CHESHIRE — Franklin County got a chance to prove itself in a busy Saturday of girls basketball competition in Berkshire County. Frontier Regional School and Greenfield High School picked up victories against Berkshire foes, as local squads went 2-1 in three games at Hoosac Valley’s 13th Annual Coaches vs. Cancer Showcase.
Franklin County schools played in the first three games of the seven-tilt slate. The evening came to a conclusion with host Hoosac Valley meeting Minnechaug.
The first game of the day wound up being the best of the bunch.
Amelia Sobieski converted an old-fashioned three-point play with 1 minute, 18 seconds remaining, turning a two-point Frontier deficit into a 45-44 advantage. The Red Hawks held on thanks to a tightening defensive effort that didn’t allow a Lee field goal over the final 4:45.
“All the Berkshire teams, they have this tradition of toughness,” Frontier coach Dave Machon said afterward. “For us to win this game, I told the girls that it’s going to come down to mental toughness. I was pleased with how they were able to step up down the stretch and get a win against a quality team like Lee.”
Trailing 43-38 with less than three minutes remaining, Frontier (8-3) kicked its offense into gear. Sobieski and Kaitlyn Mackin scored back-to-back hoops to get within 43-42, and after a Lee free throw, Sobieski stepped up with the play of the game. She powered toward the basket and finished while being fouled. The junior sank the ensuing free throw to give the Hawks their first lead since early in the third quarter.
“She was definitely frustrated at times during the game,” Machon said of Sobieski. “We’ve been working on that play. The girls executed it, got the reversal we wanted and Amelia finished. She deserved that shot, stuck with it through adversity.”
Sobieski grabbed a rebound on the other end after a Lee missed shot, and dished it to Marie Diemand who was fouled with 4.2 seconds remaining. It was only the sixth foul of the half for the Wildcats however, and Frontier was able to run a few more seconds off the clock before Sierra Warren was fouled again with 1.9 seconds to play. She missed the front end of a one-and-one, but the ball was kicked around and the clock eventually ran out to secure the 45-44 win.
Sobieski led Frontier with 14 points, nine coming in the second half, while Diemand and Mackin joined her in double figures with 10 points apiece.
Frontier led for the majority of the first half, ultimately taking a 30-26 lead into halftime. The third quarter wasn’t kind to the Hawks however, as Lee outscored them by an 11-6 margin to take a 37-36 advantage into the fourth.
“That third quarter was tough for us,” Machon admitted. “There were a lot of mental errors.”
Emma Puleri led Lee (7-6) with 14 points.
It was clear early on that Drury’s defensive efforts were intently focused on Greenfield star Katie Haselton. While the leading scorer in Franklin County, and recent 1,000-point scorer, finished with a strong all-around stat line, it was the Green Wave supporting cast that largely carried the day on Saturday.
Haselton scored just four points in the first half, including a 3-pointer from 25 feet just before the halftime buzzer for her first field goal of the afternoon. No matter, as the Wave built a 27-15 halftime lead and cruised after the break for the 52-38 victory.
“We need games like this every once in a while,” Greenfield coach John Hickey said. “It proves to the kids that if Katie has a tough night, or if they’re really keying on her, we can still win.”
Haselton still put up 13 points, 12 rebounds, six steals and five assists, but there were plenty of contributions from up and down the lineup to guide Greenfield (9-4).
Racquel Provost led the offensive charge with 14 points, including four 3-pointers that helped open up the interior for the Wave. Her 3-pointer with 5:05 left in the third quarter helped jumpstart a 9-2 run that extended the Greenfield lead to 40-19.
“We made some shots today,” Hickey said. “There’s the difference from some of our games. Kids took open shots and made some.”
Provost handed out six assists and grabbed five rebounds in an impressive all-around performance, while Lillia Kachelmeyer scored eight points and notched seven rebounds. Tina Reed went for four points and eight boards, while the squad also received contributions from Amber Bergeron (six points) and Bry Rivera (five points).
“That’s a quality team we just beat,” Hickey said of Drury. “You look at their record (4-8) and it’s a little deceiving because of the schedule they play. They played Taconic tough, played Wahconah tough. Any time you come up here and get a win, that’s a good feeling.”
Greenfield trailed 12-10 after one quarter, but opened the second period on 10-0 run to snatch control. Rivera and Provost each hit 3-pointers during that spree, and Kachelmeyer’s layup bolstered the lead to 22-12. The advantage never dropped below eight points the rest of the way, and it was a double-digit game for the entirety of the second half.
The Senators never quite got their footing, especially on the offensive end, and Lenox snagged a convincing 58-33 victory on Saturday in Cheshire.
Mahar (7-5) led 9-7 in the first quarter after a layup by Saylor Kegans, but Lenox (6-7) ripped off a 10-0 run in response and didn’t trail again the rest of the way.
Leading scorer Micalyn Mailloux registered her team’s first points of the game, a 3-pointer from the corner just 23 seconds into the game, but was held off the board the rest of the way by a tenacious Lenox defensive unit that made blanketing her a priority.
The Millionaires led 25-14 at halftime, and scored the first eight points of the third quarter to take a 33-14 advantage.
Mahar answered with a 7-3 run, including baskets by Abby Henne and Siobhan Davis, but the deficit grew to 42-23 entering the fourth.
MaryAnne Prescott provided a spark to start the final frame, drilling back-to-back 3-pointers to cut the lead to 42-29 with 6:09 remaining, but Lenox closed the outing on a 16-4 run to put things out of reach.
Prescott was Mahar’s leading scorers with eight points, followed by Kegans with seven points. Henne tossed in six points and Kendrah Doane added five.
Lenox’s Sophie Patella and Jade Alward led all scorers with 16 points apiece.