Cosmos even Unified record at 2-2

The Springfield Unified basketball team put on an offensive demonstration in the second half to defeat Leland & Gray 40-18 Monday afternoon.


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2017-04-11 / Sports Cosmos even Unified record at 2-2 «» View full-size Springfield's Lance Robinson drives for the layup to finish off a coast-to-coast scoring opportunity during Monday's game. — TIM TAYLOR http://www.eagletimes.com/sites/www.eagletimes.com/files/imagecache/full/SprUnified1.JPGhttp://www.eagletimes.com/sites/www.eagletimes.com/files/imagecache/full/SprUnified2.jpg SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Unified basketball team put on an offensive demonstration in the second half to defeat Leland & Gray 40-18 Monday afternoon. Lance Robinson would score 16 of his game-high 18 points after intermission as the Cosmos turned a 12-12 halftime deadlock in their own favor. Cameron Colon scored both Springfield baskets in the first quarter to keep the home team close to the invading Rebels. With his team trailing 8-4 early in the second quarter, Robinson pulled down a rebound, then made the coast-to-coast trek for a layup to spark a 6-0 run. With 5:27 left in the half, Hannah Anderson drained a short jumper to knot the score at eight and Evan Hall added a bucket at 4:39 to give the Cosmos a 10-8 edge. L&G's Teresa (last name not available) would retaliate with back-to-back baskets, putting the Rebels up 12-10 with 1:16 left in the half. However, Colon notched his third field goal of the game with 39 seconds remaining in the half to make it 12-12. Springfield would call a timeout with less than 10 seconds in an effort to set up a go-ahead play and L&G snagged the rebound to keep the game tied at the break. The Cosmos took control of the contest in the second half. In addition to Robinson's 18, Colon also scored in double figures for the host, posting 12 points. Anderson and Hall contributed four points each, and Alex Damato had two more. It was Damato's first game in a Springfield uniform. Leland & Gray was led by Teresa with six points, Brandon and Ben with four apiece and Savannah and Sammi Pelton with two each. “Teamwork and community describes tonight's game,” said Springfield coach Margaret Gultekin, who noted one of the highlights of the game was a basket by L&G's Sammi Pelton. “... her teammates, the Cosmos team, coaches, refs and fans cheered her on as she scored a basket in the fourth quarter. Watching everyone contribute was a sight to see. This clearly shows the true meaning of unified sports. Sometimes overlooked, but never forgotten on the Cosmos' sidelines is player-turned-manager Morgan Fontaine, who is busy tending to the scorebook. “Morgan played unified last year,” Gultekin said. “This year she continues to show that she is part of our team by attending all our games and helping Coach [Marc] Thomas keep score. She keeps us straight with who scored the points.” Springfield has one regular season home game remaining, that coming against Middlebury on Thursday at 4 p.m. at Riverside Middle School.