NORTHFIELD — After giving up a double-digit lead, the Athol High School boys basketball team needed a big fourth quarter against Pioneer Valley Regional on Monday night.
The Red Raiders, with contributions from several sources, got the run they needed in a 59-45 win over the Panthers in an independent tilt at Messer Gymnasium.
“I am very pleased with how it worked out,” Athol coach Dan Bevis said. “We talked about having energy from the start and I thought we did. Defensively, we were able to do a couple things.”
Athol jumped out to a 22-11 lead in the first quarter. The Panthers climbed back into the game by the third quarter.
“Basketball is a game of runs,” Bevis said. “Sometimes you are on them, and sometimes they are on you. You just have to adjust. We got some better looks in the second half.”
In the third quarter, Jared Hubbard hit back-to-back 3-pointers for Pioneer (4-9) to tie the game at 34. From there, the Red Raiders went on a 25-11 run to close the game.
With the postseason still a goal for the Red Raiders, the importance of each game is magnified. Bryce King scored seven points with four assists running the point for Athol.
“It was a must-win game for us,” King said. “We have to win out, basically. We’re just looking for momentum going forward. We just need to make a huge push. We beat a good team. They beat Greenfield. That means we can beat Greenfield. If we can beat Greenfield, we can beat anyone.”
The Red Raiders (4-9) used their size to their advantage, scoring a lot of their points in the paint. Forwards Mark Ferrari and Noah Pottinger both had big games inside.
Ferrari scored 14 points with 12 rebounds for a double-double while Pottinger tossed in 12 points with seven boards.
“It was nice to have some size,” Bevis said. “We want to focus on scoring in the paint. I thought we were able to do that tonight. Overall, I am pleased with our effort.”
Pottinger nailed a 3-pointer at the third quarter buzzer to give Athol a two-possession lead going in the fourth quarter.
Pioneer shook off a slow first half and made a run at the Red Raiders behind 19 points from Troy Emond and 14 from Hubbard.
It was tough for the young Panthers to overcome the slow start, according to head coach Scott Thayer.
“The first half we came out and we looked dead,” Thayer said. “We didn’t look like we had any energy. Right now our margin for error is slim.”
After two free throws from Ryan Potter, the Panthers were within striking distance down 46-41 in the fourth quarter. The shots didn’t fall for Pioneer down the stretch however.
“When you are trying to dig yourself out of a hole, it’s tough,” Thayer said. “Everything that goes wrong is magnified. They don’t see the small successes along the way. The ability to get the open shot is a success.”
Athol’s Vinny Gordon hit a big corner 3-pointer to give Athol a 53-43 lead late in the fourth quarter. Gordon had one of his better games of the season with 14 points, eight coming in the fourth quarter.
Athol jumped out to a 9-3 lead in the first quarter after a 3-pointer by Gordon.
Later in the quarter, King penetrated and drove baseline before finding Pottinger for a 3-pointer that gave Athol a 23-11 lead going into the second quarter.
Pioneer played a good second quarter to close the gap going into the intermission.
Hubbard scored eight of his 14 points in the third quarter to get Pioneer back even.
In the fourth quarter, Emond followed Gordon’s 3-pointer with one of his own to cut the deficit to 53-46, but Athol answered with back-to-back baskets. Ferrari hit a floater in the paint, before King found Gordon alone for a layup to increase the lead back to double-digits.
Athol plays at Turners Falls on Thursday, while the Panthers host Smith Academy.
■ In JV action, Pioneer survived a last-second 3-point attempt for a 65-63 victory.
Connor Mahony poured in a team-high 22 points for Athol, Aedan Erickson followed with 16 points.
