HADLEY — Easthampton led Hopkins Academy by five points with under four minutes left in the fourth quarter on Tuesday night.
The Golden Hawks have been in close-game situations this season, but this situation was different.
Hopkins entered the girls basketball game without sharpshooter Allison Kowal-Safron due to a season-ending knee injury she sustained against Frontier Regional on Jan. 6. In addition to her absence, some Golden Hawks players came into the game dealing with various illnesses.
Hopkins coach Mike Prattico has had to go deep into his bench and move lineups around to cope.
The Golden Hawks’ bench stepped up on defense in the last few minutes to lead Hopkins past Easthampton, 41-40.
Gabrielle Palmisano scored 12 points for Hopkins (9-4). Sara Beauchamp chipped in 11 points.
Emma Downer, Nessrine Bentley, Lauren Morse and Abbey Coleman each scored nine points for the Eagles (7-6).
“We matured as a team tonight,” Prattico said. “Our rotations have expanded and girls are coming through when it really matters. Those last couple of minutes there, when we were down by five and really needed to dig deep, they did. I’m really proud of them.”
Palmisano made two free throws with 21 seconds left in regulation to put the Golden Hawks ahead, 41-40.
Easthampton put up a full-court heave as the final seconds ticked off the clock, but it fell short.
Palmisano scored seven of her 12 total points in the fourth quarter.
“(Palmisano) has been tremendous,” Prattico said. “She knows that now that since Allison has gotten hurt, we are a more inside presence team than we used to be, and she’s really loving it and embracing it. She’s doing a terrific job.”
Hopkins held the size advantage over Easthampton in the front court. The height difference gave Hopkins a rebounding advantage and helped the Golden Hawks create extra possessions.
“We were outsized, so (Hopkins) got a lot of opportunities we don’t get,” Easthampton coach Brian Miller said. “It’s not from a lack of effort, we were battling. … We started getting caught in their pick and rolls. That’s hard to defend all night, especially when if you switch you’re so outsized. That was a good plan on their part.”
The Eagles found success in the first half by driving into the paint and kicking the ball out to the corner for open shots.
Coleman, Downer and Bentley scored from the baseline near the corner in the first half and helped put Easthampton ahead, 17-12, going into halftime.
Hopkins pressured Easthampton with a full-court press starting in the third quarter. Easthampton quickly found ways to break the press and got fast-break points on the other end.
Morse scored with a layup and got fouled with 7:06 to go in the third frame. After making the free throw, Easthampton led, 20-12.
Palmisano, Beauchamp and Thea Hanscom took over Hopkins’ offense in the third quarter and led a charge to close the gap and eventually give the Golden Hawks the lead moving into the final frame.
“We can do a good job passing in and out and seeing things other teams wouldn’t see,” Palmisano said. “We’re just good at passing it and knowing where each other is.”
When Hopkins trailed by five points late in the game, Palmisano scored with a layup to close the gap to 37-34 with 2:50 to go. The Eagles’ Kyla Roy made two free throws with 1:10 to put Easthampton ahead 40-35, but great defense forced an Easthampton turnover and a quick Hopkins bucket. Palmisano’s two free throws late put Hopkins ahead for good.
With Kowal-Safron out for the season, the Golden Hawks have shifted toward an offense that attacks the paint rather than looking for outside shots.
“As a coach you have to coach what you have,” Prattico said. “Allison is one of the best shooters I have coached. She changes the game in a lot of ways. … It’s made us think about how we approach things. We’ve relied on some of the younger girls and some of the girls that had a minor role. They have stepped up and done a great job.”