The Bedford High School Buccaneers extended their record to 7-3 on Friday, thanks primarily to the defense.
Trailing Acton-Boxborough 31-26 at halftime, the Bucs held their visitors to 14 second-half points and prevailed, 51-46.
The Bucs’ four-game winning streak will be tested with two home games against strong opponents: Cardinal Spellman of Brockton on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. and Cambridge Rindge & Latin on Friday at 7 p.m.
Against A-B, Bedford led by as many as eight early in the second quarter, but the visitors – since last spring known as the Revolution – finished the first half with a 19-6 run.
Although A-B scored only 10 points and committed eight turnovers in the third quarter, the Rev still led Bedford by two at the break. And five minutes into the fourth period, the score was tied at 45.
The game was decided over those last three minutes with junior Justice Buchannan (22 points) scoring all six of his team’s points, and three rebounds and two forced turnovers by junior Camdyn Shoesmith (17 points, 13 boards).
After halftime, “I thought we just played harder, and we got back to the game plan of attacking their ball screens and communicating better on defense,” said Head Coach Anthony Halls. “Guys stepped up and made plays when they had to.”
He also noted that “we fouled less, which allowed us to be more aggressive.” A-B scored nine points from the line in the first half, one point in the second half.
The Rev missed 9 of 11 from the floor in the fourth quarter and turned the ball over six times.
Buchannan, who missed last Friday’s game with an illness, was a little rusty in the first half. But in the third and fourth quarters, he scored 18 points, converting 7 for 10 from the field. His driving layup with 28 seconds to play gave the Bucs a two-possession lead.
Senior guard Eric Miles had three assists for the Bucs. Shoesmith finished with four steals and Buchannan added three. Jameson Baer had four rebounds in the first quarter and some key boards in the fourth.
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