Bridgton Academy Winter Classic

Bridgton Academy hosted their annual Winter Classic this past weekend, with the conclusion taking place Sunday and featuring the event's championship and consolation games.   Friday night's games featured match-ups between Worcester Academy and Lee Academy, and the hosts, Bridgton Academy and St. Andrew's School. Both Worcester and Bridgton came out victorious on the event's opening night, leading to a championship game between the two and a consolation match-up featuring Lee and St. Andrew's.   Below are a recap of each of Sunday's games, featuring some of the events top performers.   Championship: Bridgton Academy - 81, Worcester Academy - 76   A game that had three major momentum swings, ultimate finished with the hosts claiming a five point win over a really talented Worcester squad. Bridgton jumped out to a big first half lead, leading by as many as 17 at one point, before Worcester stormed back out of the gate in the second half and eventually took the lead themselves. In the end, Bridgton was able to get a few timely stops, while making their free throws, to walk away as the BA Winter Classic champions.   Bridgton used a balanced approach to win the game, with multiple individuals taking turns either scoring the basketball or taking on key defensive assignments. [player_tooltip player_id='2641692' first='Cheickna' last='Sylla'] continued his strong play, proving to be one of the most physically imposing big men in New England. A load in the post, he does a great job of establishing position on the block and working to get to his dominant left hand as a finisher. He's a solid post defender that single-handedly can control the defensive glass at different periods of time throughout a game.   Three brights spots in the backcourt were Joseph Fitzgerald, [player_tooltip player_id='2811240' first='Isaiah' last='Hynson'], and Jaeden Bull. A terrific perimeter shooter, Fitzgerald had a key stretch of makes that kept Bridgton in the game in the second half. He does a good job of moving without the ball, gets his feet ready before the catch, and has an incredibly quick release on his jumper. Hynson is a physical guard that makes an impact on both ends of the floor. He has the ability to make shots from behind the arc, can put the ball on the floor as a driver, and, on this afternoon in particular, shows lockdown traits as a defender where he uses his size, strength, and lateral mobility to make things tough for opposing ball handlers. Bull is a pure scorer that comes into a game ready to to get his. The lefty is strong, has a quick first step, and shows some wiggle off the bounce. He's particularly strong scoring in the mid-range and at the rim, showing the ability to use his dribble at both levels to create space.   Worcester was led by their own big three as [player_tooltip player_id='1157225' first='Payton' last='Kamin'], [player_tooltip player_id='2325746' first='Amir' last='Jenkins'], and [player_tooltip player_id='2325866' first='Ryan' last='Sullivan'] each had stretches where they looked like the best prospect on the floor. Kamin continues to be one of the region's most impressive perimeter scorers, finishing the game with 38 points. He gets his baskets in a variety of ways, but is particularly effective in catch and shoot situations from behind the arc and when getting into his mid-range game against smaller defenders. Jenkins' rise as one of New England's top lead guards has been equally impressive. On this day, he showed the ability to repeatedly put pressure on the rim as a downhill driver and also stepped up at times as a perimeter stopper defensively. Lastly, Sullivan made a handful of impressive plays, including one sequence where he jumped a passing lane for a steal near mid-court and finished with authority on the other end. At 6'10" with a college ready frame, he moves well laterally, plays with a good basketball IQ, and has a nice feel for the game as a roller out of ball screens.   Consolation: St. Andrew's School - 89, Lee Academy - 85   A high scoring affair between St. Andrew's and Lee that was as back and forth as a game can get until the final two minutes, when St. Andrew's was able to secure the victory at the free throw line.   St. Andrew's got contributions from up and down their line-up, showing particularly impressive depth. Senior wing [player_tooltip player_id='2546808' first='Kyle' last='Benjamin'] was Sunday's top scorer, pumping in 21 points and getting it done offensively in a variety of ways. He's a three level scorer with good positional size that plays at his own pace and seemingly got to whatever spot he wanted off the bounce time and time again.   Post-graduate forward [player_tooltip player_id='2634096' first='Alec' last='Scarborough'] and senior guard Chris Bianco both posted double-doubles for St. Andrew's in the win. Scarborough is a throw-back post player that does a nice job of using his frame to carve out space in the paint, can score over either shoulder with soft touch, and isn't afraid to get physical as a rebounder on the defensive end of the floor. Bianco is a true table-setter on the offensive end and a gritty defender on the other side. He does a nice job of getting his guys organized, makes good reads out of ball screens, and adds some scoring pop at the rim and from behind the arc.   Lee was paced on the weekend by Terrance Clark, who had 39 against Worcester on Saturday and was in double digits again on Sunday. The 6'4" wing has good athletic pop, nice positional size, and the ability to make plays off the bounce in isolations situations. He's a true three level scorer that can finish with length at the rim, gets into his mid-range quickly off the bounce, and knocks down threes in catch and shoot situations. [player_tooltip player_id='2546815' first='Anthony' last='Troncellito'] was another bright spot for Lee. The post-graduate guard continues to expand his offensive game, proving to be a true combo that can operate as an initiator with the ball in his hands or as a scorer when he slides off the ball. He's a high level shooter from behind the arc, plays with a high basketball IQ, and has done a nice job of improving his frame to get ready for the next level.

Bridgton Academy hosted their annual Winter Classic this past weekend, with the conclusion taking place Sunday and featuring the event's championship and consolation games.