GREENFIELD — A second half comeback pushed the Greenfield boys basketball team past Ware, 62-57, in the Western Mass. Class C semifinals at Nichols Gymnasium on Sunday.
The second-seeded Green Wave trailed the third-seeded Indians, 28-21, at halftime. In the final 16 minutes, things heated up on the offensive side of the ball which in turn fueled the defense.
“We weren’t playing up to our capability,” Greenfield coach Angelo Thomas said. “We knew what they were going to do and who was going to do it. It’s a focus thing. When they are missing shots, they start to get down. But we faced a little adversity and overcame it.”
Greenfield has a shot at a Western Mass. championship against top-seeded Drury on Tuesday, time and location are still to be determined. The Blue Devils have a 1,000 point scorer in Jorge Bond. The junior is a smooth scorer who can shoot and get in the paint, but he’s not the only weapon Drury has at its disposal.
“We are going to have to play way better to beat Drury,” Thomas said. “They have four of five kids that can score double-figures. It isn’t like we can concentrate on one or two guys. We all have to man up and play defense and be locked in.”
Brayden Durant and Shane Foucher are consistent scorers for the Blue Devils. Connor Hinkell does the dirty work for Drury. Greenfield’s last Western Mass. championship was in 2000 when the Green Wave downed Hoosac Valley for the Division 2 crown. Drury beat Greenfield in 2023 for the Class C championship.
Grayson Thomas scored 22 of his 27 points in the second half to help the comeback on Sunday. A buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Thomas gave the Green Wave a 44-43 lead going going into the fourth quarter. A teammate who missed Greenfield’s first playoff game also got going in the second half.
“It was great, I missed him.” Grayson Thomas said. “I wasn’t doing that well in the first half, he stepped up and started hitting shots. He played great.”
Gavin Arsenault took a brief hiatus from the team to recover from an illness in the last week. In his return, Arsenault scored 15 points. An aggressive take to the rim by Arsenault gave Greenfield a 58-55 lead with 57 seconds left.
“It was definitely hard,” Arsenault said. “I wanted to be there for my guys. We have been working for this. But we all knew this is the game I needed to be back for. I wanted to be completely healthy for this game.”
A 3-pointer by Ware’s Brodie Koczur gave Ware a 54-51 lead with three minutes, 31 seconds left in the game. Greenfield responded with 3-pointers from Thomas and then Arsenault to take the lead for good. Arsenault’s minutes were staggered as he returned from the illness.
“I was trying to sub him in and out quickly,” Angelo Thomas said. “Because I didn’t know how much wind was going to have. He had to take three or four days off. But’s good to have him back. Another ball-handler, another defender, another scorer. “
Thomas went 2-for-2 with four seconds left to close the game. Conner Bergeron had eight points for Greenfield. A steal and finish by Bergeron gave Greenfield a 48-44 lead early in the fourth quarter.
Jack Gaudreau led Ware with 14 points.
Track & Field
Franklin County athletes competed at the MIAA Division 5 Indoor Track & Field Championship at the TRACK at new balance in Boston on Saturday.
Luke Howard of Frontier Regional ran a personal record (9:37.46) in the 2-mile, which was good for a second place finish. Nathaniel Henshaw of Parker Charter Essential placed first (9:33.98). Mohawk’s Peter Healy took home a personal record in the mile for the Warriors, good for 16th (4:48.26). Healy also set a school record in the 2-mile (19th, 10:34.11).
Louise Flagollet also registered a second-place finish in the statewide field. Flagollet cleared five feet, two inches in the high jump. Emma Wall of Carver took first (5-4). Emmanuelle Flagollet took seventh (9.41) for the Redhawks in the 55-hurdles. Frontier’s 4×400 relay team continued its strong postseason with a fifth-place finish. Maddie Antes, Phoebe Radner, Emmanuelle Flagollet and Louise Flagollet finished in 4:24.34.
Mahar Regional’s Stellina Moore finished 11th in the 55-hurdles (9.61, PR). The performance bested her own school record. Moore also placed tied for seventh in the high jump (5-0).
In the mile, Franklin County had three runners in the top 20. Mohawk’s Virginia Krezmien placed 14th (5:45.87) while Harper Hake took 15th (5:48.42, PR). Mohawk’s Naomi den Ouden was 16th (5:49.31, PR).
Swimming
Liam Bliss of Turners Falls competed at the MIAA Division 2 Boys Swimming & Diving Championships, held at Zesiger Pool on the campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston on Sunday.
Bliss took 10th (22.84) in the 50 free for the Thunder. The time set a new school record for the Turners Falls swimming program. Bliss capped his career with an 18th place finish (1:06.08) in the 100 breastroke.
Hockey
Greenfield 3, Lunenburg 2 — The Green Wave closed their regular season with an independent win over the Blue Knights at Collins-Moylan on Saturday night.
Shawn Baumann, Chase Zraunig and Jack Laurie had goals for Greenfield (11-6-1). Cooper Smith made 29 saves in the win. Zraunig, Laurie, Luca Siano, Nico Siano, and Chayton Massa (2) had assists for the Green Wave.
