Athletes of the Week: Shade & Sprague

Chad Shade
Pittsfield

This week's Athlete of the Week was his team's leading scorer in the Game of the Year — so far — in Berkshire County boys basketball. Senior Chad Shade scored 13 points, grabbed six rebounds and had a dunk that charged most of a capacity crowd in Pittsfield's city rivalry win over Taconic on Friday night.

Not only did the win give the Generals a leg up in the city championship race and Berkshire County North, it is part of a three-game winning streak heading into Pittsfield's appearance in the Hoop Hall Classic showcase in Springfield on Thursday. The Generals (7-2) are one of the teams to beat in Division 1 in all of Western Mass, and Shade is a a big reason why.


Maddie Sprague
Wahconah

The Wahconah girls basketball team has been winning with stifling defense, which makes senior Maddie Sprague's double-digit scoring average even more of an impact.

Wahconah has won three straight games heading into Friday's showdown with Pittsfield in Dalton. On Tuesday night, Sprague scored 10 in a win over Taconic. She is part of a link to Wahconah's success on the soccer field this fall. Wahconah's girls are trying to carry the momentum of their Western Mass title over to hardwood.

iBerkshires Sports and Capital Region Honda Dealers, including Bedard Honda in Cheshire, will be spotlighting two Berkshire County high school athletes each week, a boy and a girl, who best excelled in their sport or boosted their teams' efforts.