Mahar Regional School nearly erased a 16-point fourth-quarter deficit but missed a shot at the buzzer and came up short against Hopkins Academy, 53-52, in a Hampshire League South Division boys’ basketball battle Monday night at Grzesik-Bixby Gymnasium in Orange.
The Senators (13-7) trailed 47-31 entering the fourth quarter but outscored the Golden Hawks, 21-6, in the frame to climb right back into it. Hopkins led by a point in the final 30 seconds but the Mahar defense hung tough and Hopkins missed a shot with 10 seconds left that Brennan Mailloux rebounded and worked up the court. He kicked the ball to Quinn Gervais, who got a good look at an 18-footer, but the shot back-ironed and Mahar’s comeback fell short.
“I’ve been begging this team to play with some urgency, and the last 12 minutes of the game, guys were diving on the floor, getting every loose ball, all the little things it takes to win a game,” Mahar coach Chad Softic said. “We didn’t do that in the first half, and over the course of the season we haven’t done that enough.”
Softic’s team fell behind 11-4 in the first quarter and the teams then matched 14-point outputs in the second as Hopkins took a 25-18 lead into the break. The Golden Hawks came out hot in the third quarter and outscored the Senators, 22-13, to pull away until the Mahar comeback.
“When we are playing well, we can beat anyone — I firmly believe that — and that’s why it has been frustrating this season,” Softic said. “We played 16 minutes tonight, and against Hopkins, that’s not good enough.”
Jon Earle paced Hopkins (18-2) with 14 points. Jon Morrison added 13.
Sam Paul paced Mahar with 16 points and 9 rebounds. Gervais finished with 9 points and 5 rebounds. Mailloux netted 8 points to go with 4 baords, and Matt Jenks chipped in 7 points.
Both teams will now await Saturday’s WMass Basketball Tournament seeding.
Greenfield 70, Athol 43 — Greenfield High School needed a victory to clinch a tournament berth and the Green Wave responded right out of the gates.
Behind a 16-0 run to end the first quarter, Greenfield built an insurmountable early lead and went on to defeat Athol High School, 70-43, in a HL North boys’ basketball game Monday night at Nichols Gymnasium in Greenfield.
The win sealed second place in the HL North for the Green Wave (7-13, 6-2) and gave Greenfield the automatic tournament berth that goes with it.
“It means a lot,” Greenfield coach Tim Caplice said. “I’m really happy for our guys, especially our two seniors (Colin Cloutier and Jake Suhl) who joined the team the year I took over the varsity program.”
The Green Wave entered the game winners of three of its past four games and made a statement right from the start. With the score tied 2-2 early on, Greenfield held the Red Raiders scoreless the remainder of the first quarter as it went on the 16-0 run to build the 18-2 lead.
“The nerves were definitely there, and rightfully so, this game was an important one, but you want to be a part of these games and have these nerves,” Caplice said. “It started from our defense. They all made plays, and once we got through the first couple of possessions, we really locked in our defense and converted it into offense.”
Mason Meadows led the Green Wave with 17 points. Hunter Campbell added 14. Cloutier finished with 11, Nate Haselton added 10 and Owen Phelps chipped in 7.
Brymere Edwards led Athol with 11 points. Mark Ferrari added 9 points and Kolby Mason chipped in 8.
Frontier 58, Smith Academy 39 — While Greenfield was able to celebrate a postseason berth, Smith Academy was left on the outside looking in.
The Falcons needed a win or a Greenfield loss in the season finale to tie the Green Wave for second place in the HL North. Instead, Frontier Regional School locked up the HL title and knocked Smith Academy out of the postseason with a 58-39 victory Monday night in Hatfield.
The win gave Frontier (13-7, 7-1) sole possession of the league crown, as a loss would have created a three-way first-place tie in the North. The Red Hawks now await their fate in the WMass Division III Tournament.
“I’m very proud of these guys and it’s a testament to the work they put into the offseason,” Frontier coach Ben Barshefsky said. “They come to practice every day and work hard and push one another. We’ve seen a lot of growth out of this group this year and we’re proud of them.”
Carsten Carey led Frontier with 22 points, while Ben Litskoski added 11. Owen Morse netted 8 points, and Alex Sharp chipped in 6.
Carter Woodward led Smith Academy (9-11, 5-3) with 17 points.
McCann Tech 79, FC Tech 48 — Logan Tower scored 25 points Monday night and McCann Technical High School drilled Franklin County Technical School, 79-48, in a Tri-County League North Division boys’ basketball game in Turners Falls.
Bruce Davis finished with 18 points for the Hornets. Cody Jordan added 10.
Joel Farrick scored 19 points to pace the Eagles (10-10). Seth Aldrich chipped in 12.
Pioneer 38, Easthampton 30 — Steph Scoville scored a game-high 15 points to go with 2 steals and Pioneer Valley Regional School ended the season on a high note with a 38-30 victory over Easthampton High School in an independent girls’ basketball game Monday at Messer Gymnasium in Northfield.
The lone senior on the team — Liz Lambert — finished with 4 points, 12 rebounds and a steal for the Panther (7-13), while Olivia Rowe netted 7 points to go with 12 rebounds and 5 blocked shots. Paige Loughman added 6 points and 7 boards.
“They really played consistent offensively for three quarters tonight, and they worked hard in the second quarter even though we struggled to score,” Pioneer coach Meg Burrington said. “I’m happy we ended the season on a positive note.”
Juli Korza led Easthampton with 9 points.