By Jason Patch
Contributing Writer

The Derryfield School boys basketball team could not have asked for a better ending to its regular season. The Cougars jumped out to a big first-quarter lead and held on for a 56-48 win over visiting Mount Zion.

The hosts came out fired up on Senior Night and avenged an earlier 46-38 loss to the Lions, decimated by foul trouble throughout the contest.

“We didn’t play very well last time we played them,” said Derryfield head coach Rob Bradley. “The foul trouble made (Mount Zion) a bit tentative on offense and defense, and we were able to get good penetration.”

Led by Christian LaCroix and Bedford’s Andy Warren, the Cougars utilized a strong inside-outside game on the offensive end and put together a backbreaking 23-2 run in the first half.

Early on, neither team could find its rhythm offensively. Mt. Zion’s Andrew Poirier finally broke the scoreless tie with a putback midway through the first stanza. Then the Cougars exploded to take a comfortable lead.

The trio of LaCroix, Warren and fellow Bedford native Clint Davis did the bulk of the damage when Derryfield put up 18 unanswered points. Davis knocked down a long-range three-pointer at the 3:38 mark of the opening quarter to give the Cougars a 5-2 lead they would never relinquish.

LaCroix also connected on three straight trifectas, forcing Mount Zion to scramble for a timeout, down 24-7 midway through the second quarter.

Warren also proved to be too much to handle near the basket for the smaller Lions; the 6- foot-5 senior forward dominated the rebounding on both ends of the floor.

“(Andy) has worked so hard and he will do whatever it takes for us to win,” said Bradley. “He has good size and strength and is very hard to keep off the block.”

Mt. Zion’s Kanon LaCroix buried a pair of three-point bombs before the break, but Derryfield took a comfy 35-15 advantage into the locker room. DS then grabbed its biggest lead of the game at 41-16 following a pair of free throws from Bedford’s Derek Boelig.

To their credit, the Lions battled back to cut the deficit to 43-30 after three quarters of play. Bedford’s John Wallace scored eight points in the quarter and showed some quality leadership in the late stages.

The Lions got within nine points twice in the final frame, but the Cougars held on with some fine inside play from Boelig and Warren.

Derryfield was led by LaCroix with 18 points and Warren with 17. Wallace, Poirier and LaCroix reached double digits in a losing effort.

Both teams now feature identical 8-10 records and await the NHIAA playoff pairings.