AMHERST — With a chance at a championship, the Amherst Regional boys basketball team had an opportunity to hoist the trophy for the first time since 2003.
Amherst led Central by a point with 16 seconds left in front of a packed, rowdy crowd at the Curry Hicks Cage Friday night.
Two mistakes cost the Hurricanes, and Central came away with a 61-60 win in the Western Massachusetts Division 1 Tournament finals.
Amherst’s title drought spanning 14 years continues as the Hurricanes lost in the finals for a third straight season.
With Amherst leading 58-57, Josh Pressley cut toward the rim on an inbounds play and gave the Golden Eagles the lead back with 11 seconds left.
“We needed to hold them from scoring on that possession,” Amherst coach Jim Matusko said. “Then we threw the ball away. Two bad things in a row.”
Central’s Maickel DeJesus stole the ensuing inbounds pass and was immediately fouled. His free throws gave the Golden Eagles a 61-58 lead with 10 seconds left.
Amherst advanced the ball and Tate Rietkerk got fouled shooting a 3-pointer with two seconds left. After sinking the first two, Rietkerk’s last attempt rimmed out.
“I told Tate that we wouldn’t have been that close if it wasn’t for him,” Matuszko said. “He played a really good game. He defended well when we were in foul trouble.”
Amherst’s Meikkel Murray was in foul trouble the entire game, but still managed to score 27 points.
“I had a great career, everyone showed me a lot of love,” Murray said. “But I have to be out there for my team. Being on the bench doesn’t do any good.”
A right-handed scooping layup by Murray put Amherst ahead 58-57 with 32 seconds left before Pressley’s play and DeJesus’ steal.
Seth Bella-Hunter (10 points), in foul trouble in the first half, calmly hit a baseline jumper for Amherst to cut Central’s lead to 57-56 with a minute left.
Meikyle Murray was also in double figures with 10 points for Amherst, while Will Budington added eight points with two 3-pointers.
Central’s defense and the foul trouble led to a 16-point first half for Amherst, but Meikkel Murray’s presence in the third quarter sparked a run for the Hurricanes.
Murray scored 23 of his 27 points in the second half as he began to figure out Central’s defense.
Seniors Meikkel Murray, Bella-Hunter, Tajahn Joyner, Liam Kelly, Alexander Perry, Iani Ferreira and Thomas Perry played their last game for Amherst.
DeJesus scored 17 points for Central. Pressley led the Golden Eagles with 19 points while Jorge Torres added 18.
Central 61, Amherst 60
Amherst (17-6)
Meikkel Murray 9-9-27, Meikyle Murray 3-3-10, Joyner 1-3-5, Bella-Hunter 3-2-8, Budington 2-2-8, Blanchard 0-0-0, Rietkerk 0-2-2, Perry 0-0-0, Roman 0-0-0 Totals 18-17-60
Central (19-2)
Garcia 6-3-17, Conner 1-0-2, Pressley 9-0-19, Torres 7-4-18, White 1-0-2, Ward 1-1-3 Totals 25-8-61
|
Amherst |
7 |
9 |
21 |
23 |
—60 |
|
Central |
11 |
14 |
16 |
20 |
—61 |
3-Pointers—Amherst 3 (Meikyle Murray, Budington 2); Central 3 (Garcia 2, Pressley)
