High schools: Lea Chapman’s double-double helps Franklin Tech take down Pioneer, 51-30 (PHOTOS)

By JEFF LAJOIE

Staff Writer

Published: 02-14-2023 1:16 PM

With the Franklin County League South title now officially in the hands of Franklin Tech, the Eagles are looking to close their league slate out in style.

They continued their winning ways on the road Monday night, storming out to a 16-point halftime lead en route to a 51-30 victory over Pioneer at Messer Gymnasium in Northfield.

“It was a big game environment,” Franklin Tech coach Joe Gamache said. “The gym was packed tonight, had a great feel. I’m super proud of our girls. They played with great energy and played well early.”

Franklin Tech (16-1, 11-0) moved within one win of closing out its league slate undefeated. The Eagles will host Putnam on Thursday.

“They’re much improved,” Gamache said of Putnam. “It would be nice to pull that out and finish the league slate undefeated.”

The visitors led 31-15 at halftime and 38-23 after three quarters. Lea Chapman paced the Eagles with 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Kendra Campbell also had a big offensive night with 16 points.

Pioneer (10-7, 7-4) was led by Laura Kahler’s 11 points. Kyler McClelland added seven points and Addie Harrington tossed in six.

Frontier 43, Mahar 39 – The Redhawks guaranteed themselves at least a share of the FCL North title with a tight victory on the road in Orange on Monday.

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Frontier closed out its regular season 13-5 overall, 9-3 in the league. The Hawks were tied in the North standings with Palmer and Lenox entering this week’s slate of games.

Delaney Fifield scored 14 points to lead the offensive effort for Frontier, while Hailey Hutkoski joined her in double figures with 12. Olivia Machon added six points for the Hawks, which led 18-17 at halftime and 30-27 after three. Molly Gates and Madison McKemmie made key contributions in the victory.

Mahar (10-6, 6-5) received a team-high 12 points from Astha Bernard, while Kendrah Doane added 10. Nevaeh Scribner went for nine points and Hayden Comeau added eight. Sophia Woods powered the defensive effort for the Sens, which next travel to play at Pope Francis on Wednesday.

Athol 53, Mohawk Trail 27 – A 21-6 edge in the second quarter propelled the visiting Bears to a 53-27 victory on Monday night in Buckland.

Emma Bacigalupo scored 12 of her game-high 21 points in the second quarter for Athol (7-9), which continued its battle for a postseason berth. Kylah Blundon drilled a 3-pointer in the second quarter and finished with nine points in the win, while Emily King added six points, all coming in the opening quarter.

Mohawk Trail received a team-high 11 points from Rachel Pease, with Bella Pettengill also scoring in double figures with 10. Riley Giard added four points for the Warriors.

Palmer 58, Greenfield 28 – The host Green Wave led 20-15 at halftime, but Palmer dominated after intermission to earn a road win on Monday at Nichols Gymnasium in Greenfield.

Palmer held the Wave off the scoreboard in the fourth quarter.

Amber Bergeron paced Greenfield (6-11) with 20 points, followed by Josie Cloutier with four points and  Carly Blanchard with three.

Turners Falls 51, Smith Academy 27 — Taylor Greene’s big night lifted the Thunder to a convincing win in their regular season finale on Monday night.

Greene poured in a season-high 28 points, and Turners notched its 10th win of the season to officially earn a state tournament berth with a 51-27 win in Hatfield.

The Thunder finished their regular season 10-8 overall, and will likely play on the road in the opening round of the Western Mass. Class D quarterfinals next week.

Tatiana Williams added eight points for Turners, which led 23-13 at halftime and pulled away in the second half. Abbi Holloway added six points and Madi Liimatainen tossed in five.

 

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