9-0 Run In Fourth Quarter Lifts Enfield Boys Past Ellington

Tre Preston's three-point shot with 5:22 to play broke a 37-37 tie and sparked a 9-0 run, pushing the Raiders to a 52-45 victory over in the first round of the North Central Connecticut Conference boys  basketball tournament.

Preston finished with 23 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter, when Ellington battled back from a seven-point deficit to tie the game prior to Enfield's big run.

The first half was a back-and-forth battle, with the teams exchanging leads nine times before going to the locker room with Enfield in front, 21-18.

The Raiders led 36-29 heading into the final quarter, but the Knights got a three-pointer from Mike Gresh and five points from Zack Graves to tie the contest with 6:14 to play.

Five points by Dan Schofer, including an old-fashioned three-point play, brought Ellington within two at 47-45, but Enfield hit five free throws in the final minute to advance to the semifinals.

"Our guys left it on the floor," Ellington head coach Don Flint said. "They played great defense, but our three big scorers didn't score tonight."

Paul Lima had 14 points for the Raiders, including a pair of clutch free throws that made it a two-possession game with 25 seconds left.

Tony Romano had just four points for Enfield, but blocked two shots and hauled several big rebounds, including a crucial offensive rebound of a missed free throw with 37 seconds remaining.

"He does all those little things, and that was a big play for us, because we were getting killed on the defensive glass," Enfield head coach Cory O'Connell said.

Graves led Ellington with 16 points, while Schofer contributed 11.

Enfield (18-3) will host Granby, a 41-39 winner over Somers, in the second round of the league tournament Tuesday night. Ellington (11-10) will be participating in the Class M state tournament beginning next week.