SPRINGFIELD — In the first quarter of the Western Massachusetts Division 2 Boys Basketball Tournament semifinal, No. 2 Taconic could not find the bottom of the net. No. 3 South Hadley led by five after a defensive-oriented opening frame.
From then on, it was all Braves.
Taconic found a rhythm and hit nine 3-pointers to take down the Tigers, 58-51, Monday at Western New England.
Taconic (18-3) is in the Division 2 finals for the first time since 2011. It will face No. 1 Longmeadow (17-4) at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at UMass’ Curry Hicks Cage. The Braves haven’t won a championship since they took Division 1 in 1977.
South Hadley (10-11) missed the postseason the last two seasons.
“They grew tremendously as the season went on,” said South Hadley coach Juan Maldonado of his players. “We have a lot of kids that play basketball as a second or third sport, and they competed to make it to the Western Mass. semifinals. We’re definitely not satisfied, but we grew a lot.”
The Tigers were led throughout the season by center Matt Grochowalski. The senior finished his final high school game with 21 points, which led all scorers.
“At the beginning of the season we didn’t really know each other, but now I think we can all call each other brothers,” said Grochowalski. “It was a fun season, and a tough loss, but as a team we had fun going in and going out with each other.”
South Hadley controlled the game in the first eight minutes. After the teams exchanged turnovers to begin the action, junior guard Calvin Bridges hit a pullup 3-pointer to opening the scoring two minutes in. After missing several open jump shots, Taconic senior Izaiya Mestre sank a buzzer-beating finger roll to close the quarter with the Braves trailing 10-5.
Taconic opened the second with a 7-2 run in the first 3:00. South Hadley kept it tight until the final minute of the half, when Mestre and fellow senior Deonte Sandifer hit back-to-back 3-pointers to put Taconic up 27-20 at the break. Four Taconic players drained 3-pointers in the second quarter.
The Braves started off the second half hustling. They turned offensive rebounds into points on their first two possessions, and once again went on a scoring run. Halfway through the quarter, Taconic led 40-25. It led by as much as 19.
South Hadley saved its best offensive output for the final quarter. Grochowalski had six, including a 3 at the start of the frame to cut the deficit to 14. Senior forward Nate Poirier had seven of his 12 points in the fourth, including four free throws.
“The seniors fought all the way to the end,” said Maldonado. “They showed what our program is all about. I’m really proud of them and our team for not giving in when they had us by 19.”
Taconic led by four late when Mestre stole the ball from South Hadley freshman Hunter Carey. After a timeout, senior Drew DeMartino hit a 3 with 1:00 left to seal his team’s victory.
In addition to Grochowalski and Poirier, it was the final game for seniors Miguel Morales, Jason Fernandes, Chance Almonte.
“I think the future is bright,” said Grochowalski. “Calvin (Bridges) is coming back, Keith (Harris); we got a lot of good players coming back, and even without the seniors we have this year, I still think the team will have a shot.”
Taconic 58, South Hadley 51
South Hadley (10-11)
Grochowalski 9-2-21, Bridges 2-3-8, Carey 2-0-4, Poirier 3-4-12, Fernandes 1-0-3, Harris 0-0-0, Dawson 0-0-0, Morales 0-0-0, Carlson 0-0-0, Drapeau 0-0-0, Berawski 1-0-3. Totals 18-9-51
Taconic (18-3)
Cooney 3-2-9, Sandifer 2-2-7, Mestre 6-2-19, Walker 2-1-7, Stracuzzi 0-0-0, Murphy 3-0-6, Able 0-0-0, DeMartino 3-0-8, Percy 1-0-2. Totals 20-7-58
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By HENRY BRECHTER |
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For the Gazette |
3-Pointers—South Hadley 1 (Grochowalski); Taconic 9 (Cooney, Sandifer, Mestre 3, Walker 2, DeMartino 2)