HADLEY — Trailing by one point at halftime, Pioneer Valley Regional School’s offense exploded in the third quarter, scoring 25 points to pave the way to a 58-51 victory over Hopkins Academy in a Hampshire League South Division boys basketball game Tuesday night.
With the loss, the Golden Hawks (9-11, 3-5 HL South) were eliminated from postseason consideration. It ends an impressive run for the program, which won three straight WMass Div. 4 titles before falling in the title game a year ago to Pioneer in pursuit of its fourth in a row.
Pioneer (17-3, 8-0) opened the second half on fire, going on a 12-2 run. Senior Garrett Cote got the scoring started by knocking down a jumper, which was followed by a 3-pointer from Troy Emond.
Jared Hubbard knocked down a free throw, and Zackary Fox made a layup on the next possession before Jacob Fuller sank a jumper to put the Panthers in control of the game.
“It was better ball movement,” Pioneer coach Scott Thayer said of the third-quarter run. “Harder cuts, ball movement was crisper. That gets you kind of energized. You see one go through the hoop and then everyone else, you see another go through the hoop. In the first half, we had good shots but they weren’t the kind of shots off the ball movement we’re used to. But because we didn’t see the ball go through the hoop, it gave us a lack of energy on the defensive end.”
The ball movement allowed everyone on the Panthers to get involved, as eight players scored baskets in the third quarter, with Cote leading the way with nine points.
The Pioneer defense stepped its game up in the fourth quarter, holding Hopkins to just one made field goal, with eight of its 10 points coming from the free throw line.
With under 30 seconds to go, Pioneer held a six-point lead and had an inbound pass under Hopkins’ basket. On the inbound, Fox slipped to the rim and was uncovered. The center missed the first shot, but corralled his rebound and finished the layup, putting the Panthers up by three scores and sealing the win.
“It’s one we work on,” Thayer said of the play. “He came wide open. We were just trying to get the ball in and melt the clock. We just wanted to run the clock out. Let’s say he misses it, it’s a different ball game.”
Cote led Pioneer with 16 points, 11 of which came in the second half. Emond joined him in double-figures, scoring 14 points in what was a balanced scoring effort from the Panthers.
Caleb Graves, the lone senior for the Golden Hawks, scored 17 points in his final high school game, knocking down three 3-pointers. Sophomore Braeden Tudryn scored 16 points and freshman Andrew Ciaglo had 14 points, 10 coming at the charity stripe.
With Hopkins needing the win to move into the postseason, Thayer knew he would be facing a prepared opponent, and was pleased with the way his team fought for the victory.
“Their motivation was a big part of that,” Thayer said of Hopkins. “They had their backs against the wall and they were playing like fisher cats. They really had to throw everything at us —physically, mentally, spiritually —and for the most part we met the challenge, but didn’t rise above it. We played that type of basketball in spurts.”
The first half was back-and-forth, with neither team able to gain an advantage. Hopkins looked to take control in the second quarter, going on a 10-0 run in large part to a pair of 3s by Graves, but Pioneer fought back, as Hubbard and Emond knocked down 3-pointers to get the Panthers back into the game before the half.
With the win, Pioneer capped a perfect season in league play, going 8-0 in Hampshire League South contests. The Panthers won the regular-season title by three full games, and will be a top three or four seed in next week’s WMass Div. 4 Tournament where it will look to repeat as sectional champion.
Pioneer 58, Hopkins 51
Pioneer (58)
Emond 5-0—14, Hubbard 2-1—6, Potter 1-0—2, Fuller 2-0—4, Cote 7-1—16, Underwood 2-0—4, Fox 3-0—6, Dobosz 1-0—2, Emberley 2-0—4, Curtis. Totals 25-2–58.
Hopkins (51)
Waldon 1-0—2, Beck 0-1—1, Ciaglo 1-10—12, Berg 1-0—2, Graves 5-4—17, Tudryn 6-2—16, Antes 0-1—1. Totals: 14-18–51.
3-Point Goals: (P) Emond 4, Hubbard, Cote. (H) Graves 3, Tudryn 2.
Score by quarters:
|
Pioneer |
10 |
12 |
25 |
11 |
— |
58 |
|
Hopkins |
11 |
12 |
18 |
10 |
— |
51 |