Lewis Gymnasium was rocking Wednesday as Putnam Science and several of their loudest fans made the trek down Route 44 to play in what has become an annual instant classic. Putnam Science started the game with great fervor and fed off their raucous crowd. We weren’t playing well as a team and settled for some poor shots as we shot 10 for 27. Also making matters worse was the tremendous offensive play of Division 1 prospect Ta’Quan Zimmerman who had 19 first half points. Thankfully we started to play solid defense down the stretch, which helped us cut our deficit to ten at the break.

The second half saw our fans come alive as our play improved greatly. Great passing and overall selfless play saw our shooting percentage improve greatly, and also allowed us to score a season high 46 second-half points. Cameron Bell scored 15 second half points, many of which came from penetration and dishes from his teammates, and Joe Ferro continued to play well. Andrew Robinson chipped in 13-second half points and created for himself and his teammates with strong penetration and control. Mike Stickles led the charge with 4 second half assists and had a few big rebounds down the stretch. And though Leo Driscoll didn’t lead us in MVP points today, he had 3 clutch plays down the stretch that in my mind were the difference in the game. Leo had four second half offensive rebounds (three of which led to second chance points for the team) and a huge three pointer that helped us tie the game for the first time since the score was 0 -0. The final score was 73 - 69.

We only played 7 guys today, but the bench was awesome as they were supportive from start to finish and gave the team a huge boost. Next up for Pomfert is the Rivers School and for Putnam Science, Long Island power Upper Room.

MVP - Leo Driscoll - 13 Points, 6 Rebounds, 1 Assist, and 0 Turnovers

Other Stats in Order of Points System

Cameron Bell - 15 Points, 14 Rebounds, 4 Assists and 3 Turnovers

Andrew Robinson - 20 Points, 4 Assists, 4 Rebounds, 3 Steals, 1 Block and 4 Turnovers

Joe Ferro - 14 Points, 9 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 1 Block and 4 Turnovers

Miller Staten - 2 Points, 2 Rebounds, 1 Assist, 1 Steal and 0 Turnovers

Mike Stickles - 6 Points, 6 Assists, 4 Rebounds and 5 Turnovers

Dan Gagnon - 3 Points, 3 Rebounds, 1 Assist, 1 Steal and 0 Turnovers

Pomfret followed up the emotional win over Putnam Science with a big win over the Rivers School on Saturday. The boys took a page from the girls and beat Rivers 58-55 on a game winning three pointer by Bronx native Andrew Robinson with 2 seconds remaining. The girls defeated Rivers a week ago on a similar semi-desperation shot as time ran out.

Rivers got off to a good start, but we began to play good team ball and went on a 27-12 run to end the first half and take a 32-27 lead.

We began the second half playing some of the best defense we have played all year. Though others player well, Miller Staten and Cameron Bell served as anchors as they played strong help, while keeping their own “man” in check. Bell even stepped into the passing lane and went coast to coast and threw down an emphatic dunk as the defender fouled him for the three point play. Rivers behind former Pomfret recruit John Bullik mounted a comeback to take a 3 point lead. But a three by Joe Ferro, a floater by Robinson and key free throws by Robinson, Dan Gagnon and Leo Driscoll kept the offense going.

Like the last game there were many plays down the stretch that helped us win. Robinson had two huge hustle blocks that prevented break away layups, Mike Stickles had a huge strip and Leo Driscoll had a huge hustle rebound with 20 seconds left to set up Robinson’s game winner. Driscoll finished with 13 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists.