Mount Greylock’s Eric Hirsch, right, is smothered by Lee’s Jake LePrevost, left, and Kenny Retzel during Thursday night’s South Division battle in Williamstown. (Gillian Jones/North Adams Transcript)
Friday February 8, 2013

WILLIAMSTOWN -- When the Mount Greylock boys' basketball team is on the court, it seems like no lead is safe.

Even with a nine-point lead entering the fourth quarter, Lee coach Dan Korte wasn't ready to put the game in the win column. The cushion was erased less than two minutes into the fourth quarter, but the Wildcats survived and snapped Mount Greylock's 11-game winning streak, 59-56. The victory expands Lee's winning streak to five games.

"We knew they were going to make a run," Korte said. "We knew jumping out to a 10- or 12-point lead is nothing to be comfortable with against this team. [Greylock] has a lot of weapons."

The Mounties showed off those weapons, even with Tyrell Thomas out of the lineup. Hank Barrett's desperation 3-point heave as the clock expired rolled off the rim and the Wildcats preserved the win. The loss was the first Berkshire County loss of the season for Greylock and spoiled a chance to clinch the South Division.

"Nathan [Majumder] got it and he got tied up quick, he got it to me and I had one quick dribble and just threw it up," Barrett said of the last-second attempt. "It looked good for a second, but it didn't quite go."

Barrett scored a game-high 24 points and was a main spark in the comeback as he nailed two long 3s in the fourth.

Once the Mounties erased the margin, the Wildcats seemed to have an answer for everything.

"It's just about weathering the storm," Lee

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senior Jake LePrevost said. "This is the best team in Berkshire County. We knew they were going to come out with something. They weren't just going to lay over on their backs."

Kenny Retzel had a team-high 17 points, with 15 of those coming off 3-pointers. LePrevost had 16 points and Heamon Williams chipped in 12 points. Williams also hurt the Mounties on the backboard. He pulled down 14 rebounds.

Tyler Picard scored 16 and was the only other Greylock player in double figures. It's been rare this season for the Mounties to have only two players reach double digits.

"I give Lee a ton of credit," Greylock coach Bob Thistle. "I mean there was a stretch there in the first half where I didn't think they would miss.

"On our end, offensively we missed a lot of bunnies and put backs. Unfortunately, when you look at the journey of the season, you're going to have highs and lows."

Retzel did the majority of his damage in the third quarter, scoring eight points. And when Retzel missed, Williams was able to gather the rebound and put it in. He had six points in the third.

Lee outscored the Mounties 18-11 in the third quarter. Brett McCormack was the only player to hit more than one shot for Greylock in that span.

"We can't have a third quarter like that an expect to come out with a win," Barrett said. "I'll give them credit. They hit, it seemed like, everything they were throwing up. Retzel, I knew he was a shooter but it didn't seem like he could miss tonight."

The Mounties' next chance to clinch the South Division will come on Feb. 15 when they host St. Joseph's.

To reach Sam Monroe, email smonroe@thetranscript.com.
On Twitter: @NAT_DigitalSam