Raiders Advance to Quarterfinals With 75-64 Win Over Weston

Trachone Preston poured in 34 points and top-seeded held off a gallant effort by visiting in posting a 75-64 victory in the second round of the Class M boys basketball tournament Thursday night.

Preston scored 21 points in the first half, 16 of them in the second quarter, including a buzzer beater that provided the Raiders a 39-27 lead at intermission.

"My mindset was to go to the basket, get fouled, push the ball," Preston told Patch. "We all think the same, that no one's going to stop us. They came out playing hard, and it was a good hard-fought battle."

Enfield head coach Cory O'Connell said, "Tonight he kind of took over when we needed it, when we were struggling. Every once in a while he does show why I believe he's the best player in the area, and tonight was one of those nights."

The 16th-seeded Trojans refused to fold, cutting the Enfield to lead to four on four different occasions in the third quarter. Max Molinsky drained a pair of three-pointers in the period to keep Weston close, but Enfield finished the quarter with a 9-0 run over the final two minutes to take a 56-43 lead heading into the final session.

Despite having  three key players foul out of the game in the fourth quarter, Weston continued to battle, and again closed within four with 1:48 to play. Enfield then recovered from its early-game free throw shooting doldrums, canning 11 of 12 foul shots in the final 1:21 to seal the victory.

Paul Lima had 16 points and Hugh Lindo added 11 to support Preston in the Enfield offense. Evan Blitzer had 26 points for the Trojans, while Molinsky contributed 11.

Enfield (25-0) hosts ninth-seeded in a quarterfinal matchup Monday at 7 p.m.

Weston finished its season with a 13-9 record.

Scoring Summary

Weston - Max Molinsky 4 0 11, J.D. Simons 4 0 8, Charlie DiPasquale 1 2 4, Evan Blitzer 9 5 26, Troy Flynn 1 0 2, Grant Limone 2 2 6, Lyle Mitchell 3 1 7. Totals 24 10 64.
Three-point goals: Molinsky (3), Blitzer (3).

Enfield - Tony Romano 2 3 8, Hugh Lindo 5 1 11, Paul Lima 4 7 16, Josh Gaines 0 1 1, Rachone Preston 1 3 5, Trachone Preston 12 10 34. Totals 24 25 75.
Three-point goals: Romano, Lima.

Score By Quarters
Weston                11  16  16  21 - 64
Enfield                 17  22  17  19 - 75