Boys basketball: West Side outlasts South Hadley, 44-34 (PHOTOS)

By KYLE GRABOWSKI

Staff Writer

Published: 01-18-2023 10:22 PM

SOUTH HADLEY – West Springfield used a 10-point burst to pull away from the South Hadley boys basketball team in the fourth quarter Wednesday.

The Tigers fell 44-34, losing for the second straight game after a 7-0 start to the season.

“We definitely learned we aren’t untouchable. Teams are coming for us,” South Hadley senior Colin Quinn said. “We’ve got to stay ready every game, or we can get knocked off.”

South Hadley (7-2) trailed just 34-32 after Owen Dawson fired a bullet fast break pass to Eddie Wykowski for a layup with 3 minutes, 44 seconds left. But the Terriers (12-1) ripped off 10 straight points to put the game out of reach.

“We really just ran out of gas. We’ve got to keep getting better at practice,” Quinn said.

Quinn led the Tigers with 13 points. Wykowski scored eight.

Dawson’s only field goal gave South Hadley a 25-23 lead with 1:36 left in the third quarter. He sank a left-handed layup in traffic. The junior also made two free throws 1:20 earlier to tie the game at 23.

Quinn raced up court for a layup with 12 seconds on the third quarter clock to put the Tigers ahead 27-25, but West Springfield’s Joseph Kosiar beat the buzzer with a 3 to regain the lead, which the Terriers never relinquished.

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“Our kids fight. We have tough kids. They care about each other,” South Hadley coach Chris Gerber said. “Shots were not falling. Give West Side credit for that.”

The teams were knotted at nine following the first quarter after Quinn dropped in a layup at the buzzer. West Springfield led 18-16 at halftime.

“They’ve beaten just about everyone on their schedule. To hold them to 44 was a heck of a job,” Gerber said. “We have zero issues with our defense. We’ve got some other things to clean up.”

South Hadley’s allowed just 39.5 points per game. Only one opponent has scored more than 50 against the Tigers.

The Tigers next host Baystate Academy at 7 p.m. Friday.

“Every season’s not a straight uphill,” Gerber said. “There’s ebbs and flows and certainly frustration on the journey. That’s all this is.”

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