You couldn’t have asked for a better matchup to close out the boys basketball season in the Franklin County Bubble.
Pioneer and Mahar squared off in Orange and it was Pioneer who came away with a 47-37 victory on Friday behind a 15-point performance by Jared Hubbard.
“It was an intense ending to a difficult season full of adversity but I know [Pioneer] coach [Scott] Thayer and myself are proud of the kids for persevering,” Senator coach Chad Softic said. “Pioneer’s ball pressure was simply too much for us tonight and that’s kind of been an Achilles heel for us. I thought [Troy] Emond and Hubbard were outstanding in that role and Troy is obviously so versatile.”
It was a close game throughout, with the two teams knotted at 13 after eight minutes and the Panthers taking a slim 28-24 lead into the half.
An 11-point third quarter saw Mahar cut the lead to 37-35 going into the fourth, but Pioneer outscored the Senators 10-2 in the final frame.
Quinn Grover had 11 points in the win, with Ryan Potter dropped in 10 points and Troy Emond finished with eight points.
Jake Tenney and Jacob Carron both had 10 points and eight rebounds in the loss for Mahar. Noaha Chabot added five points.
“I was really proud we still were fighting and hanging in and were only down two going into the fourth,” Softic said. “I can’t say enough about Jake Carron and Jake Tenney and their resolve all season. Noaha Chabot, Charlie Anderson, Mathew Lyesiuk and Aydan Sevigny round out a group of seniors that I have loved having. They really are the epitome of scholar athletes and they’ve represented this program with honor for four years and I will miss them but they’ve left their mark.”
Mahar 45, Pioneer 30 — Micalyn Mailloux dropped in 16 points and Sienna Moore added nine as the Senators pushed past the Panthers, 45-30, Friday in Northfield.
Despite the loss, Pioneer coach Mike Churchill was pleased with his team, who played four games in a four-day span to close out the season.
“It’s the best game we played all week,” Churchill said. “We improved 1,000 percent as the season went on. I just wish we had more games to keep building on it.”
Leading 22-14 at the half, Mahar scored 14 points in the third quarter to take a commanding 36-22 lead into the final frame.
Delaney Parker and Kendrah Doane each had six points in the win, Doane knocking in two 3s.
Sofia Walker led the charge on the offensive end for the Panthers, finishing with 16 points. Caroline Ring scored six points and pulled down 14 boards while Charlotte Kahler had four points. Sarah Larocque scored her first varsity points in the loss.
Franklin Tech 43, Hopkins 35 — Four straight games, four straight wins for the Eagles.
Playing its fourth game in the last four days, Franklin Tech forced overtime against Hopkins Academy, and a 12-point overtime period gave it a 47-45 victory in Hadley on Friday.
“I wasn’t sure how much we’d have left in the tank tonight,” Eagle coach Joe Gamache said. “They had enough and even went an extra four minutes for me.”
The overtime period saw Franklin Tech outscore the Golden Hawks 12-4, with Kendra Campbell scoring six of those points for the Eagles and Kaitlin Trudeau knocking in a pair of 3s in the frame.
Campbell went off for 19 points in the win, with Trudeau adding 11 points. In their final games with the Eagles, Desiree Doane had six points and four assists, and Gemanaia Cruz had four points.
Kasey Earle dropped 17 points in the loss for Hopkins, with Chloe Jekanowski scoring eight points and Sara Beauchamp adding seven points.