AMHERST — The ball moved swiftly across the court for the Pioneer Valley Regional School boys basketball team in the third quarter against Hoosac Valley on Saturday.
The action was the blueprint for what the Panthers want to do this season.
There wasn’t quite enough of it in a 57-46 season-opening loss to Hoosac Valley however, as Pioneer dropped an independent contest at the Pioneer Valley Tip-Off at UMass’ Curry Hicks Cage.
After an effective third quarter where his team moved the ball around the perimeter leading to open shots, Pioneer coach Scott Thayer called an immediate timeout.
“You see mental engagement,” Thayer said. “The ball moving from side to side and you get an open look where a kid is in his comfort zone to stroke it. I wanted to call a timeout to reiterate that that’s what we need to be doing.”
The Panthers’ offense started slowly with 17 points in the first half. After intermission, things started to flow a bit more for a young Pioneer team.
“It’s about learning to play,” Thayer said. “We can’t rely on what’s happened in the past. We are young. A few negative plays and the body language changes. Those are the kinds of things we need to get over.”
Izaha Stubbs had his way with the Panthers, scoring 25 points for Hoosac Valley in the victory. Jared Hubbard led the scoring for Pioneer with 12 points and added seven rebounds and three assists.
The Panthers knew of Stubbs’ ability going into the game.
“We have to make sure their other players beat us,” Hubbard said. “You can’t let their best player beat us.”
Stubbs was a threat from outside and during transition opportunities for the Hurricanes. He finished with five rebounds, four assists and three steals.
In the third quarter, Troy Emond (11 points), Ryan Potter (nine points) and Hubbard all connected on 3-point shots.
“We have to start stringing good plays together,” Hubbard said. “You can tell when we swing the ball around we get open shots We can’t just do it for two minutes. We have to do it for the whole game.”
Hubbard, a sophomore, is trying to fill a leadership role for Pioneer after the graduation of guard Garrett Cote.
“I learned from Garrett Cote,” Hubbard said. “He taught me the ropes. I am kind of following in his footsteps. Just trying to be a leader on and off the court. Leadership in the locker room, leadership on the court. Really getting our guys collected.”
Jayden Fox grabbed nine rebounds and scored nine points. The sophomore showed good activity on the offensive glass leading to extra opportunities for the Panthers.
Point guard Liam Bradley-Curtis did some work on the glass with six defensive rebounds.
Hoosac Valley (1-0) pulled away in the second quarter, outscoring the Panthers by a 19-10 margin in the frame. Hoosac led by 12 points going into the fourth quarter.
The development of his young team will take some time, according to Thayer.
“You can see the disconnect between them all,” Thayer said. “The communication is lacking.”
Getting outplayed by a team from Berkshire County ultimately could help the team moving forward, the coach said.
“This is the best thing that could have happened to us,” Thayer said. “I can’t portray that in practice. I told them that was going to happen and there it is. Now they understand the work they need to put in.”
The Panthers (0-1) return to action with another independent game at Easthampton on Tuesday.
