BUCKLAND — After a 53-37 independent loss to Pathfinder Tech on Wednesday night, the mood around the Mohawk Trail Regional boys basketball team was that of frustration. There were also positive feelings just to be on the floor at all.
“I think there’s a growing frustration,” Mohawk Coach Fred Redeker said. “Not being able to do what they want to. We are starting from the bottom. It’s hard.”
Mohawk’s Malcolm Briggs defends vs Pathfinder in Buckland Wednesday night. PAUL FRANZ / Staff Photo 
Mohawk’s Coach Fred Redeker vs Pathfinder in Buckland Wednesday night. PAUL FRANZ / Staff Photo 
Mohawk’s Braydn Marcoux shoots vs Pathfinder in Buckland Wednesday night. PAUL FRANZ / Staff Photo 
Mohawk’s Cole Cross drives vs Pathfinder in Buckland Wednesday night. PAUL FRANZ / Staff Photo 
Mohawk’s Cole Cross drives the baseline vs Pathfinder in Buckland Wednesday night. PAUL FRANZ / Staff Photo 
Mohawk’s Owen Pfisterer-Hill drives vs Pathfinder in Buckland Wednesday night. PAUL FRANZ / Staff Photo 
Mohawk’s Noah Sprague is fouled vs Pathfinder in Buckland Wednesday night. PAUL FRANZ / Staff Photo
Prior to this year, fans in Buckland had not seen boys varsity basketball since 2022. That year, a varsity roster evaporated due to low numbers and injuries. The Warriors had to cancel the season. Everybody on the bench is learning something, even if the players aren’t ready to step on the varsity floor yet.
“Just exposure,” Redeker said. “Learning from our positives and our negatives. We do have some positives. I want them to learn that it’s not going to be east but also be a part of it. We are building toward something … there’s definitely better years ahead. Some light at the end of the tunnel. Doesn’t mean it will get as bright as we hope it will. You never know what’s going to happen.”
The seniors on this year’s roster played junior varsity for the past two seasons. Malcolm Briggs scored eight points in the loss to the Pioneers. Playing varsity is a net positive for Briggs.
“It was hard, it was really hard,” Briggs said. “It was more a mental struggle. We had a really, really young program. Coming out of our freshman year … backing out of the season half way … just not even having a team. But all of us are happy as can be that we are varsity.”
Make no mistake, the Warriors (0-10) are tired of the losing.
“Obviously losing every game is not fun,” Briggs said. “But I’d say at the end of the day most of us are just happy to play varsity again. It feels good.”
Braydn Marcoux scored 13 points with three 3-pointers for the Warriors.
“We are sick of losing,” Marcoux said. But it is a lot more intense and a lot more fun. We are trying our best. It gets hard. There’s not much we can do really. We are good individual players, we just don’t play together well as a team.”
Redeker took over the team this season and is tasked with building the program. Outside of six upperclassmen, the roster is full of middle school kids. Mohawk has trouble putting together four quarters. It’s been a consistent theme to play a good half and then unravel in the second half.
“I think there’s unrealistic expectations,” Redeker said. “They are competitive kids but they aren’t skilled enough to make that jump. We’ll play a half, and we are competitive for a half. But it’s hard to do it for a whole game you are under-skilled and under-experienced. The gap grows and you lose games by 15 or 20.”
The Warriors held a 22-19 lead in the third quarter after a 3-pointer by Marcoux. Later in the quarter, Cole Cross made a beautiful cut in the paint and made a lay up on a pass from Briggs. That score gave Mohawk a 24-21 lead.
Pathfinder went on a 6-0 lead to close the quarter. The brute force of Cassian Kowalik took over in the fourth quarter for the Pioneers. Kowalik scored 14 of his 20 points in the final frame as Pathfinder pulled away. Noah Sprague added eight points for the Warriors.
Mohawk’s closest game this season was a 34-31 loss to St. Mary’s on Dec. 22. The Warriors host Turners Falls on Friday night in a Tri-County North match up.
