Girls basketball: Easthampton turns pressure up, notches 53-35 win over Granby (PHOTOS)

EASTHAMPTON — The Easthampton girls basketball team was clinging to a three-point lead after the first quarter of its season opener against Granby on Tuesday night, and had no answer early on for Rams center Aubrey Parent.

Eagles head coach Brian Miller decided to make a change to his team’s defense. They moved from a half-court zone defense to a full-court trap press to try and limit the touches Parent would get down low.

The result? Problem solved.

Easthampton’s press boosted a 19-4 run spanning all eight minutes of the second quarter, and the Eagles never looked back in a 53-35 win over Granby on their home floor.

“Their center was a handful,” Miller said of Parent. “By picking up higher and putting more pressure on the ball, we were able to kind of eliminate her just posting us up. Our guards putting pressure on the ball created those turnovers, but also didn’t allow them to feed the post. That really made a difference.”

Miller didn’t even plan to break out the press – something Easthampton has spent time working on every day at practice – on Tuesday, but he improvised when he saw the Rams guards struggle to handle the ball effectively against tight defense late in the first quarter.

“We noticed that they were having a little bit of trouble handling the ball, so we decided to go with it,” Miller said. “It’s something we work on in practice all the time, so the girls were ready to execute it.”

While the Eagles benefited from their pressure, the Rams did not. Granby’s ball handlers struggled with the speed and physicality of the Easthampton backcourt. Many second-quarter possessions ended in a turnover, which allowed the Eagles to break the game open.

Granby head coach Megan Szlosek admitted the defense stymied her team, but vowed the Rams will grow from it.

“It’s definitely something that we need to work on, it was a different press than we have seen in the past in games we played last year,” Szlosek said. “It’s a learning experience for us, and something we will be prepared for in our upcoming games.”

The defensive prowess is nothing new for the Eagles. Ever since Miller has been the coach, he’s urged his team to keep a tough, relentless defensive mindset.

This year seems to be no different.

“Defense has sort of always been our forte, and I think now we see that if we really put pressure on teams, we can create nightmares for them,” Miller said. “That’s what happened tonight. I think our success is going to stem from our defense.”

Tuesday marked the start of the season for both teams. While the game was a non-league contest, it still gave Granby a taste of what to expect in the Franklin County League West – a completely new league for the Rams.

Playing a team like Easthampton is exactly what the Rams needed out of the gate, according to Szlosek.

“We’re playing in a completely different league this year than where we’ve been for the last two years,” she said. “It’s going to be something new all year. New opponents, new players to defend against. So this was good for us. I have a very young team, but I was very happy with our hustle out there. We have a lot of positive things to build on from tonight.”

Parent (13 points) and Autumn Sicard (nine points) combined for 22 of Granby’s 35 points on the night. Parent did most of her damage down low, making several acrobatic layups and drawing fouls to get to the free throw line, while Sicard struck from behind the arc, drilling three 3-point shots – all in the second half.

The one-two, guard-center punch should give opposing teams fits this season.

“Aubrey is probably going to be the tallest center we have in our league, and I expect great things from her all through the season,” Szlosek said. “Autumn, when she’s on, can hit a three from anywhere on the floor. It was good to see her step up tonight. She is going to be a leader for us this year.”

As for Easthampton, points came from almost everyone. All players who dressed for the game saw action on the floor, and nine of them found the scoring column. Finding time for even the freshmen on the team to see game action was essential for their confidence as the season gets underway.

“At the end we had three freshmen out there and girls who don’t have a lot of experience,” Miller said. “But they understand their roles, and they did a great job. They were in the right position, they were rebounding, they were playing hard, and that’s all we ask.”

Christine Raymond led the way with 16 points, Kayley Downie added 12 points, and Sophia Faginski – who battled toe-to-toe down low with Parent all night – put home 10 points in the win. Downie buried two shots from deep while also orchestrating Easthampton’s offense. Miller expects big things from her in 2023-24.

“She can shoot really well and can score, but she does more than that,” Miller said of Downie. “She handles the ball, she facilitates, she defends – she’s a well-rounded player.”

Easthampton (1-0) next plays on Friday against Hampshire at 3 p.m. in the Pioneer Valley Tip Off at the Mullins Center.

Granby (0-1) also plays in the PVTO at UMass, battling Hopkins on Saturday morning. But the Rams will first have to take on Mount Everett on Thursday night in their home opener at 7 p.m.