PROCTOR — The Proctor boys opened their playoff schedule on Wednesday, March 2, against the Twinfield Trojans and put on one of their performances of the season, rolling to a 57-36 win.
Usually, a No. 8 vs. No. 9 matchup is a tightly contested affair. That would not be the case in this ballgame. All credit goes to the Phantom defensive intensity. From the first possession, the Phantoms lived up to their name. The guys were jumping, leaping, diving, and doing all it took to win the game.
The Trojans missed their first four shots and could manage only 3 for 13 (23 percent) in the first quarter. Throw in five turnovers and you have a team that is going to struggle. For Proctor, it was an impressive defensive performance throughout the game.
Offensively, Proctor got five points in the first quarter from Carter Crossmon, including a big three-pointer giving them an 8-5 lead with 2:23 left. Proctor would not trail the rest of the game. The defensive onslaught continued in quarter two. Twinfield would shoot 2 for 10 with six more turnovers. Meanwhile, Proctor rolled to a 22-13 lead at halftime. Star scorer Bryson Bourn had a quiet seven points to lead the Phantoms in the first half.
He would come alive in the third quarter, however. A subtle shift in alignment had him move into the middle of the paint at the top of the key. Following a three-pointer by first-year Kerrick Medose of Twinfield, cutting the lead to 26-16, Bourn flashed down the lane, caught the ball, and in Michael Jordan fashion changed hands in mid-air and laid in a left-handed layup. Spectacular!
The play took the wind out of the Trojans. They would score only one basket the rest of the third period. The numbers were strikingly familiar – 2 for 15 from the floor, 7 turnovers.
The start of the fourth period was Twinfield’s best performance as they hit four straight shots, cutting the lead to 40-31. But Bourn immediately hit three in a row and any comeback thoughts Twinfield had disappeared.
Proctor’s lead jumped to 17 at 51-34 and a parade of free-throw shooters closed out the game. Bourn with 24 points and Levi Petit with 16 led the way for the Phantoms. Contributions also came from Crossmon with 8, Joel Denton (4), Jacob Patch (3) and Ian French (2).
For Twinfield, Kerrick Medose, with 11, was the only double-figure scorer for the Trojans.
The Phantoms would move to 12-9 on the season. Twinfield finished their season at 9-12.
The limelight for the Proctor boys, however, wasn’t to last. On Friday night, March 4, Proctor took on the #1 seed Rivendell Academy. While complete information was not available at press time, Rivendell prevailed 62-38.
Rivendell will next play against Blue Mountain in a state semi-final on Monday night March 7. Rivendell moved to 19-0 on the season. Proctor finished a successful season at 12-10.
