Deerfield defended their home court this afternoon in a spirited contest against a strong Taft squad. Both teams clamped down on the defensive end, as buckets were hard to come by all game long. Led by the timely shooting of Nick Osarenren, who finished the game with 24 points, Deerfield slowly built a margin of 9 points by halftime. Taft changed the tempo of the game in the second half with full court pressure, making several runs at Deerfield’s lead. Colman Shea hit two big three point shots down the stretch to keep the visiting Rhinos at bay. Sam Powell protected the ball against Taft’s defensive pressure, while Bennett Pitcher won the rebounding battle against a long and athletic cadre of Taft big men.