NORTHFIELD — As the game slogged to a choppy, messy grind in the second half on Tuesday night, any quick boost of offense was certainly going to be welcomed by either team inside a tense Messer Gymnasium.
Enter Jared Hubbard.
The Pioneer Valley Regional School sophomore guard rose to the occasion with stakes high in the fourth quarter. Hubbard drilled back-to-back 3-pointers midway through the final period of a one-point game, creating a bout of separation badly needed with points proving difficult to come by. He scored 10 of his team’s final 11 points, finishing with a game-high 21 to lift the Panthers to a scrappy 51-46 victory over Greenfield High School in an independent boys basketball contest.
“We wanted this game. Teams have counted us out all year so it was a nice one to get,” Hubbard said. “It’s Greenfield-Pioneer, just a little rivalry we have here. We all have many friends on that team, we all want to brag to them over the course of the year. That was a big win for us.”
Clinging to a 40-39 lead with 5 minutes, 18 seconds remaining in regulation, Hubbard came through with the two big 3’s that extended the Pioneer lead to 46-39.
Greenfield (7-3) cut the deficit to 46-43 thanks to back-to-back hoops from Henry Zwart and Sam Gibson, but Hubbard sank four straight free throws over the final minute of regulation to seal the deal.
Pioneer head coach Scott Thayer said Hubbard’s 10-point, fourth-quarter burst was just what the doctor ordered.
“Jared’s been struggling a little bit with his shot,” began Thayer. “Not that he’s not been playing hard or anything, but I just told him, ‘Hey, relax, just go play like Jared Hubbard.’ I think that’s what he did tonight. You can see the player that he is. He performed tonight like he normally does.”
Pioneer (4-6) played from behind for the majority of the first half, but never fell too far off the pace. The Green Wave led 15-11 after one quarter and extended their advantage to 19-11 early in the second after a Mason Meadows fast-break dunk.
The Panthers were able to create a bit of defensive pressure using a trapping zone that extended into a three-quarter and sometimes full-court press. Forcing a steady stream of turnovers late in the second quarter, the hosts were able to cash in offensively and close the gap. Liam Bradley-Curtis put in a layup after scooping up a turnover, and Hubbard followed with a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 29-28. A Jayden Fox layup just before the halftime buzzer had the teams deadlocked at 30 into the locker room.
“Things didn’t go our way to start the game but we stayed with it,” offered Thayer. “We’ve stressed that in practice, to stay with it. Keep the faith and believe because we’ve been struggling lately. A lot of it is because the ball hasn’t been going in the hoop so there’s that little give up mode. Greenfield’s been playing well, Mason’s a load, and you have to match fire with fire.”
Meadows scored Greenfield’s first six points out of intermission, and the visitors led 36-33 with 4:05 remaining in the third. Pioneer answered with a 5-0 run to close the frame however, and a Hubbard layup in traffic had the Panthers on top, 38-36, into the fourth.
Greenfield’s scoring drought lasted nearly five minutes between the third and fourth quarters, and the Wave were never able to regain the lead after Hubbard’s bucket put Pioneer on top for good at the end of the third.
Despite a roster shrouded in youth, the Panthers played relatively even-keeled down the stretch. Hubbard and his teammates shortened the game, working the ball around for the majority of the shot clock, and his back-to-back 3-pointers all but locked up the much-needed victory.
“We were kind of out of control,” began Hubbard of his team’s performance at times. “We slowed it down, just had to pick good shots. The clock was in our favor, we were up on the scoreboard, we just had to make plays and we did that today.”
Thayer was impressed with his young team’s maturity down the stretch.
“In the fourth quarter, we showed some patience and poise,” he said. “Offensively, we slowed down, let the clock run. Let’s get our legs so we can go back and defend again on the other end. I thought the kids did a great job of finding where to go to the ball without panicking. Week and a half, two weeks ago, we would’ve panicked. This outcome probably would’ve been different. That’s the growth you see.”
At times in the fourth quarter, Pioneer had three sophomores and a freshman on the floor. There have been growing pains so far this season, but Hubbard hopes Tuesday’s win can point the Panthers in the right direction as a big week continues with road games against Frontier (Thursday) and Belchertown (Friday).
“Last year, our seniors, veterans picked up our slack. This year we all need to step up,” Hubbard explained. “Today was the perfect example of everyone getting into it. Energy was great, effort was great. We dug it out and got the win. After this win, tomorrow’s going to be a great practice. We have games Thursday and Friday, so hopefully this is a game that will lead to more success.”
Thayer concurred, as the victory was the second in a row for the Panthers after four straight losses. Through 10 games, they’re right back within shouting distance of the .500 mark at 4-6.
“It’s a starting point,” Thayer said. “You’ve got to hit rock bottom sometimes to go back up. I think we’re at a point where we’re not what we used to be. But we’re turning into something different now.”
Fox came through with 17 points for the Panthers, while Troy Emond followed with seven points.
Meadows led Greenfield with 20 points, his fourth 20-plus point effort of the season. Zwart tossed in nine points while Julius Brewington and Jake Sak scored six points apiece. The Wave now turn their attention to an increasingly intriguing matchup on Thursday night when they host rival Turners Falls at 7 p.m.