryce Landon 6 0-0 12, Christopher Nulty 2 0-3 4, David Bomhower 2 1-3 5, Gavin Farnsworth 2 0-0 5, Austin Ellis 1 0-0 2, Triston Potter 1 0-0 3, Hunter Perkins 1 0-0 3, Matthew Phipps 0 0-0 0, Justin Pero 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 5-12 46. SPRINGFIELD (28) Tanner Shumski 0 0-0 0, Ed Shambo 5 0-0 13, Matt Graham 0 0-2 0, Josh Rivers 3 0-0 6, Conor Foulois 1 1-1 3, Caleb Hunter 0 0-0 0, Michael Kollman 0 0-0 0, Michael Messer 0 0-0 0, Tyler Thomas 1 0-0 2, GJ Scherington 2 0-0 4, Justin Gomez 0 0-0 0. Totals 12 1-3 28. Hartford 9 17 8 12—46 Springfield 4 13 4 7—28 3-point goals — Hartford 3 (Farnsworth 1, Potter 1, H. Perkins 1), Springfield 3 (Shambo 3). Rebounds — Hartford 25 (Ellis 4, H. Perkins 4), Springfield 20 (Rivers 4). Assists — Hartford 9 (Farnsworth 3), Springfield 7 (Scherington 3). Steals — Hartford 11 (Brooks 4), Springfield 4 (Messer 2). Records — Hartford 4-7, Springfield 3-8.