H.S. Roundup: Greenfield boys basketball pulls away in the fourth quarter to defeat Franklin Tech (PHOTOS)

Staff Reports

Published: 01-10-2023 10:23 PM

The Franklin Tech boys basketball team gave Greenfield all it could handle on Tuesday in Turners Falls. 

The Eagles led 34-27 at the half, but the Green Wave stormed back and cut the deficit to 45-44 heading into the final frame.

Greenfield's offense exploded in the final eight minutes, outscoring Tech 25-17 to pull away with a 69-62 independent win. 

“There's nothing for the kids to hang their heads for,” Eagles coach Tim Artus said. “We don't like losing the game but we battled until the very end.”

Jackson Campbell continues to have the hot hand for the Green Wave, knocking down six 3's to finish with a team-high 22 points. Caleb Murray tallied 15 points, Jon Breor put in 12 points and Noah Murray chipped in seven points in the victory. 

Ty Sadoski made five 3's for Franklin Tech to record 22 points. Noah Ausikaitis added 15 points, Robert Belval scored nine points while Robbie Murphy and Cayden Lehtomaki each had five  points in the defeat.

Hopkins 60, Pioneer 53 —  The visiting Golden Hawks shot 50 percent from the floor, and limited the Panthers to just 28 percent on Tuesday night. That added up to a road win at Messer Gymnasium in Northfield.

"Not for a lack of effort, more for lack of mental engagement," Pioneer coach Scott Thayer said. "To Hopkins' credit, they played pretty even-keeled the whole night."

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It was the first loss of the season for Pioneer, which fell to 5-1 overall. Hopkins remained undefeated and atop the Hampshire League South at 7-0 overall.

Hopkins led just 20-19 after one quarter and 34-28 at halftime. Pioneer's Brayden Thayer led the way with a game-high 24 points, including three 3-pointers, while Kurt Redeker followed with nine points. Gavin Gammell and Hugh Cyhowski tossed in eight points apiece for the Panthers, which played without leading scorer Josh Wood.

James Fitzgibbons paced Hopkins with 16 points, and point guard Teddy Cyr had a nice night with 14 points.

Next up for Pioneer is a home game against Drury on Friday.

Mt. Greylock 66, Athol 51 — In a close game late, the Mounties pulled away in the final couple minutes to earn a Hampshire League North win over the Bears at Mallet Gymnasium on Tuesday.

"My guys showed great sportsmanship at the end," Athol coach Brian Patria said. "Game was physical but we held our own for the most part. We will continue to work hard and improve."

Ben Kearney recorded 12 points for the Bears, with Logan Cormier and Angel Castillo each adding 11 points. Conall Tontodonato had five points in the loss

Smith Academy 49, Turners Falls 48 — Griffin Smiarowski scored the game-winning layup with seven seconds remaining, lifting the host Falcons to a wild victory in Hatfield on Tuesday.

Turners led 35-30 entering the fourth quarter, but the home team outscored the Thunder by a 19-13 margin to snag the win.

Alex Quezada led three players in double figures for Turners, notching 15 points. Levin Prondecki and JJ Charles each scored 10 points for the Thunder.

Smiarowski led all scorers with 17 points, including seven in the fourth quarter. Ryan Belina followed with 16 points in the win.

Frontier 56, Lenox 52 — Leading 55-52 in the final seconds, Nico Fasulo stepped to the line and knocked down a free throw, sealing a Redhawk win Tuesday at Goodnow Gymnasium in a Hampshire League South contest. 

Aleks Carey recorded a team-high 16 points for Frontier. Fasulo tallied 11 points, Danny Fellows scored 10 points, Owen Babb put in eight points and Erich Brown added seven points in the victory. 

Mahar 51, Drury 49 — The Senators went on the road and knocked off the defending Hampshire League South champions in North Adams Tuesday. 

Mahar trailed 22-21 at the half before taking a 39-34 lead into the fourth quarter. 

"This was a big one for us,” Senator coach Chad Softic said. “We've struggled maintaining consistency especially when faced with ball pressure but tonight we handled it well and really got after it on the defensive end. I’ve been around Western Mass. basketball for a long time and its never easy getting a win in Drury's building, period. We showed a lot of mental toughness tonight and it’s definitely something we can build on.”

Will Barnes put up 15 points in the win, with Hunter Martin (13) and Connor Sluder (10) joining him in double-figures. Lucas Isrow tallied six points while Gavin Sullivan added five points for Mahar. 

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