ORANGE — A third-quarter run gave the Mahar boys basketball team a 64-33 win over Athol on Wednesday.
With the game tied 21-21, the Senators scored the next 16 points.
Nine of those points came from Matt Lyesiuk, who made three 3-pointers in the third quarter and finished with 19 points for the Senators (13-5).
“We have to have secondary scorers,” Mahar coach Chad Softic said. “Especially for the playoffs.”
With a full squad back the Red Raiders, pace and execution was back to form in the first half.
Bryce King scored all of his seven points in the second quarter as the Red Raiders (2-14) went into the half down 21-18.
“In the first half we really competed well,” Athol coach Dan Bevis said. “Things that are killing us are the second and third chances. Just really putting us in a hole. But we were still in the game. Lyesiuk hit three or four shots and the lead goes from three to 12. It took the energy out of us.”
Athol tied the game on a 3-pointer by Riley Paine, but the Senators countered with the 16-0 run and eventually entered the fourth quarter ahead 43-27.
“Some guys came out and competed,” Bevis said. “Some didn’t. The ones that are competing will continue competing going forward.”
Deven Patch, Mahar’s starting center for most of the season, did not play and was not on Mahar’s bench.
“Broke a team rule,” Softic said. “No longer with the team.”
The Senators needed Lyesiuk’s shooting after going 4-for-31 from the floor in the first half.
With a lot of shots missing, the Senators did a good job getting after rebounds to get to the foul line. Mahar went 13-for-18 in the first half from the free-throw line.
Ely Gonzalez scored 11 points for the Senators with Jordan Desrosiers adding eight.
Keegan Lutz had six points and Noah Pottinger chipped in with five for the Red Raiders.
