NORTHFIELD — With the way Pioneer Valley Regional School has played in recent weeks, hopes are that significant team milestones are just on the horizon. But on Wednesday night, individual Tucker Llewelyn took center stage at Messier Gymnasium.
The senior stole the show, pouring in a game-high 28 points in the host Panthers’ 90-34 victory over visiting Athol High School in a Hampshire League boys’ basketball game. Llewelyn became the 19th player in school history to reach the 1,000-point plateau in the process, as his 3-pointer with 5:02 left in the third quarter did the trick. Entering the night with 972 career points, he made the most of his outing to reach the mark.
“Someone told me I had 25 points (prior to the 3-ball) so I wanted to get it over with,” said Llewelyn of the big moment. “I saw the 3 was wide open and it felt good off my hands.”
Llewelyn made it back-to-back years that Pioneer (14-4, 12-2 HL) has added a player to the 1,000-point club. Last winter Brad Hastings toppled the mark.
“It’s the culmination of hard work and effort that Tucker’s put in over the course of his career,” said Pioneer head coach Scott Thayer of Llewelyn’s milestone night. “The kids wanted him to get (to 1,000) — they fed him the ball quite a bit. That’s great that they all wanted him to do well and they all want each other to do well. It shows what kind of team they are.”
Llewelyn scored 10 points in the first quarter, when Pioneer stormed out to a commanding 28-4 lead. He had 12 points with time winding down before halftime, when a late flurry propelled him within striking distance. Llewelyn scored his team’s final nine points of the half, showing off the full arsenal of his game with a 3-pointer, a pair of layups, and two free throws to give him 21 at intermission and put the Panthers up 52-14 entering the locker room.
His 1,000th point came as part of a 9-0 run midway through the third quarter. The 3 extended the advantage to 61-22, and he exited shortly thereafter to a standing ovation from the crowd.
“Everyone told me to I had to get that monkey off my back before playing Greenfield and Hopkins, so it was a relief to be able to do it,” Llewelyn offered. “To be honest, I thought I would get it Friday, but when I found out I only needed seven at halftime, I figured I’d have a good shot.”
The 1,000-point mark truly became a reality for Llewelyn during the offseason. After scoring 380 points as a junior, he entered this winter just 350 points shy of the mark.
“I felt I was going to get better (after junior year), so it seemed like something I might be able to accomplish,” he said.
Thayer, who has coached his share of 1,000-point scorers during his tenure at Greenfield High School and as an assistant at Pioneer before his current head coaching stint, said that approaching the impending milestone involved the whole team.
“We had addressed it with everyone as a team because we didn’t want to upset the team dynamics,” he explained. “They knew where we stood and how we approached it. And Tucker’s put in the time and effort so he deserved to have this moment.”
The Panthers, who also put Tyler Martin and Brendan Emond in double figures with 10 points each, won their seventh straighjt game and 12th in their last 13th after a 2-3 start to the 2016-17 campaign. Pioneer trails just Hopkins (16-1, 13-0) in the HL standings after pulling even with Mahar (16-2, 12-2), a team with which the Panthers split during the regular season.
“I really think we can make a deep playoff push — that’s the goal,” explained Llewelyn. “We got off to a rough start but we’re getting hot at the right time.”
Thayer echoed those sentiments.
“New coach, new system to start the year and it takes some time for it all to come together,” he said. “The fruits of our labor are starting to show.”
Athol (1-17, 1-13) was led by Isaac Raulston’s team-high 13 points, with 11 of those coming in a third quarter when he drained three 3-pointers.
Both teams return to action Friday night. Pioneer will entertain Greenfield High School at. Athol hosts Turners Falls High School at 7:30.