NORTHFIELD — Carsten Carey has been a matchup nightmare for just about every team Frontier Regional School has faced this winter.
That didn’t change Friday night inside a crowded Messer Gymnasium.
The 6-foot-7 senior center saved arguably his best game of the season for arguably the most anticipated. Carey scored a career-high 33 points and pulled down 19 rebounds, helping the visiting Red Hawks overcome a halftime deficit to capture a 57-50 victory over Pioneer Valley Regional School in an independent battle of one-loss teams.
“He’s been an absolute monster for us, and he’s been the rock for Frontier basketball the last couple of years,” Frontier head coach Ben Barshefsky said of Carey. “He does so many things well. He draws so much attention that he makes the other four on the floor that much better.”
Carey scored 18 points of his 33 points in the second half. The Red Hawks (12-1) trailed 32-31 at intermission, but came out flying after the break. The visitors limited Pioneer to just one field goal and four total points in the third quarter, regaining the lead in the process. The Panthers never got closer than six points in the fourth quarter, managing just 18 points of offense in the second half.
“We do say the second half is our half,” explained Carey, who helped Frontier to a decisive 45-20 edge in total rebounds. “I’m just trying to be a more confident player every time out. I try not to shy away from anything, especially in a game like this.”
Frontier looked like it might run away late in the second quarter. Alex Sharp hit a 3-pointer, Owen Morse followed with a free throw, and Carey scored after hauling in an offensive rebound to give the visitors a 31-23 lead with 2:23 left before halftime.
But like they have countless times throughout this season, the Panthers had an answer. Senior point guard Garrett Cote hit a runner and finished the old-fashioned three-point play on the ensuing possession, and Pioneer (11-2) closed the half in thrilling fashion. With Carey on the bench for the final flurry, Jared Hubbard drilled back-to-back 3s in the final 1:03, including the go-ahead triple with just 31 seconds remaining. The 9-0 run to close the half got the home crowd going and staked the Panthers to a 32-31 lead at the break.
“Pioneer is a team that if you give them an opportunity to go off, they’ll take it,” admitted Carey.
Cote scored 14 of his team-high 25 points in the first half, as the Panthers had the tempo and flow of the game right where they wanted it entering the locker room.
“The first half we kind of played the half we needed to play, did the things we needed to do to give ourselves a chance,” Pioneer head coach Scott Thayer said.
Barshefsky said a key at halftime was focusing on slowing down the speedy Cote, who not only scored but slashed and kicked to open teammates in an all-around standout first half.
“Pioneer is an exception team,” began the Frontier coach. “Our off the ball rotations in the first half were a step slow. For us to counter them, we had to be laser-focused on every possession. We were over committing to Cote when he was dribble-penetrating. Our on the ball defense in the second half was much, much better.”
Frontier’s trademark lockdown defensive effort kicked into high gear in the third quarter. After a Troy Emond free throw gave Pioneer a 33-31 lead with 6:36 remaining, the Red Hawks held the home team off the scoreboard over the next 4:50. During that span, Carey scored 7 points and Frontier ripped off a 10-0 run to jump ahead 41-33.
“Our margin for error against a team like that is minimal,” admitted Thayer. “Their defense and length in the second half bothered us.”
Contributions came from a variety of places for the Hawks in the second half. Senior guard Tim Barrington gave Frontier good minutes, and even hit a key 3-pointer to quell a Pioneer threat in the fourth quarter. Sharp and Morse did a nice job handling a full-court press from the Panthers, and the team’s rebounding prowess limited the home team to mostly one-and-done opportunities on that end of the floor. Pioneer, which hit six 3-pointers in the first half, sank just three after halftime, and finished 9-for-31 from outside the arc.
Cote’s 3-pointer with 6:21 left in the fourth quarter cut the Pioneer deficit to 47-41. That’s when Barrington answered with his 3, and Carey scored his team’s final seven points to keep Frontier ahead for good.
“The atmosphere was incredible,” said Carey of the crowded gymnasium. “I had a lot of fun. But at the end of the day, it’s just one of our regular season games that we have to play this year.”
Carey’s 33 points bettered his previous career-high of 27 points, which came last year in a loss at Belchertown. Morse went for 10 points in a strong outing, including a stretch late in the first quarter where he scored six straight points taking the ball to the hoop. Sharp had 5 points and five assists, while Peter Carey added 4 points and six boards.
Cote went for 20-plus points for the eighth time this season. Hubbard followed with 9 points, while Zack Fox and Jacob Fuller added 5 points apiece.
Both teams are back in action with independent games Tuesday night. Frontier heads to play Hopkins Academy while Pioneer travels to Greenfield.
Frontier 57, Pioneer 50
Frontier (57)
Sharp 2-0—5, Evans 1-0—2, Barrington 1-0—3, P. Carey 2-0—4, C. Carey 14-5—33, Morse 4-2—10, Robinson, Jones-Thomson, Walkowicz. Totals 24-7–57.
Pioneer (50)
Cote 9-1—25, Emberley 1-0—2, Z. Fox 2-1—5, Fuller 1-3—5, Emond 1-1—4, Hubbard 2-3—9, J. Fox, Potter, Curtis. Totals: 16-9–50.
3-Point Goals: (F) Barrington, Sharp. (P) Cote 6, Hubbard 2, Emond.
Score by quarters:
|
Frontier |
17 |
14 |
14 |
12 |
— |
57 |
|
Pioneer |
16 |
16 |
4 |
14 |
— |
50 |