While the No. 23 Belchertown boys basketball team picked up a 58-46 win over Quabbin in the MIAA Division 3 boys basketball tournament on Tuesday night, the score of most significance was 35-11 — the run that the Orioles finished the game with.
“Unfortunately, we’ve been a second half team all year,” said Belchertown head coach Matt Stenuis. “We start out slow, and then all of a sudden it clicks.”
The clicking began when the Orioles were down 35-23 about halfway through the third quarter. Junior guard Henry Audette and senior guard Nate Sadjak scored two consecutive two-pointers to make it 35-27. Sophomore guard Tyler McDonald followed that with back-to-back successful attempts from beyond the arc, which capped a 10-0 run for the Orioles and made it a two-point ballgame.
At the end of three quarters of play, Quabbin had a narrow 37-35 lead, and the Orioles immediately erased it at the start of the fourth quarter with a Kiernan Corish three-pointer. To continue the dominance for both himself and the team, the next points were delivered once again by McDonald from behind the three-point line.
“Shots were falling,” said Stenuis. “We’ve got four or five guys that can light it up, but you have to hit the first one.”
No. 42 Quabbin kept it tight after McDonald’s third three-pointer of the half by adding a three-pointer of its own to make it 41-40, Belchertown. After the teams traded buckets to make the score 43-42, the Orioles ran away with it.
McDonald hit another three, which was followed by a Sadjak 3 to make it a seven-point game. Senior forward Joseph Bianco and McDonald each made two-pointers without a Quabbin response, and a Carson Boscher and-one finish all but sealed the game with less than two minutes remaining.
After he completed the three-point play, the Orioles led 56-42, which was carried by 13 unanswered points and a 31-7 run from the middle of the third quarter on.
McDonald finished the game with 14 points, with all of those coming in the second half. Sadjak led Belchertown’s scoring with 18 total points.
Belchertown will travel to No. 10 Bishop Fenwick of Peabody in the Round of 32 on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Div. 4 state tournament
No. 40 Hampshire 53, No. 45 Snowden 18 – Eleven different players picked up at least a point for No. 30 Hampshire as they trounced No. 35 Snowden in the preliminary game of the Division 4 tournament.
Shayne Moynahan led the team with 10 points, all in the first half. The Raiders held Snowden to just six points in the first half, going into halftime up 37-6 in a dominant performance. Addison Miklasewicz (8), Ali Jenkins (7), Liz Colon Garcia (6) and Alyssa Colon Garcia (6) provided some of the team’s secondary scoring.
Hampshire (6-5) will hit the road on Friday to face No. 3 Lunenburg at 6:30 p.m.
Div. 5 state tournament
No. 36 Hopkins 38, No. 29 Upper Cape Tech 27 — On the road in the Bourne, the Golden Hawks made their mark in the opening round of the state tournament.
Chloe Jekanowski went for 12 points, 16 rebounds and four blocks, and Gabby Dyjach joined her in double figures with 10 points and five boards as Hopkins sprung the road victory Tuesday night.
Hopkins (11-10) used a big second quarter to create some separation, turning an 8-6 lead after one quarter into a 20-12 halftime advantage. Sadie Cyr added seven points in the win while Anna Dyjach tossed in four points.
The Hawks advanced to play in the Round of 32 on Thursday, with a road trip to No. 4 Millis.
No. 27 Granby 49, No. 38 Minuteman 45 — Gabby Walz scored 15 points, and host Granby joined the ranks of local state tourney winners Tuesday with a thrilling 49-45 win in the preliminary round.
The Rams advanced to play at No. 6 Lee on Friday night in the Round of 32.
Locked in a 38-38 nail-biter after three quarters, Granby outscored Minuteman Regional by an 11-7 margin in the fourth to eke out the win. Aubrey Parent scored 13 points in the victory, while Sophia Gagnon added seven for the winners.