GRANBY — Turners Falls High School junior point guard Tionne Brown knew what his squad needed to do as he came to the bench at one point in Friday night’s Western Massachusetts Division IV semifinal game against Granby High School.
“Guys, we need to rebound,” he pleaded.
It was not meant to be as the second-seeded Rams, who did not feature a huge size advantage, dominated in the paint, especially in the first half to build an insurmountable lead and went on to oust the seventh-seeded Indians, 67-56.
Granby advances to the semifinals against Quaboag Regional High School.
The Rams were aggressive attacking the boards, especially on offense, where they finished with 9 rebounds as part of their 34 team boards. Many of those led to second-chance points by the hosts, especially in the first half, when Granby put up 39 points to take a 12-point lead (39-27) into the break.
“They really hurt us on the boards, and it was on both ends,” Turners Falls coach Gary Mullins said. “I don’t know why, I mean, they’re athletic, but. We had film on them, but their faster in person.”
The Rams (13-8) came into the game having lost three straight, including the season-finale against Frontier Regional School, but they looked very composed against the Indians. Granby worked the ball around quickly on offense throughout the game and was able to get a number of open looks. And when the Rams attacked the basket, the Indian defenders were a step late.
“It wasn’t for lack of effort,” Mullins said. “I think the kids worked very hard tonight.”
The Indians showed no quit in the fourth quarter despite trailing 56-35 20 seconds into the frame. Turners Falls began to chip away, going on a 15-3 run to get back into the game, getting as close as 9 points (59-50) at one point. Turners Falls (8-13) had a chance to cut the deficit even more, but 3-pointers by Tionne Brown and Jalen Sanders on two separate possessions did not fall.
The run came in large part to the Rams’ ineptitude at the free throw line. Granby entered the fourth quarter having made just 5-of-10 free throws and their struggles mounted in the final frame, as the team went 0-for-8 at one point, and finished the fourth shooting just 5-of-17 from the charity stripe.
Granby finally ended the Indians’ run on back-to-back hoops by Zach Gorham (16 points, 11 rebounds), and Turners Falls never got closer than 10 points the rest of the way.
The first quarter was a back-and-forth affair as the teams combined for 33 points in 8 minutes, with Granby holding a 19-14 lead heading into the second. That’s when the Rams were able to ascert their will in the paint, helping the hosts go on a 11-4 run in the first four minutes of play to build a 12-point lead. The Indians matched points the rest of the way, getting as close as 7 points at one point, but two late baskets, including a 3-pointer by Colby Forbush (18 points) with 1 second left, sent the Rams into the locker room up 12. Granby continued to pour it on in the third quarter, outscoring the Indians 15-8 in the frame.
Brown had a huge night for Turners Falls, draining four 3-pointers en route to a game-high 22 points.
“Tionne had a hell of a game for himself tonight, he really showed his leadership out there,” Mullins added. “We followed his lead. He didn’t want to give up.”
Jalen Sanders, the only senior on the Indians this season, finished with 17 points in his final game. Josh Obuchowski had 6 points and 6 rebounds, and Kyle Bergmann added a team-high 7 boards.