TURNERS FALLS — The postseason jitters lasted one quarter for Turners Falls High School.
The fourth-seeded Powertowners went on the attack and dominated the second quarter, outscoring 13th-seeded Sizer School of Fitchburg, 25-5, and coasting to a 57-35 victory in the first round of the Western Massachusetts Division IV Boys’ Basketball Tournament.
The win also gave veteran Turners head coach Gary Mullins his 300th career varsity basketball victory.
“I had no idea,” quipped the humble mentor afterward.
Turners (13-8) found itself on the wrong end of an 11-7 score at the end of eight minutes, after Sizer went on a 9-0 run. But then the hosts turned the second period into a track meet and the White Tigers were simply unable to keep up.
Consecutive hoops by Nick Croteau and Kyle Bergmann helped Turners tie the game at 11 just 22 seconds into the period. Luis Santiago (team-high 13 points) drained his second 3-pointer of the evening with 7:17 left in the half to put Sizer back in front, 14-11, but that was the last time the White Tigers led.
Tyler Lavin made three straight hoops to start a decisive 21-0 run over the next 5:07 to give Turners a 32-14 lead. Bergmann also added 6 during that stretch, while Tionne Brown added 5 more.
Tylik Kimani finally stopped Sizer’s 6:14 scoring drought with a putback, but Turners retired to the locker room with a comfortable 32-16 advantage.
“Just because you’re considered the prohibitive favorite (to win) doesn’t mean you’re going to play well, and I think we were a little bit nervous,” said Mullins of the ragged start. “We couldn’t make a shot, and we started to get some good looks and still couldn’t make a shot. Then the second quarter we started to get some stops and got some runouts.”
The hosts also dominated most of the third quarter, outscoring the White Tigers 17-6 before Mullins — who had already started to substitute liberally — unloaded the bench for the final period.
Bergmann also pulled down 6 rebounds to go along with his game-high 14 points. Brown had another solid all-around game with 10 points, 6 assists and 4 steals, while Lavin finished with 10 points and 5 assists and Anthony Peterson threw in 9 points.
Johnny Poole chipped in 8 points and Sebastian Rodriguez and Sean Hout added 6 apiece for the White Tigers, who closed out their season at 12-9.
Turners advances to a quarterfinal matchup against No. 5 seed Murdock High School of Winchendon Thursday night at 7 in Turners. Murdock defeated No. 12 Lenox Memorial High School, 57-36, in their first-round matchup Monday.