Athletes of the Week: Patella & Pudlo

Lily Pudlo
Wahconah

Wahconah junior Lily Pudlo has been among the team leaders in scoring all year, but she scored well above her personal average on Tuesday night, netting 16 points to lead help her team upset Mahar in the first round of the Western Masachusetts Division 3 tournament.

Wahconah (12-9) has won three of its last four games and six of its last nine heading into Friday night's rematch at Hoosac top-seeded Hoosac Valley in the sectional quarter-finals. The last time the teams met, the Hurricanes handed Pudlo's team a one-point setback in Dalton.


Bailey Patella
Lenox

Lenox senior Bailey Patella would have been long remembered in the Millionaires' gym for his exploits on the basketball court. But he gave his fans an unforgettable night in his last home game.

Patella came into Monday's Western Massachusetts Division 4 playoff opener needing 26 points to reach 1,000 for his career. Twenty-six is a big number — even for a prolific scorer, especially in the post-season. But Patella made it with room to spare, scoring 30 points to lead the Millionaires into the sectional quarter-finals.

Bailey credited his grandfather, Fred Lafave, a member of the 1,000-point club himself, with helping show the way.

"Ever since I was young, he's taught me everything I know," Patella said.

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.