WILLIAMSTOWN -- Things aren't always going to go as planned.
That's the lesson the Mount Greylock boys' basketball team learned against Wahconah on Tuesday night, as it squeaked out a 45-35 win.
Wahconah scored just 12 first-half points and went scoreless for a span of more than eight minutes. The Mounties held a 14-point advantage at the break, but the Warriors fought back. An 18-5 third-quarter run wasn't enough for Wahconah to complete a comeback, however.
The Mounties went on an 8-0 run and outscored Wahconah 14-5 in the fourth.
"We had a rusty end to the third quarter with a lot of fouls and really just a whole lot of commotion," Greylock's Brett McCormack said. "We got back into the huddle and we really wanted to focus on just crashing the boards and moving the ball well against their zone."
Kevin Boino and Jono Bracci both caught fire for the Warriors in the third as the duo accounted for all 18 of the team's points. Tyler Picard was the only Mountie to score as the foul calls piled up.
It seemed like nothing went right for the Mounties in the third. Tyrell Thomas picked up two technical fouls and had to exit the game. Boino took advantage of both of the technicals, hitting all four of the foul shots he received from the calls.
Thomas saw very limited minutes, as he didn't play at all in the first half. Thistle ruled it a coach's decision and declined to comment further.
"They were
Wahconah also forced several turnovers in the third quarter to erase the Greylock lead and pull within one point.
"Things don't go your way all the time," Greylock coach Bob Thistle said. "The question is what do you do next? What's the next play?"
What happened next was the Mounties stole the momentum. Literally.
Hank Barrett stole Wahconah's first possession of the fourth and tossed the ball to Nathan Majumder who was fouled and sent to the line. He hit both shots to push the Mounties' lead to three points. Then a swarming pressure forced Wahconah into a 10-second half-court violation.
The next Warrior possession was stolen by Majumder at midcourt. Greylock produced seven steals in the fourth.
With all the steals, Greylock turned the tables and forced the Warriors to commit more fouls. The Mounties went to the free-throw line 10 times in the fourth quarter and hit eight of those shots to put the game out of reach. Wahconah went to the line just four times in the final frame and made one for four. The Warriors shot just 50 percent from the foul line for the entire game. Boino hit all four of his attempts and Bracci was the only other Warrior to factor in from the line.
"The third quarter was a frustration, which we all felt for a lot of different reasons," Thistle said. "We had things that we didn't do well and things that didn't go our way. The fourth quarter was all about composure. We found a way to stay composed. I give the kids all the credit in the world."
McCormack and Picard led the way for the Mounties, each scoring 12 points. Boino had a game-high 16 points, 12 of which came in the third quarter.
"They started a little run [in the third] and it really lowers our momentum and really brings them up," Picard said. "We just had to stop, slow down and really slow the whole game down and get back into what we usually do."
Wahconah led 6-4 five minutes into the first quarter. It was the final lead it would have on the night. Ian Brink hit a 3-pointer to take the lead and the closest Wahconah came was 31-30 at the end of the third.
"We really worked on our press and our defense to get out on their shooters," McCormack said.
To reach Sam Monroe, email
smonroe@thetranscript.com.
On Twitter: @NAT_DigitalSam
Font Resize
