MONSON — The Franklin County Technical School basketball team was eliminated Monday night in the first round of the Division IV Western Massachusetts Boys’ Basketball Tournament, but the visiting Eagles certainly did not go down without a fight.
Seeded 14th, Tech gave third-seed Monson High School all that it could handle — especially in the first half — but ultimately fell to the Mustangs, 63-49, bringing the season to a close the for Eagles (13-8).
The night started strong for the Mustangs (11-10), with Logan Gerry and Bahu Wadud both nailing deep 3s in the first minute for an early 6-0 lead.
The Eagles got right back into it, however, scoring the next 10 points and keeping the Mustangs off the board for the next four and a half minutes. Tech gave up the lead but kept it close throughout the opening frame, trailing by just one, 12-11, when it came to a close.
The Eagles continued to have success in the second quarter, playing a stifling defense that kept Wadud, the Mustangs’ best player, from having a lot of success. He scored just 4 points in the stanza.
“He’s one of the best ballhandlers in the league, obviously their best player, and I don’t think they expected us to do what we did, coming out in the triangle-and-2 or diamond-and-1 on him,” said Eagles head coach Matt Llewelyn. “When he didn’t have the ball in his hands, they struggled.”
Meanwhile, Eagles leading scorer Colin Gould, who only put in one free throw in the first, found his stride and dumped in 9 points in the frame, leading Tech to a 26-24 halftime lead.
The Mustangs made adjustments, however, and the Eagles could never find the rhythm in the final two quarters that they did in the first two.
The score was tied at 33 with six minutes left in the third, but after a fast-break Wadud layup gave Monson the 35-33 advantage, the Mustangs did not relinquish the lead.
“We struggled to score in the second half, and had some trouble with their press,” said Llewelyn. “but I couldn’t be prouder of this team and the effort they gave tonight. Holding Monson to 63 points is not easy to do.”
The third quarter ended with the Eagles down eight, 44-36, and Monson kept pushing the pace and finding the bottom of the net in the fourth, leading by as many as 15 en route to the 63-49 final.
Gould, a senior who played in his last high school contest, led all scorers with 25 points, and his coach was effusive in his praise for his senior star.
“He leads western Mass. in points this year so far and will finish either first or second. He’s fourth on our school’s all-time scoring list, leads western Mass. in free throws made, two years in row,” said Llewelyn. “He’ll be missed greatly. He’s a rare talent and gave his all in every single game he played.”
Also playing in his last game for the Eagles was senior Corey Johnson, who dropped in 5 points.
“He’s a bigger body, didn’t score as many points, but gives hustle, gives effort, and he’ll be greatly missed as well,” reflected Llewelyn.
Both will be big losses for the program, which suited up just eight players Monday night.
Joel Farrick added 8 points for the Eagles, while Garret Cole put in 6. Tyler Hastings added a long 3-ball and Bailey Young a deuce.
Wadud led the way for the Mustangs with 24, 15 in the second half.