Enfield Hoopsters Win First Round of Class M Tournament

Enfield opened up a 10-point lead in the first quarter and never looked back, cruising to a 65-27 victory over Norwich Tech in the opening round of the Class M  boys basketball tournament Monday.

Tre Preston led the Raiders with 22 points, including a trio of three-pointers. Tony Romano had 13 points, while Hugh Lindo added 11.

Enfield led 16-6 after the opening eight minutes, and stretched the advantage to 30-14 by intermission. The Raiders iced the game in the third quarter, outscoring the Warriors by a 24-9 margin.

Defense was a huge factor in the win, with Paul Lima picking up three steals early in the game, and Lindo, Preston, and Romano all blocking Norwich Tech shots.

The crowd was relatively small compared to the Raiders' last three games, all victories in the .

"It's funny how little things can affect your play," Enfield head coach Cory O'Connell said. "The gym was kind of dead, it was kind of quiet in here, and we played like the atmosphere. We were kind of flat in the first half."

With the win, fourth-seeded Enfield (21-3) advances to the second round Wednesday, hosting Vinal Tech, the number 20 seed, who upset Plainfield, 61-58.

Norwich Tech, which received 10 points from Drake Baton, finished the season with a 9-10 record.