ATHOL — Freshman Ty Sadoski found himself with the ball late in the fourth quarter protecting a one-point lead for the Franklin Tech boys basketball team.
After dribbling through traffic with only seconds remaining, Sadoski put up a runner near the elbow.
“I went through thinking I was going to pass to the corner,” Sadoski said of the play. “I watched the ball go high off the rim and did not have a good feeling.”
The negative feeling quickly turned to jubilation after the shot went in, lifting the Eagles to an eventual 64-57 victory over Athol in an independent contest at Mallet Gymnasium.
“It dropped right in,” Sadoski said.
Bailey Young hit four clutch free throws to close out the Red Raiders. Young scored often for the Eagles, finishing the night with 22 points.
Franklin Tech (2-2) withstood an Athol comeback attempt. The Red Raiders rallied from a 15-point deficit in the third quarter to make things interesting late.
“We showed growth today,” Franklin Tech coach Tim Artus said. “We showed we can handle some of those tough situations.”
With Sadoski, the primary ball-handler, in foul trouble, the Red Raiders’ press forced some turnovers leading to the comeback bid.
“We have a long way to go still,” Artus said. “We caused some of those situations. We have to take care of the ball a little bit better.”
When Sadoski went to the bench, the volume of turnovers increased. The pressure of playing point is something Sadoski is ready for as a freshman.
“My dad really pushed me as a kid,” Sadoski said. “Ball handling, dribbling, passing… that really helped me. That’s how I got to the level I am right now.”
Sadoski finished with 20 points in the win..
Bryce King led Athol’s comeback attempt with 21 points. During Athol’s third quarter run, King hit two-3-pointers to cut the lead to single digits heading into the fourth.
A loud timeout from Athol coach Dan Bevis helped the Red Raiders climb back into the game.
“I thought the energy was there after the timeout,” Bevis said. “We are not focused. We have to come together and figure it out. This was a very winnable game.”
A slick pass from Mark Ferrari to a cutting King got Athol within 58-57 with 43 seconds left in regulation. After Sadoski’s runner, a 3-point attempt by Ferrari missed and the Red Raiders had to foul.
“It was effort,” Bevis said. “They were clearly outplaying us in the third quarter. That’s the difference in the game. It’s not the missed 3’s at the end. It’s the run to start the second half. That was the reason they won the game. We put ourselves in holes that are tough to get out of.”
Sadoski’s 3-point shooting helped build the lead for the Eagles. Sadoski went 4-for-7 from beyond the arc. If the Athol defense backed away, Sadoski had one goal in mind.
“Shoot it and let it fly,” Sadoski said.
Garrett Cole scored 11 points and grabbed 15 rebounds playing in the paint for the Eagles.
Ferrari and Vinny Gordon had 16 and 10 points, respectively, for Athol (0-2).
The Eagles went on a 9-0 run in the first quarter to take the lead.
Two mid-range baskets by Cole as well as 3-pointers by Ryan Artus and Sadoski forced the Red Raiders to take a timeout with 4:09 left in the first quarter.
Sadoski stayed hot with two more 3-pointers, giving the Eagles a 15-8 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Athol could not close the gap in the second quarter despite going 8-for-10 from the free throw line.
Young rattled home a 3-pointer to start the third quarter, giving the Eagles their first double-digit lead at 32-22. Sadoski sunk another from deep to up the Franklin Tech lead to 40-25.
Athol went on a run 14-5 run to end the third quarter trailing just 45-39.
