WESTHAMPTON — One Belchertown warm-up 3-pointer swished the Hampshire Regional net. Then a second. A third. A fourth followed with a fifth, each from a different shooter. The Orioles groaned collectively when the sixth bounced off the front rim and off target. They all knew the chain could have continued.

“We practice a lot, and we've all been shooters throughout the years. Some of us have changed roles as we've grown, shooting has still been just a big part of our game,” Belchertown senior Tyler McDonald said. “So we feel confident every time we release the ball and it goes in.”

Belchertown (5-2) has hit 43 3s in seven games this season led by McDonald’s 16. Henry Audette has eight, and 11 players have connected from distance at least once.

The Orioles honed the skill both in the practice gym and across the town’s playgrounds. Swishing through a chain hoop in the wind makes a high school 3-pointer feel like light work.

“It's a byproduct of all the work they put in. We shoot a ton in practice,” Belchertown coach Matt Stenuis said. “Their work in the offseason helps. I mean, I've got 13 kids on the team that can shoot from anywhere on the floor.”

Occasionally they get competitive with each other. It starts from the opening warmup routine. Who made the most? Who kept the chain going? Who broke it?

“We all think we're the best shooter on the team,” McDonald said. “We want to show that we are the best shooter on the team, and we compete and we got a lot of good shooters.”

All of the 3s raining brings a defense out further. It opens space for the Orioles post players inside. Center Connor White led Belchertown with 14 points in its Monday win at Hampshire on seven plays in the paint.

“It keeps their guys off from covering me, and I can kick it out to them if I need to,” White said. “It makes it easier to work in the paint.”

They all know where each other is supposed to be on a given play and where each shooter likes to receive the ball. That’s born from years of playing together, for the seniors almost a decade.

“They've been playing together since like second grade, third grade or something like that,” Stenuis said. “They know where they’re supposed to be.”

Sometimes Stenuis has to rein in his team’s impulses. He wants them to play fast, but that starts on the defensive end. Belchertown has held its opponent under 60 points in all five of its wins and prevented the opposition from cracking 50 three times, including its past two games.

“We want to be known for our defense,” he said.

Once that defense does its job, though, the Orioles kick into gear.

“We are very, very difficult to defend because we can all shoot, we can all finish and we can all pass, so we’ll always find the open guy,” McDonald said. “And we'll knock down every three ball.”

Kyle Grabowski can be reached at kgrabowski@gazettenet.com. Follow him on Twitter @kylegrbwsk.]]>