It was a competitive game between Greenfield and Mahar on Monday in the boys varsity championship game of the DRIVE League.
The Green Wave took an early lead and held off a surging Senator squad to lift the championship trophy with a 69-62 victory at Greenfield High School. Greenfield closed out the summer circuit with an 11-0 record.
Caleb Murray controlled the pace for the Green Wave against the Sens, as the point guard put in a team-high 22 points, sinking four 3’s along the way.
“It feels good to win this,” Murray said. “This is a great way to end the summer. Our chemistry has gotten a lot better since the start of the summer. We’ve been working on gaining chemistry and our defense and both those things showed tonight. That’s why we came away with the win.”
With rosters in constant shuffle during the summer, the guarantee of a close, competitive game isn’t always there. That wasn’t the case between the Green Wave and the Senators.
Greenfield pulled ahead early and took a 40-33 lead into the half. Mahar went on a run in the second half to knot the game up with just over five minutes to play, but the Green Wave took the lead and didn’t give it back up, holding off a stingy Senator squad.
Murray says based on how Mahar had played them throughout the summer, he knew Monday’s championship game wouldn’t be an easy one.
“We only beat them by four the last time we played,” Murray said. “We knew we had to come in here and be ready to go. This is a good one to get ready for the season.”
Jon Breor finished with 20 points, Caleb Thomas made four 3’s to record 18 points, Jacob Blanchard scored six points, Grayson Thomas knocked down a 3 while David Hernandez added two points in the win.
For Mahar Jayden Delgado led the way with 14 points. Will Barnes , Morgan Softic and Lucas Isrow each scored 11 points, Marshall Ames tossed in eight points while Caleb Rodriguez scored three points in the defeat.
Franklin Tech League
The semifinals of the Franklin Tech Girls Summer Basketball League took place on Tuesday, with Frontier and Franklin Tech advancing to Thursday’s title game.
Frontier opened the night by knocking Mahar off, 30-18, behind seven points from Jazzy Hayes, six points from Olivia Machon, five points from both Skyler Steele and Ashley Taylor, four points from Hailey Hutkowski and three points from Rowan Reilly.
Taylor Paluk finished with seven points, Hayden Comeau and Alivia Patch each tallied three points, Thea Whitmore recorded two points while Nevaeh Scribner made a free throw for Mahar.
In the second game of the night Lea Chapman put in 12 points, Kyra Goodell scored 10 points, Kaitlin Trudeau finished with six points, Hannah Gilbert scored four points and Trinity Doane recorded two points to lift Franklin Tech to a 34-32 win over Pioneer.
The Panthers received 11 points from Hailey Ring, eight points from Addison Harrington, six points from Kyler McClelland, four points from Fota N’Diaye and three points for Leah Potter.
The Redhawks and the Eagles will play for the championship at 6 p.m. on Thursday at Franklin Tech.
Junior Amateur
After carding a 1-over 73 on Monday, Conway’s Gunnar Moore — representing the Country Club of Greenfield — shot a 2-over 74 in his second round of stroke play on Tuesday during the 105th Massachusetts Junior Amateur Championship at GreatHorse.
Moore’s two round score of 3-over puts him in a tie for 15th place. With the top 16 advancing to Wednesday’s match play, and Moore tying with Cole Cassidy (Winchester Country Club), Nic Gebhardt (Wachusett Country Club) and Trevor Drew (Long Meadow Golf Club), the four played a playoff on Tuesday to determine which two would move on in the tournament.
Moore was unable to advance in the playoff, knocking him out of the tournament. Gebhardt and Drew moved on to match play.
CCG
Teresa Varner (3) and Tina Browne (4) shot the best player to par gross scores in a Best Nine Holes contest in the 18 Hole Women’s League at the Country Club of Greenfield on Tuesday.
Ann McHugh (-6) and Nancy Donoghue (-4) shot the low player to par net scores. In Flight Two Irene McDonald (7) and Anne Corrinet (10) carded the top player to par gross scores while Donna Mowry (-7), Sally Bernard (-4) and Sue McDonald (-4) shot the low player to par net scores.
In a Life’s a Beach Tournament in the Nine Hole Women’s League at CCG on Tuesday Liz Dolby (37), Sherry Chaffee (40) and Ann Pickerall (40) had the low scores in the Patty Berg Flight.
Nancy Donoghue (39) and Ellen Bitzer (42) had the low scores in the Nancy Lopez Flight, Sarah Cook (52) won the Joanna Carner Flight, Angela Berquist (46) and Sandy Ruggeri (48) had the low scores in the Lorena Ochoa Flight, Wanda Pyfrom (48), Sally Bernard (49) and Sue Luippold (49) had the low scores in the Annika Sorenstom Flight while Maggie Valentine won the Michelle Wie Flight (45).
12U
It was a successful week for the Frontier 12U tournament team down in Agawam, going 5-0 to take home the championship in the Jimmy Fund Little League Tournament.
Frontier got things started with a 3-2 win over the Western Mass Invaders on Jul. 23 before knocking off the Westfield Dean, 14-8, on Jul. 24.
Last Friday they defeated the Beans, 8-4, and in the semis on Thursday, Frontier knocked off the Western Mass. Invaders, 10-6.
In Sunday’s championship game against Adams/Cheshire, it was a comeback win that allowed Frontier to take home the title.
Frontier scored twice in the fifth to knot the game at three. In the bottom of the sixth Colin Galli got on with a double and Jack Cycz hit a single to the fence that scored Galli to lift Frontier to a 4-3 victory. Galli tossed the first four innings before Sam Hunter pitched the fifth inning and Ryder Savage tossed the sixth inning.
Over the five games Nate Maloney finished with six hits and two RBIs, Cycz totaled six hits and six RBIs and Owen Belden knocked five hits and five RBIs. Brody Cross (six hits, three RBIs), Theo D’Urso (hit, RBI), Galli (five hits, three RBIs), Savage (three hits, four RBIs), Hunter (two hits, RBI), Colton Bysiewski (three runs), Jacob Burniske (four hits, two RBIs) and Corey Lebeau (two hits, RBI) all performed well at the plate for Frontier.
On the mound Galli struck out 14, Cross struck out nine, Hunter struck out four while Belden and D’Urso each had a strikeout.
FCL
Brayleigh Burgh knocked three hits including a walk-off RBI double to lift the Flyers to a 6-5 win over the Havoc in the semifinals of the Franklin County Summer Softball League on Monday at Murphy Park.
Burgh also struck out 10 in the win while Katy Lengieza and Sandra Johnson singled for the Flyers. Laylah Goulston and Ameliya Galbraith singled, Sadie Selivanoff doubled while Rachel Wood struck out nine for the Havoc.
Dinner on the Bridge
Want to have dinner on the Iron Bridge this summer? The Mohawk Trail Athletic Department is giving you the opportunity to do that.
The Mohawk Trail Athletic Association is taking over the Dinner on the Bridge fundraiser from the Shelburne Falls Business Association, with the event taking place on Aug. 20 on the Iron Bridge. Seating begins at 4:30 p.m.
The cost is $100, with all proceeds going to support Mohawk Trail athletics. There will be a cash bar. The meal will be provided by Bash Catering and served by Mohawk Trail student athletes.
For more information contact the Mohawk Trail Athletic Association (mohawkathleticassociation@gmail.com).