H.S. basketball: Vynce Carr carries Hampshire Regional boys past Smith Voc

WESTHAMPTON — The Hampshire Regional boys basketball team held on to defeat Smith Voc, 71-59, on Wednesday night.

Down 12-4 midway through the first quarter, the Raiders called a timeout, looking to regroup and get their offense going.

Coming out of the timeout, Hampshire went on a 7-0 run, ending the first down by just one point. The team used pressure on defense to generate fast breaks, where the momentum continued to swing in its direction.

“If you play really good defense, offense becomes easy,” Raiders head coach Dylan Rickles said. “Offensive disappointment can turn into bad defense. And that’s what we were doing in the first quarter. We turned it around. We had a big run, and defense sparked all that for us.”

As the defense continued to generate turnovers, getting into the paint proved to be where Hampshire had its most success.

Vynce Carr was the main benefactor for the Raiders on Wednesday, getting out in transition and using his combination of speed and strength to get to the rim and convert.

The junior finished with 11 made field goals on the night, including one from behind the arc in a 26-point effort.

“[Carr is] just so versatile,” Rickles said. “You get him in the open floor, and he’s almost unstoppable. Very intuitive with the ball, the way he can manipulate his body, his speed, his hands. He’s an amazing athlete, and if we can get him in transition, we usually are set up for having a good night.”

Braylon Jarrett had a big night of his own for Hampshire, hitting two 3-pointers in a 19-point performance. The junior did well facilitating the offense, using good vision to set up his teammates for open looks.

The Vikings faced a 14-point deficit heading into the fourth quarter, battling to keep things interesting. The pressure from the Raiders proved to be too much to handle, as sloppy passing led to many wasted possesions.

With Hampshire streaking down the court for consistent offense, Smith Voc ran out of time, unable to keep the score from continuing to grow.

“When you get yourself in a hole, it’s hard to scrape back and win the game,” Vikings head coach Akara Holder said. “… We didn’t get enough stops down the line to capitalize on some of the points that we ended up making it towards that end. There were glimpses of the offense that I like to see in there, but we weren’t consistent with it, and that’s what hurt us.”

Dom Sanchez led the Vikings in scoring on Wednesday, coming into the game 21 points away from 1,000 career points. The senior struggled to find consistency from the field in the first half, finishing the game just three points shy of the milestone with 18.

It was a sloppy game for both teams at different points of Wednesday’s contest, with each side hoping to clean things up in the future.

With the victory, Hampshire improves to 5-3 on the year, looking to continue a three-game win streak on Monday, January 12, on the road against Easthampton at 7 p.m.

“I think we got the job done,” Rickles said. “Lot of ups and downs… We have a lot of talent, but if we don’t execute, we don’t stand a chance. I’m a little disappointed in the effort, but we got the job done. That’s what matters.”

The loss for Smith Voc puts its record at 2-4, looking to bounce back on the road against Mohawk Trail on Friday, January 9, at 7 p.m.

“When I go back, and I review the video, I’m going to pinpoint certain offenses that were perfect,” Holder said. “… We have it; we just need to be consistent with it.”