Athletes of the Week: Benzinger & McDonough

Jenna Benzinger
Mount Greylock

The Mount Greylock girls basketball team pulled off the biggest upset of the Western Mass basketball tournament — boys or girls side — when it took out No. 1 South Hadley on Thursday.

Junior center Jenna Benzinger played a big roll in both the Mounties' tournament wins so far.

On Monday at Athol, she scored 16 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and blocked six shots while playing through foul trouble in a first-round win.

Three nights later, Benzinger scored 26 points and pulled down 17 rebounds to lead the Mounties to victory over the Tigers, who came into the game with just one loss — against second-seeded and three-time defending Western Mass champion Hoosac Valley.

On Tuesday, Mount Greylock plays for a spot in the sectional final against Drury, a team that beat the Mounties twice this season.


Connor McDonough
Pittsfield High

For the Pittsfield High boys basketball team, there was more on the line Friday night than just a berth in the Western Mass semifinals — as important as that was.

"There's a true winner of the city," PHS senior Connor McDonough said. "It feels great that we did that."

After splitting the season series with Taconic, the Generals won Round 3 in the quarterfinals of the sectional tournament, and McDonough hit 5 3-pointers on the way to a 23-point night that led all scorers.

McDonough also played a major — and very different — role in Pittsfield's Round 1 win back on Jan. 22. That night, he provided the winning margin with a 3-pointer in the closing seconds of a 51-49 win.

After Friday's win, he said that the playoff victory was a little more memorable because of the competition.

"We can have bragging rights over the city," he said. "And in the future, when this passes, I can goof around with my friends and say, 'We beat you.' If we had faced Longmeadow or Tantasqua or whoever, I wouldn't be able to do that and joke around.

"Now, I can keep this in my head for my entire life. I'll never forget it."