Hopkins Academy edges Belchertown to take over first place in Hampshire South

BELCHERTOWN — Andrew Ciaglo scored 25 points as the Hopkins Academy boys basketball team held off Nate Sajdak and Belchertown, 61-58, in a meeting between the Hampshire South co-leaders Monday night.

Ciaglo started off strong from beyond the arc, going 3-for-4 in the first quarter and scoring 11 points as the Golden Hawks led 19-13 after the frame.

“During warm-ups, shots were going in,” Ciaglo said. “My teammates got me open and I was just knocking them down.”

Hopkins Academy’s long-range accuracy created a quick 10-point deficit for the Orioles. Trailing 15-5 halfway through the first quarter, Belchertown fought back behind nine points by Jordan Lanoue (14 points) in the paint.

“I just think it’s the regular flow of the game,” Hopkins coach Adam Ginsburg said. “We got a little sloppy, and they picked up their intensity and made some plays. We always play them close, they’re always one-possession games. You just know it’s going to be a long, hard-fought game.”

Belchertown continued to crawl back in the second quarter with Owen Raines doing the dirty work in the post. The Orioles took their first lead with 3 minutes, 20 seconds left in the half after an emphatic Raines and-one. Raines (14 points) scored eight of his 10 first-half points in the second.

Hopkins, though, kept pace. While Ciaglo cooled down, he found ways to get to the free-throw line and contribute seven points in the quarter. Center Ryan Antes (nine points) added four points as the Golden Hawks clung to a 33-31 lead after the first half.

Hopkins Academy (11-5, 4-1 Hampshire South) started the third quarter the same way it started the first: dialed in from behind the arc. Ciaglo and Colin Earle combined for three 3-pointers in the quarter, with Antes continuing to punish the Orioles in the paint.

However, Belchertown (7-8, 3-2) had an answer. Nate Sajdak hit two 3-pointers of his own as the Orioles trailed 51-46 entering the fourth.

Sadjak added another pair of 3s in the fourth. The sophomore scored 16 of his game-high 21 points in the second half, but the Orioles couldn’t close the gap.

“I think we did well for the most part,” Hopkins captain Braeden Tudryn said. “There were some shaky parts early on where they were able to make it close after we got off to a hot start. The energy dipped a little bit but we were able to pick it up in the second half.”