ORFORD — Rivendell’s Kyle Carter hit the hardwood on fire on Saturday. Visiting Proctor brought out the extinguisher soon afterward.
With Connor McKearin leading the charge on offense, the fifth-seeded Phantoms’ defense grew stronger as the game wore on, leading to a 60-53 win over No. 4 Rivendell in a VPA Division IV boys basketball quarterfinal filled with lots of back-and-forth action.
After the hot start from Carter (17 first-quarter points) and Rivendell (6-4), the defending state champions began to come back with three-quarter-court pressure. Carter also hit early foul trouble.
The first quarter was all Rivendell as a buzzer-beater by Chris Pierce had the Raptors flying with a 19-14 lead.
In the second quarter, with Carter taking a seat with his second foul, the Raptors’ offense sputtered and Proctor took full advantage. The Phantoms found their shooting legs as Brennon Crossman capped a 12-2 Proctor run with a hoop and free throw, giving Proctor a 28-24 halftime lead.
“It was a nightmare start and it’s so hard to win on the road, but we kept at it,” Proctor head coach Jake Eaton said.
With the game tied, 39-39, entering the final quarter, neither team gave an inch. Rivendell’s Harry Molesworth and Proctor’s McKearin traded 3-pointers to start the final 8 minutes.
“I thought we were close to breaking the bar in the first half, but they are a very good team and answered right back,” Rivendell coach Ross Convertino said. “We left the door open for them a bit.”
McKearin drained a deep 3-pointer to take back the lead early in the fourth quarter, but Garrett Stever’s beautiful move down the lane brought the Raptors within one point at 47-46.
After a Carter Crossman steal and bucket from Cam Richardson pushed the Proctor lead to 49-46, Carter answered with two of his own.
Proctor added to its lead with a Bryson Bourne layup followed by an acrobatic floater off the fingers of McKearin, making it 53-48, giving Proctor its biggest lead with three minutes remaining.
“When we started to increase our defensive pressure, it helped our transition game,” McKearin said. “Kyle is just a great player, so we just tried to slow him down today.”
The turnover bug bit Rivendell at the worst possible time, with two giveaways in the span of a minute and change. Proctor went into stall mode, and the Phantoms played keepaway and hit their free throws down the stretch with the win.
“Typically we are an up-tempo team, but we mixed it up today,” Convertino said.
“Proctor is a very good team, and I tip my hat to them. We will be returning all of the team with no seniors, so we’re already looking forward to next season.”
Carter led Rivendell with 27 points, including six 3-pointers, while Pierce added eight points. Rivendell drained 10 threes as a team and was 7-for-10 from the line.
McKearin dropped in 26 points for Proctor, and Brennon Crossman ended the day with 16 points. The Phantoms were 9-of-14 from the charity stripe while hitting on seven shots from beyond the arc.