Sports
Girls basketball: Student, fan support helped propel South Hadley to first-ever state championship game appearance
By GARRETT COTE
SOUTH HADLEY — Any opposing team that walked into South Hadley’s gym this winter knew they were in for a long night. For more reasons than one.Sure, the Tigers being as good as they were was intimidating enough – their aggressive full-court pressure...
Girls basketball: Northampton’s Ava Azzaro named Naismith Western Massachusetts Player of the Year
CONNOR PIGNATELLO
Northampton’s Ava Azzaro was named the Western Massachusetts Girls Basketball Player of the Year, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced on Monday.Azzaro hit 1,000 points in a home victory over Wahconah on Feb. 12 and finished her career with...
UMass basketball: Minutewomen’s two leading scorers Alexsia Rose, Kristin Williams headed to transfer portal
By GARRETT COTE
AMHERST — As of Monday afternoon, two UMass women’s basketball guards have entered the transfer portal looking to take their talents elsewhere.Senior Alexsia Rose and junior Kristin Williams have hit the portal following a disappointing 5-27...
UMass basketball: Josh Cohen, Robert Davis Jr. first Minutemen to enter transfer portal
By GARRETT COTE
AMHERST — One of the first dominoes to fall is a massive one for the UMass men’s basketball team.Minutemen forward Josh Cohen has entered the transfer portal, ESPN’s Jeff Borzello reported late Monday morning. The 6-foot-10 senior has one year of...
MIAA Div. 4 girls basketball: Despite hot start, South Hadley can’t hold off top-seeded Cathedral in 69-49 state title-game loss (PHOTOS)
By GARRETT COTE
LOWELL — It wasn’t for lack of effort on No. 3 South Hadley’s part, the top team in Division 4 simply earned that ranking for a reason.So when No. 1 Cathedral of Boston – winners of now six state championships in the last nine seasons – ripped off 12...
UMass hockey: Minutemen score twice in opening five minutes to defeat Providence, advance to Hockey East semifinals
By THOMAS JOHNSTON
It was a dream start for the Massachusetts hockey team in its Hockey East Tournament quarterfinal contest against Providence on Saturday. With their season on the line, the fifth-seeded Minutemen tallied two goals in the opening five minutes of action...
UMass football, basketball recruits talk school’s move to the MAC
CONNOR PIGNATELLO
With UMass’ move from the Atlantic 10 to the Mid-American Conference for the 2025-26 academic year, recruiting for football and men’s basketball is sure to change.The Daily Hampshire Gazette caught up with Dajoure Hollingsworth, a football commit who...
High school basketball: Annual Hampshire/Franklin All-Star Games enjoyed by all
CONNOR PIGNATELLO
HATFIELD – Boys and girls basketball seniors came together at Smith Academy Friday night for the annual Hampshire-Franklin County All-Star game, and they weren’t afraid to show off and let loose in the final high school basketball game of their...
NCAA Div. 3 women’s basketball: One victory away from first-ever national title, Smith College prepares for undefeated NYU
By GARRETT COTE
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Wartburg’s Sarah Faber stepped back and let fly a 3-pointer in the waning moments of regulation against Smith College in the NCAA Division 3 Final Four on Thursday night. If she missed, the Pioneers would go to their first-ever...
Girls basketball: Underclassmen help fuel South Hadley’s state title-game run
CONNOR PIGNATELLO
SOUTH HADLEY — Scouting the South Hadley girls basketball team must be a headache.And judging by the Tigers’ 19-game win streak, those scouts haven’t exactly been successful.Senior guard and captain Drew Alley may be the leading scorer, but a crop of...
History in the making: South Hadley set for powerhouse Cathedral in search of first-ever girls basketball state title
By GARRETT COTE
SOUTH HADLEY — They always say, if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best.That old cliche couldn’t be more true to the No. 3 South Hadley girls basketball team’s situation. The Tigers have themselves in the MIAA Division 4 state...
UMass hockey: Minutemen open Hockey East tournament with quarterfinal date at No. 4 Providence on Saturday
By THOMAS JOHNSTON
It’s now or never time for the Massachusetts hockey team. After suffering a pair of losses to Maine to close out the Hockey East regular season, the Minutemen find themselves ranked 15th in PairWise heading into this weekend’s Hockey East quarterfinal...
Smith College women’s basketball reaches Div. III title game for first time in program history with 61-54 OT victory over Wartburg
By CONNOR PIGNATELLO
Smith College point guard Ally Yamada escaped the press in the backcourt, dribbled out the final seconds of the clock and jumped into Jessie Ruffner’s arms. Then, she hopped down, violently high-fived Ruffner multiple times and jumped right back into...
UMass basketball: First-half hole too big to overcome as Minutemen end season with 73-59 loss to VCU in Atlantic 10 quarterfinals
By GARRETT COTE
BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Following his fourth 3-pointer of the second half, Rahsool Diggins helped cut the UMass men’s basketball team’s once 17-point deficit to six with 4 minutes, 24 seconds remaining in the game.The Minutemen earned a stop on the other end...
UMass basketball: Second half rally against VCU a microcosm of the season as Minutemen never threw in the towel
By JEFF LAJOIE
BROOKLYN, N.Y. – A year removed from the worst loss in its Atlantic 10 conference tournament history, the UMass men’s basketball team stared another one directly in the face halfway through Thursday’s Atlantic 10 quarterfinal at Barclays Center.From a...
The Real Score: Beware the March “Madness” of sports betting
This Sunday, the March Madness brackets will be set, enabling millions of sport consumers to place bets that will total in the billions of dollars (you should also expect to see some ads from the sports books…).This week, in recognition of March...
UMass basketball: Minutemen to meet VCU, first Atlantic 10 semifinal berth since 2013
By GARRETT COTE
BROOKLYN, N.Y. — During UMass men’s basketball head coach Frank Martin’s press conference on Tuesday morning, he consistently referenced one word that was vital for his team over the past week: rest.It’ll be eight days between when the Minutemen...
Youth basketball: Northampton Suburban caps season with title-game loss to Westfield
The Northampton grades 7 and 8 Suburban League girls basketball team saw its season come to an end on Sunday in the league title game against Westfield.Northampton dropped a 47-38 decision, finishing its season 13-4 overall.Keira Cole led the way with...
Women’s basketball: Smith College turns its attention to Wartburg in second consecutive NCAA Division 3 Final Four appearance
By GARRETT COTE
Trailing by one point with under five minutes left in the game, the Smith College women’s basketball team found itself in an unfamiliar situation.It wasn’t the fact that the Pioneers were trailing in the fourth quarter of an NCAA Division 3 Elite...
MIAA girls basketball: Worcester South too much early as Northampton bows out in Div. 2 semifinals (PHOTOS)
By GARRETT COTE
CHICOPEE — Perry Messer blinked once, maybe twice.Before he did that, his No. 7 Northampton girls basketball team was lining up for tip-off against No. 6 Worcester South in the MIAA Division 2 Final Four with a trip to the state title on the line.When...