AMHERST — There’s a reason Hoosac Valley High School is a four-time defending Western Mass. champion.
A lot of reasons, actually.
The top-seeded Hurricanes put it all on display Thursday night. Offensive standouts Fallon Field and Lexi Mercier went off in the first half, and a suffocating defense prevented Mahar Regional School from getting into any sort of offensive flow. The combination proved more than enough, as the Hurricanes breezed past the fifth-seeded Senators for a 75-27 victory in the semifinals of the WMass Division III Tournament at the Curry Hicks Cage on the campus of UMass.
“We knew they were the top seed, they’ve won the last (four) championships and I think we were a little intimidated,” admitted Mahar senior Mckenzie Tenney, who led the Senators with a team-high 11 points, of Hoosac. “We tried not to be, but then we came out and basically froze like deer in headlights.”
Hoosac advanced to Saturday’s WMass final, set to be played against No. 2 South Hadley High School (22-0) back at the Cage at 2:15 p.m.
“Hoosac’s a great team and they were clicking on all cylinders tonight,” Mahar head coach Larry Fisher said. “Their quickness, their ability to be strong with the ball and our problem turning the ball over all added up to how things went.”
Surprisingly, the night started well enough for Mahar, as Tenney took a loose ball off the opening tip and immediately went in for a layup. Just seconds later, Cassidy Verheyen followed with a hard-nosed basket down low for a quick 4-0 lead inside the first minute of play.
The early advantage would be short-lived however. Riding a trapping, full-court press that frustrated the Senators early and often, Hoosac exploded on what was ultimately a 32-0 run that lasted into the second quarter.
The spree saw Mahar held scoreless for the last 7:14 of first quarter game action, with Fallon Field pouring in 14 points in the opening stanza to stake the Hurricanes to a commanding 22-4 lead.
“Our guards in the mid-court got intimidated and we just couldn’t get into an offensive set,” Fisher explained. “Ultimately we ran into a buzz-saw and we folded against their press.”
The big blow in the opening quarter came at the expense of Verheyen. The star senior was whistled for three fouls in the first 3:17 of the game, forcing her to sit while her team was unable to stem the tide against a tenacious Hoosac defense.
With Hoosac baffling Mahar thanks to its hounding defense, the Senators were unable to settle into their half court offense. Verheyen returned with 3:30 left in the second quarter, but by then, the Hurricanes lead stood at 40-6. She would pick up her fourth foul with 1:33 remaining before intermission, as Mahar tried all it could to climb back within striking distance. But the lead stood at 46-12 at the break, with Mercier and Field combining for 30 points in the frame.
“Their press really just beat us,” Tenney offered. “They kept trapping us in tough spots and we weren’t able to figure it out. We tried to keep our heads up but everyone was obviously having a tough time dealing with it the more ahead they got.”
Hoosac (20-2) extended its lead to 65-15 after the third quarter. The Senators played even, 12-12, in the fourth behind baskets from Verheyen, Tenney, Kianna Reilly, and Micalyn Mailloux, but the result had long been decided.
Verheyen finished with 8 points despite seeing limited minutes due to the foul trouble, while Reilly added 5 points for Mahar. Field, who will play collegiately next year at Division III Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, led all scorers with 21 points for Hoosac. Mercier hit four 3’s en route to 16 points while Alie Mendel made it three Hurricanes in double figures with 14.
Mahar finished its season 17-6 overall with the loss. It was the program’s first trip to the Cage since 2013, when the Senators also lost to Hoosac. The defeat snapped a 13-game winning streak.
“It was awesome to play here, other than (Verheyen) none of us had ever gotten a chance to before,” Tenney said of the Cage. “We accomplished a lot this season. Making it here, that’s really special, especially for us seniors.”
Despite the disappointing result, Fisher said his team’s season was a resounding success.
“We’re damn proud of them,” the veteran coach offered. “They’ve come a long way this season. I don’t think a lot of people thought they could get to the Cage and they made it happen.”
The semifinal loss marked the final game for seniors Tenney, Verheyen, Jordan Martin and Kadie Jillson, who missed the final half of the season after suffering an injury against Easthampton High School.