All in all, our team is stepping up. We just need to find that extra gear to finish out games. We will be playing our best basketball in March, when it matters most.”

Coach Logan Barker

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THS hosts Buffalo on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.

TORRINGTON – The Torrington High School boys basketball team found redemption against the Rawlins Outlaws from a postseason setback the previous year with a 63-54 victory against their conference rival at home on Friday, January 31.

Torrington cruised past the Outlaws in the first and second quarters to post a 14-point lead at halftime, 37-23.

Rawlins rallied late in the third quarter and reduced Torrington’s lead to two possessions, 59-54.

The Blazers kept it together and shut down the Outlaws’ attempt to turn the tables in the final minutes of regulation. The Torrington defense stepped up the pressure and prevented Rawlins from scoring additional points while junior Landre Greiman went 4-for-4 from the free-throw line.

Torrington’s triumph against Rawlins improved the Blazers’ conference record to 3-1 and the team currently sits in the No. 3 spot in the 3A East Conference with a 6-6 overall record (Buffalo also has a 3-1 conference record with an 8-5 overall record).

“I was proud of how well we were able to handle the boards during this game – the end total was 44-19,” coach Logan Barker said. “If we had capitalized on more of the offensive rebound opportunities then we would not have been in a little bit of a dogfight at the end. All in all, our team is stepping up. We just need to find that extra gear to finish out games. We will be playing our best basketball in March, when it matters most.”

Shutting down Rawlins

An explosive first quarter saw the Blazers double Rawlins in scoring, 14-7. Greiman lay the foundation offensively, shooting 4-for-4 from outside the perimeter to collect 12 points. Senior Mac Hibben netted an inside shot.

Defensively, Hibben picked up a steal while fellow senior Weston Dyer and junior Kaleb Booth both made a block in the first.

The Blazers expanded their lead to 14 points after topping the Outlaws in scoring, 23-16, in a gritty second quarter.

Six Blazers contributed to the points spread in the second, led by Hibben with seven. Sophomore Julian Stromski tallied six points while fellow sophomore Drew Kramer drained a trey and senior Brayden Hime tossed in a close-range shot and free throw. Greiman and senior Ryan Moorehouse each scored from inside the perimeter.

Torrington dominated the scoreboard, 37-23, at halftime.

The Blazers topped Rawlins in scoring in the third quarter, 15-13, anchored by Moorehouse shooting 6-for-6 from the charity stripe. 

The Blazers remained ahead by 14 points, 52-36, as the third quarter ended.

The Outlaws responded with a 16-4 run in the fourth quarter to narrow Torrington’s lead to two possessions, 56-52, with 3:20 remaining in regulation.

Hime rebounded a missed shot by Rawlins on the Outlaws’ subsequent possession and netted a free throw. Booth found an opening in the perimeter to score and the Blazers widened their lead to seven points, 59-52.

A bucket by the Outlaws once again placed Rawlins within two possessions of overtaking the Blazers, 59-54.

Greiman drew a foul and tossed in a pair of free throws. The junior pulled down a defensive rebound, drew a second foul, and went 2-for-2 from the charity stripe. Hibben rebounded Rawlins’ final attempt to score and Torrington wound down the game in possession.

The Blazers finished with an eight-player point spread. Greiman led with 20 points. Hibben also tallied double digits at 13 points. Stromski and Moorehouse each collected eight points, Hime six, Kramer and Dyer three and Booth two.

Hibben dominated the boards, pulling down an exceptional 16 rebounds to post a double-double.