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Hampshire Regional players celebrate after defeating Easthampton 48-44 during the Pioneer Valley Tip-Off at the Mullins Center in Amherst. -
Hampshire Regional’s Benjamin Pierce (4) drives the hoop defended by Easthampton’s Trevor Canon-Smith (11) in the second quarter of the Pioneer Valley Tip-Off at the Mullins Center in Amherst. -
Hampshire Regional’s Jack Wresien (0) goes up for a breakaway layup against Easthampton in the second quarter of the Pioneer Valley Tip-Off at the Mullins Center in Amherst. -
Easthampton’s Noah Murray (4) puts up a layup defended by Hampshire Regional’s Liam Pond (10) in the third quarter of the Pioneer Valley Tip-Off at the Mullins Center in Amherst. -
Hampshire Regional’s Benjamin Pierce (4) puts up a shot in the paint against Easthampton in the third quarter of the Pioneer Valley Tip-Off at the Mullins Center in Amherst. -
Easthampton’s Jayden Brown (12) grabs a rebound against Hampshire Regional in the third quarter of the Pioneer Valley Tip-Off at the Mullins Center in Amherst. -
Easthampton’s Trevor Canon-Smith (11) puts up a shot against Hampshire Regional in the third quarter of the Pioneer Valley Tip-Off at the Mullins Center in Amherst. -
Easthampton’s Logan Boyle (2) drives the ball up the court against Hampshire Regional in the fourth quarter of the Pioneer Valley Tip-Off at the Mullins Center in Amherst. -
Hampshire Regional’s Vynce Carr (14) goes up for a layup against Easthampton in the fourth quarter of the Pioneer Valley Tip-Off on Friday night at the Mullins Center in Amherst.
AMHERST — It wasn’t looking good for the Hampshire Regional boys basketball team at halftime against Easthampton on Friday in the Pioneer Valley Tip-Off.
The Eagles controlled the game from the opening tip on, leading 12-6 after one and 27-16 at intermission. The Raiders got themselves back in the game with a strong third quarter but still found themselves trailing 39-33 going into the final eight minutes.
That’s when Hampshire took over. Easthampton’s Noah Murray sank a 3 to open the frame but the Raiders answered with a 12-0 run to take a 45-42 lead with two minutes to go.
Logan Boyle made a pair of free throws to cut the lead to one but it was the final time Easthampton put the ball in the basket, with Hampshire pulling out a 48-44 comeback victory at the Mullins Center.
“It was about execution and discipline,” Raiders coach Dylan Rickles said. “We talked to the guys about being able to overcome this mental hurdle. Life gives you the same test until you pass it. We were down a similar amount going into the fourth against Hopkins [on Wednesday] and we didn’t prevail. This time we really battled. It’s a testament to these guys, their character and how hard they work in practice.”
Adam Golasinski was named the MVP of the game, leading the Raiders (2-1) with 17 points while adding five rebounds.
“It’s a cool experience,” Golasinski said. “The energy is crazy here. The game went well. We were down in the first half but we stuck with it. The lighting is perfect in this gym, the shoes stick on the court. You can’t complain. It was so cool playing here.”
Easthampton (0-4) had plenty of positives to take from the game, but Eagles coach Nicholas Whitney noted he wanted his squad to play more like a team instead of a group of individuals moving forward.
“We became more about me instead of we,” Whitney said. “We want to play as a group and not as individuals. That’s how you kill your team and the group unity. We’ll have to go back to the drawing board and bounce back. We’ll take it one game at a time.”
The Eagles came out on fire to open the game, building a 12-2 lead behind a trio of baskets from Jayden Brown.
Murray had a big second quarter for Easthampton, helping it build its halftime lead with a seven-point quarter himself.
After struggling from the outside in the first half, Hampshire put its focus on getting to the rim in the second half and had success with it, helping it get back in the game.
“My thought process was to take it to the rim,” Golasinski said. “You can’t go wrong taking it to the rim. That was my mentality going in. This feels great to win. Easthampton has always been a rival for us so getting a win is huge.”
Benjamin Pierce got the fourth quarter run going for the Raiders with a pair of baskets at the tin. Vynce Carr got inside for two before Golasinski scored a bucket that gave Hampshire a 43-42 advantage – its first lead of the game.
Aidan Hocking got to the rim for two to extend the Hampshire lead before Boyle’s free throws cut it to 45-44.
Carr scored with 1:30 to go while Golasinski made a free throw late to make it a two-possession game and seal the win for the Raiders.
“I’ve been a UMass fan my whole life,” Rickles said. “Getting to play on this court in front of our fans and getting a win, I’m excited for the guys. This is an experience they’ll remember for the rest of their lives.”
Pierce (10 points), Carr (7), Liam Pond (6) and Hocking (6) chipped in offensively for the Raiders.
Murray led Easthampton with 13 points while Brayden English (11) and Brown (10) joined him in double figures. Whitney said that the season is still young and the Eagles have time to turn things around.
“It’s a long season,” Whitney said. “You can’t end your year on the fourth game of the year. Would we have loved to have won that? Yes. Did Hampshire play their butts off and take it from us at the end? Yes. They fully deserved that win. Do I think we could have done better? Also yes. It’s still always a great experience playing here. Not many kids get to experience it.”