SPRINGFIELD — It was more than a regular-season game for the Amherst Regional boys basketball team.
The Hurricanes wanted to beat and solve the puzzle that is Putnam Tuesday night.
But the game got away from Amherst late in a 62-56 loss to the Beavers.
“The team is taking it pretty hard right now,” Amherst coach Jim Matuszko said. “We’ve had a hard time with Putnam the last couple years.”
A steal by Taelon Martin that led to a layup and a foul put Amherst away.
“Turnovers killed us,” Matuszko said.
The Hurricanes (4-2) were down three with a chance to tie when Martin (17 points) picked off an errant pass and got loose in the open court to put the game away.
Amherst put together a 12-0 run to take the lead into the fourth quarter.
The run came after Putnam went ahead 39-31 for its biggest lead of the game.
A jumper by Seth Bella-Hunter and a take to the rim by Meikkel Murray gave Amherst a 43-40 lead going into the fourth quarter.
“We did a lot of good things,” Matuszko said. “We made improvements that we’ve been trying to get through.”
Bella-Hunter was a force on both ends of the court for the Hurricanes with 14 points 12 rebounds and six blocks.
“We overcame the turnovers in the third and made a run,” Matuszko said.
Murray led the team in scoring with 29 points and 10 rebounds.
Amherst did not get any major contributions outside of Bella-Hunter and Murray. For Putnam, there was balance across the scoreboard.
Outside of Martin’s 17 points, the Beavers had three players in double figures.
Richard Foster hit five 3-pointers for the Beavers, including two big shots late in the fourth quarter.
Jalen Bruce scored 12 points, including a short jumper that gave Putnam a 57-50 lead with 1 minute, 37 seconds left in the game.
Naishaun Jernigan added 10 points for Putnam (2-2).
Amherst played zone on Putnam to limit its penetration, but the Beavers adjusted and hit eight 3-pointers to counteract the defense.
“We went zone to force them outside,” Matuszko said. “But they got hot.”
