By Nathaniel Ford
FARMINGTON – The Portsmouth Christian Eagles cruised to a 61-38 victory over Franklin Golden Tornadoes and advanced to the quarterfinals of The Bash.
This was a battle between two Division IV teams. The Eagles are 5-1 on the season, while the Golden Tornadoes are sitting at 2-3.
PCA never trailed in this dominant showing on both ends of the floor. The Eagles went on an impressive 10-0 run in the first three minutes of the first quarter. They held Franklin scoreless until 4:48 left in the quarter, when Zeke McCoy made a free throw.
It took until 40 seconds left in the quarter for the Golden Tornadoes to record a field goal. This superb defense by Portsmouth Christian helped give them a massive lead. They finished the quarter leading 19-3.
Franklin showed some life on the offensive end in the second quarter, mostly through the play of Zeke McCoy. He scored 10 of Franklin’s 11 points in the quarter, all on consecutive possessions.
Despite this, PCA stayed composed on the offensive end and kept their large lead. They finished the half up 37-14, led by 13 points from Cai Summers, and 3 three-pointers from Wade Michaud.
The Eagles continued to dominate into the second half, extending their lead even more in the fourth quarter. Connor Hickey scored 10 points in the third quarter and was a large part of this PCA attack. Despite a 9-point quarter from McCoy, the Golden Tornadoes trailed 52-26 entering the fourth.
This massive lead was too much for Franklin to overcome, and the game ended in a 61-38 victory for Portsmouth Christian.
PCA was paced by 20 points from Cai Summers, while Connor Hickey (16) and Wade Michaud (11) added double-digits. Franklin’s Zeke McCoy carried the load with a game-high 30 points.
The Eagles advance to the quarterfinal round, where they will face Windham tomorrow at 12:45. Franklin falls out of the bracket and will play Kennett at 10:15 tomorrow morning.
Check out the full gallery of the action by KJ Cardinal…
