TURNERS FALLS, Mass. -- Brady Guimond scored 16 points, and the Ware boys basketball team Thursday took control of the game in the third quarter en route to a 52-29 win over Mount Everett in the opening game of the Eagle Holiday Classic at Franklin Tech.
Mount Everett, which scored just 10 points in the second half, was led by Sean Warren with 13 points.
The Eagles will look to bounce back on Friday when they make the return trip to face either St. Mary's of Westfield or host Franklin Tech in the consolation game. The Saints and Eagles are set to tip off at 7 p.m. in the first round of the tourney.
"The first game up here every season seems to be one of the ugliest games we have all season, and this was the case this year as well," Mount Everett coach Jowe Warren said. "I think on both sides of the ball -- offense and defense -- we were flat. To much reaching, not enough playing defense with our feet.
"Offensively, you could see, we're not fluid yet. We're neglecting the offense to run plays through to keep the court balanced. And that definitely cost us tonight. But give Ware a lot of credit. They outworked us all night."
Things started out brightly for Mount Everett (0-1), which got 3-pointers from Matt Lowe and Warren to take an early 6-2 lead.
But Ware scored the next eight points and ended up taking a 10-8 lead into the second quarter.
Ware center Jack Gaudreau scored eight points in the second quarter to send his team into half-time with a six-point margin, 25-19.
After a Guimond triple to start the second half, Lowe hit a jumper from the right wing to get the margin back to seven for Mount Everett.
But then the wheels came off for the Eagles.
Justin Grout scored seven points in a 13-0 run to open a 20-point margin late in the third quarter.
"We didn't come out with the energy they did," Jowe Warren said of the start of the second half. "And that's what we talked about at half-time: We've got to come out and have heart, hustle, grit. We've got to work. And if we beat them in those categories, we could be in this game.
"But they beat us in those categories instead. So that's why we lost and we're taking the long ride home and coming back tomorrow early."
Lowe and Darius Taliaferro each scored five points for Mount Everett, which got six rebounds from Brady Carpenter.
