SPRINGFIELD — Oh, what almost was.
Holding a one-point lead with the ball and under a minute to play on the road against the defending champions, the Mahar Regional School boys basketball team could almost smell a trip to the Curry Hicks Cage.
Postseason games often come down to one play however, and Tre Hodge made it.
The Sabis International Charter School star stole the ball from Mahar point guard Charlie Barnes near midcourt and rolled in for a layup with 25 seconds remaining that ultimately proved to be the game-winner. The 10th-seeded Senators had two looks at the basket to potentially win the game in the waning seconds, but No. 2 Sabis held on for a wild 52-51 victory in Friday’s Western Massachusetts Division 3 quarterfinal.
The Bulldogs (13-8) will have a chance to defend their sectional title, as they advanced to the semifinals where they’ll meet No. 6 Monument Mountain (17-5) next week on the campus of UMass.
Trailing 51-50, Hodge put his team on his back for the steal and go-ahead hoop. The junior point guard finished with 21 points, none bigger than the uncontested layup off the window with 25 seconds to play.
“To his credit, he made a great play,” Mahar head coach Chad Softic said of Hodge. “But we had opportunities, we had two shots to win it in the end. We had the game, but that’s basketball. They made one more play than us tonight.”
Sabis held defensively on the ensuing possession and Rob Scoville was fouled with 9.8 seconds remaining. The Sabis guard missed the front end of a one-and-one however, and the Senators took possession with one more chance. Barnes grabbed the rebound and found Jake Tenney, who pulled up for a long jump shot that hit the front of the rim. Cecilio Sanchez scooped up the rebound and fired another jumper at the buzzer, but his shot also fell short and the Bulldogs managed to survive and advance.
“Tonight really came down to one thing and that was Tre Hodge,” lauded Sabis head coach Pat Ochoa. “In big moments, he made the big plays. That’s what I tell my guys, you can make plays. No matter what’s happening, go out and make a play and win the game.”
Friday’s quarterfinal was not for the faint of heart. Both teams exchanged scoring runs, but neither was able to deliver a knockout punch. Every time Sabis appeared destined to run away and hide, Barnes & Co. answered with a big basket or play on the defensive end.
“There were several body blows all night where teams went on runs,” Softic said. “The great thing for us was we bounced back every time. This team has really come a long way with mental toughness and it certainly showed tonight. We made a lot of plays in the fourth quarter to win the game, a couple to try and win it in the end, and that’s a credit to the kids.”
The fourth quarter alone featured five ties and nine lead changes. Mahar took a 49-48 lead after Jakob Carron’s layup with 1:38 remaining, and Sabis’ Sandro Diaz answered with a putback to give the hosts a 50-49 lead with 1:18 to play.
Tenney came to the rescue for the Senators, swooping in for another huge bucket with exactly one minute remaining to make it a 51-50 contest.
Sabis was whistled for a travel with 50 seconds remaining, and the Senators eventually called timeout with possession and 33.4 ticks to go. That set the stage for Hodge’s theft and hoop and the frenetic finish that followed.
“It was a good old-fashioned playoff game that ultimately came down to the last play,” Ochoa said. “We were lucky enough to get a stop when we needed it.”
Softic voiced his displeasure afterward toward the way the game was officiated, as the Senators attempted just five free throws in the loss. They made all five from the stripe.
“We thought we were the better team,” the veteran coach began. “I still believe that. I still think we’re the better team. We didn’t win tonight. That’s not taking anything away from Sabis. But I thought we were the better team. The refs certainly let them play tonight. Five foul shots in a basketball game, for 32 minutes, as physical as the game was… that’s preposterous. Call it sour grapes, I thought we deserved better tonight.”
Barnes finished with a team-high 17 points in his final basketball game as a Senator. Tenney followed with 12 points and Sanchez made it three Mahar players in double figures with 11 points. Carron scored all six of his points in the second half.
“Can’t say enough about Charlie Barnes and everything he’s given the program for four years,” lauded Softic. “Tonight was kind of a microcosm for everything he’s done for us. He’s been a rock, a kid that always found a way to get the job done. He did it again tonight, made big shots, big rebounds. Just love the kid.”
The night of runs began on the side of the Senators, which came out flying and staked themselves to a 10-0 lead in the game’s opening 4:02.
Sabis settled in and pushed back, but the hosts weren’t able to take their first lead of the game until the midway point of the third quarter when two free throws from Alex Williams (14 points) made it 32-30.
The Bulldogs built their biggest lead of the night at 35-30 when Hodge’s 3-pointer capped a 12-0 run, but Mahar fought right back and closed the third quarter on a 9-3 run with Barnes’ 3-pointer just before the buzzer giving his team a 39-37 advantage heading into the fourth.
“Hats off to Mahar and Chad,” Ochoa offered. ‘They did a good job, they were prepared for our pressure and they did a nice job handling it. They deserve a lot of credit.”