BUCKLAND — A complete team effort boosted the Athol boys basketball team to a 56-35 win over Mohawk Trail on Friday night.
Athol led from start to finish against the Warriors in the Hampshire League North contest.
“Other than a little stretch in the third quarter, I am pleased with how they put together four quarters,” Athol coach Dan Bevis said of his club. “A lot of guys stepped up. Nick (Bousquet) got us going right at the beginning.”
Bousquet scored 10 of his 17 points in the first quarter. He notched the first seven points of the game and finished with three 3-pointers.
“We have been working so hard in practice,” Bousquet said. “We took a few tough losses. Some close losses. We don’t want that to happen anymore.”
Athol (2-5, 1-2) is looking to build some momentum after Friday’s road victory, according to Bousquet.
“We want to change things around Athol basketball,” Bousquet said. “We want to make the playoffs. We have a lot of talented guys. One night it could be anybody. This has a huge impact on morale. Things are looking up for Athol basketball.”
Athol’s defense was highly efficient. The Raiders had a plan to slow down Mohawk’s Anthony Moffatt, who scored three points.
Noah Pottinger and Riley Paine spent most of the night guarding Moffatt.
“Between Noah and Riley, I thought they did a pretty good job,” Bevis said. “Those things don’t go unnoticed. They don’t show up in the stat sheet. Without the effort of those two kids it’s a lot different.”
Pottinger led Athol with 13 rebounds.
“That’s the hard part for some of the guys to understand,” Bevis said. “You can control the game without necessarily scoring.”
Mohawk’s offense was sporadic throughout. The Warriors (1-6, 0-3) made a run in the third quarter, cutting the lead to 35-27 after a Cam Lococo 3-pointer.
But a 3-pointer by Bousquet and a basket plus a foul by Mark Ferrari helped stop the run for the Red Raiders.
Tyler Dubreuil scored 13 points for the Warriors with Austin Sumner adding another nine.
“I think the big thing is just gelling as a unit,” Mohawk coach Darren Schmidt said of his team’s offense. “At points, I thought our defense looked good but our big problem was offensive rebounding. We got outhustled out there. Have to give it up for Athol.”
Bryce King led Athol with three assists and added six points. Maysin Tarbell scored 10 points, including a 3-pointer that gave Athol a 26-15 lead in the second quarter.
Tarbell sank the shot after Pottinger hustled after an offensive rebound to secure another possession.
Paine provided a nice spark off the bench and finished with six points.
After the fast start for Athol, Dubreuil hit a 3-pointer at the end of the shot clock and then followed with a layup to cut the lead to 17-15.
Paine helped build a double-digit lead for Athol with four points in the second quarter.
