AMHERST — Meikkel Murray wants a championship, and after scoring 36 points in the Western Massachusetts Division 1 Tournament semifinal, he will get an opportunity for one.
The second-seeded Amherst Regional boys basketball team beat No. 3 Northampton, 65-61, at the Curry Hicks Cage Monday night.
With the win in the “Battle of the Bridge” matchup, the Hurricanes (17-5) secured a spot in the Western Mass. finals against No. 1 Central (18-2) Friday at 7:45 p.m. at the Cage.
“They are a really athletic team,” Murray said of Central. “We just have to focus and it starts on defense.”
The Hurricanes have not won a Western Mass. title since 2003.
“This is our last year,” Murray said of the senior class. “There’s no tomorrow.”
Every time the resurgent Blue Devils inched closer in the fourth quarter, Murray had an answer for the Hurricanes.
“He’s (Meikkel Murray) amazing,” Amherst coach Jim Matuszko said. “He does it on both ends of the floor.”
The Blue Devils are 0-3 against the Hurricanes this season, with Murray accounting for 91 points in those three games.
“Meikkel is a special basketball player,” Northampton coach Rey Harp said. “If you give him a crack to the basket, he can find angles that other guys can’t.”
Facing a 63-56 deficit with 1 minute, 17 second left, the Blue Devils made a run at the Hurricanes.
Nick Heafey (13 points) scored a three-point play followed by a Mike McCarthy tip-in to make it 63-61 with 27 seconds left.
On the following possession, Murray made 1 of 2 from the free-throw line, giving Northampton the ball back down 64-61.
“Our formula is be in it at the end, you never know what happens,” Harp said. “We thought we had a little bit of magic in us. We just didn’t have enough.”
Meikyle Murray scored 14 points for the Hurricanes, while Seth Bella-Hunter (four blocks) did an effective job limiting Hamp center Andy Grygorcewicz.
Following Murray’s free throw, the Blue Devils turned it over on a traveling violation.
Elijah Davis (22 points) kept Northampton in the game in the third quarter when Amherst’s lead started to get to double-digits.
After a Tajahn Joyner 3-pointer, the Hurricanes led 43-32 with 3:50 to play in the third.
Davis relentlessly attacked the rim for Northampton, getting to the line 10 times in the second half.
McCarthy scored 12 points for Northampton with eight coming in the fourth quarter.
The rivalry between the teams led to a raucous environment at the Cage, with the student sections going back and forth the entire game.
It was the final game for Northampton seniors Ryan Bredin, Zach Brittain, Will O’Connor and Davis.
Amherst 65, Northampton 61
Northampton (15-7)
Davis 5-11-22, Grygorcewicz 2-1-3, Doherty 3-0-6, Heafey 5-2-13, O’Connor 1-0-2, McCarthy 4-4-12, Attias 0-0-0, Thurston 1-0-3, Coradda-Mattei 0-0-0, Bredin 0-0-0 Totals 21-16-61
Amherst (17-5)
Meikkel Murray 15-6-36, Meiklyle Murray 5-3-14, Joyner 2-0-5, Bella-Hunter 2-0-4, Budington 1-1-4, Rietkirk 1-0-2 Totals 26-10-61
|
Northampton |
15 |
9 |
16 |
21 |
—61 |
|
Belchertown |
13 |
19 |
14 |
19 |
—65 |
3-Pointers—Northampton 3 (Davis, Heafey Thurston); Amherst 2 (Budington, Joyner)
