H.S. basketball: Hampshire girls overwhelm Easthampton, 48-28

EASTHAMPTON — The Hampshire girls basketball team took home a convincing, 48-28 victory over Easthampton on Friday night.

The Raiders got out to an early 7-1 lead in the first quarter, with the Eagles quickly shrinking the deficit to just one, with the score 9-8 by the end of the frame.

Hampshire came out of the second quarter on fire, hitting shots from all three levels and locking down defensively. Before the quarter was even halfway over, the team had strung together a 14-0 run to take a substantial lead.

“We played as a team,” Raiders’ head coach Jason Plamondon said. “We moved the ball better [Friday night] than I’ve seen in a while. It was so fun to watch. Everybody’s playing together… When we play that way, we’re hard to beat, and that’s been consistent all season.”

Working the ball inside-out was where Hampshire found success offensively, with Aubrey Parent using her length down low to provide a consistent scoring threat. The senior finished with 17 points on the night, while also kicking the ball back out to open teammates on the perimeter for open looks.

Sammi Moreau was the recipient of a few great passes from Parent, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers in the win. The eighth grader served as the main playmaker throughout the game, keeping the ball moving and defenders off balance.

“I think moving the ball was a thing we did really well during this game,” Moreau said. “Looking opposite, and kicking out, we did that really well.”

Hampshire was aggressive on defense all night long, full-court pressing from the tipoff through the final whistle. The press made things difficult for Easthampton, exerting energy each time it brought the ball up the court.

Addie Miklasiewicz was an active defender throughout all four quarters, consistently poking balls loose and deflecting the Eagles’ passes. The junior found success on the fast break offensively, using her forced turnovers to get coast to coast for 13 total points.

“[Miklasiewicz] works her butt off every day in practice,” Plamondon said. “She’s the ultimate competitor. We’ve got to trust each other, her and I, and we do a great job of it. She’s the ultimate leader.”

The rivalry matchup was physical from both teams throughout all 32 minutes, with a total of 39 fouls committed on the night. The two sides fought for position all night long, diving on loose balls and aggressively attacking every rebound.

As well as they defended on the perimeter on Friday, the Raiders’ paint defense was even more impressive. Parent anchored down the interior at the center position, swatting shots at will, with all four other positions crashing on Easthampton’s drives to the hoop for multiple chase-down blocks.

“Having Aubrey Parent inside to protect the rim, it makes everything else open up for girls to be able to play [defense], and maybe gamble once in a while to get a steal, because they know they have rim protection,” Plamondon said.

The Eagles’ offensive struggles were maintained throughout the fourth, with Samone Young fouling out in the third and missing the entire final quarter of the night.

Freshman Teagan Crussane did her best to pick up the slack, pushing the ball past the full-court press and doing her best to create open shots. Her efforts led to a team-high eight points in the loss.

“[Crussane] did a great job of getting through [the press],” Easthampton head coach Brian Miller said. “When we inbounded the ball, [Crussane] and Nola [Roos] handled it with no real issues. It did speed us up at times, but other than that, I thought our guards did a great job.”

Hampshire substituted the bench unit into the game as the clock wound down, giving new players a chance for some playing time. Eighth grader Maddie Rida was just called up from the junior varsity team after an impressive performance, checking into the game and scoring her first varsity points.

With the win, the Raiders improve to 8-6 on the season. With four games left on the schedule, they’ll look to build off the impressive win on Monday, Feb. 2, at 7 p.m. at home against Westfield.

The Eagles’ loss drops them to 8-7 on the year, hoping to bounce back on Monday, Feb. 2, at 6:30 p.m. at home against Mount Greylock.

“We have a tough schedule, and the hope is that we get better, so when the tournament time comes, we’re ready to go,” Plamondon said.