UMass basketball: Arizona State swarms Minutemen in second half to capture Basketball Hall of Fame Classic in Springfield

By GARRETT COTE

SPRINGFIELD — Sometimes when a team loses, self-inflicted wounds or a poor performance stand as the reasons why. Other times, however, the opposing team is simply better.Both were the case on Saturday evening at the MassMutual Center in Springfield,...

High schools: Makayla Tatro, Smith Voc thump Hampden Charter

Makayla Tatro’s 17 points led the Smith Vocational girls basketball team past Hampden Charter, 50-19, on Friday night.Tatro drilled seven field goals and also hit three free-throws as the Vikings improved to 2-1 on the season.Nyia-Marie Forbes (six...

Girls hockey preview: Williston Northampton, Pope Francis prime for big seasons again

By RYAN AMES

The journey back to the NEPSAC title game has begun for the Williston Northampton girls hockey team, as the puck has dropped on the Wildcats’ 2024-25 season.Williston lost to top-seeded Noble & Greenough in the Chuck Vernon Elite Division championship...

UMass basketball: Minutewomen keep surging, rout UMass-Lowell 53-33

Dominant might be an understatement when describing the UMass women’s basketball team’s second-half performance on Friday afternoon against UMass Lowell.The Minutewomen ended the game on a 26-6 run that spanned over 16 minutes of game time, and they...

High school wrestling preview: Belchertown program returns after 8 years away

By RYAN AMES

After nearly a decade-long absence, wrestling is back at Belchertown High School.The 2024-25 season marks the first time the Orioles have had a wrestling program since 2016. First-year athletic director and head wrestling coach Kevin McNeill led the...

High schools: Braylon Jarrett paces Hampshire Regional in boys basketball win over Hopkins Academy

Braylon Jarrett’s 18 points helped the Hampshire Regional boys basketball team take down Hopkins Academy, 48-29, on Thursday at Zalot Gymnasium in Westhampton.Jarrett drained three 3-pointers for the Raiders, which improved to 2-1. Vynce Carr also...

The Real Score: The power of service through sport

Sport fandom is all about building community in the professional sport industry, but most sport takes place within our communities. From a financial perspective, participatory sports accounted for 63.5% of the global sport market in 2023 and in the...

College soccer: Belchertown coach Zach Siano reminded of Ethan Czaporowski’s state title-winning goal during Vermont’s OT thriller

By GARRETT COTE

Ethan Czaporowski isn’t a stranger to game-winning goals in sudden-death overtime championship game situations. Although Czaporowski was ecstatic and stormed the field with the rest of his University of Vermont teammates after Maximilian Kissel evaded...

UMass basketball: Jaylen Curry's big shot helps Minutemen survive late Northeastern scare for 77-72 win

By GARRETT COTE

AMHERST — After Northeastern erupted for 10 straight points as part of a 12-1 run late in the second half, the UMass men’s basketball team saw its double-digit lead with under seven minutes left evaporate as the clock ticked under two to go.But as he...

High schools: Northampton girls snag 60-47 road victory over South Hadley in battle of Hampshire County powers

By RYAN AMES

SOUTH HADLEY — The Northampton girls basketball team powered past South Hadley, 60-47, in an independent tilt on Wednesday night.Bri Heafey had 19 points to pace the visitors, including a team-high three 3-pointers, while Liv Joensen (15 points) and...

Boys ice hockey preview: Amherst, Easthampton looking to book return trips to the state tournament

By RYAN AMES

Optimism is swirling around the Amherst Regional boys hockey team in the early parts of the 2024-25 season.The Hurricanes lost eight seniors to graduation and fell in its first game of the season to Greenfield on Tuesday, 7-1, but head coach Mike...

Hockey: Matt Garvin’s hat trick lifts Greenfield past Amherst 7-1

By RYAN AMES

AMHERST – Four points from Matt Garvin pushed the Greenfield boys hockey team past Amherst Regional, 7-1, in an independent contest Tuesday night at Orr Rink.Garvin recorded a hat trick and added an assist as the Green Wave cruised to their second win...

Girls basketball: Easthampton rallies past Granby 47-39 for first victory of the season (PHOTOS)

By GARRETT COTE

GRANBY — After a strong close to the second quarter, the Granby girls basketball team went into halftime with a 25-22 advantage on its home floor. Despite leading scorer Kalli White bouncing in and out of the game due to injury, the Rams diversified...

High schools: Frontier outlasts Belchertown in dual wrestling opener

The Frontier wrestling team won six of the eight matches contested, and ultimately held off Belchertown for a 42-36 independent dual meet decision on Tuesday night in Belchertown.Ber Calhoun notched a pin for the Redhawks at 113 pounds, get past...

Belchertown's Ethan Czaporowski part of Vermont soccer's improbable national championship run

By GARRETT COTE

Maximilian Kissel scored a thrilling goal in sudden-death overtime to lift the Vermont men’s soccer team over Marshall, 2-1, in the NCAA Division 1 national championship in Cary, N.C. on Monday night.It was the ninth championship game decided by...

UMass football: Minutemen to hire Mike Bajakian as offensive coordinator

By GARRETT COTE

AMHERST — The wait is over.The UMass football team has hired an offensive coordinator, as ESPN’s Pete Thamel first reported on Monday night that Mike Bajakian has agreed to a deal to become the next OC for the Minutemen.Bajakian spent last season as...

Boys basketball: Smith Academy locks down in the second half, gets past rival Hopkins Academy 42-29 (PHOTOS)

By GARRETT COTE

HATFIELD — Chace Earle was picking apart the Smith Academy boys basketball team’s zone defense in the first half. The Hopkins Academy junior had 16 of his team’s 20 points as the Golden Hawks held on to a 20-18 lead at the break.Falcons head coach...

High schools: Joshua Cole Domineq Sanchez lift Smith Vocational past St. Mary's

Joshua Cole and Domineq Sanchez each had 16 points in the Smith Vocational boys basketball team’s 58-34 road victory over St. Mary’s on Monday in Westfield.Smith Voc scored 35 points in the first half, including a game-high 19 in the second quarter,...

Girls basketball: South Hadley, Northampton looking to replicate last year’s success in 2024-25

By GARRETT COTE

SOUTH HADLEY — When a team reaches the state championship game, it’s typically led by a group of seniors – veteran players that have accumulated experience and played in pressure situations throughout their careers. They’re unfazed when playing in big...

UMass football: Minutemen add two new coaches on the defensive side of the ball

By GARRETT COTE

AMHERST — UMass football head coach Joe Harasymiak continues to add to his defensive coaching staff, and a pair of new hires were made over the past several days – sources told the Daily Hampshire Gazette.On Friday, UMass agreed to terms with Nyeem...