WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Zach Crisafulli hit a late 3-pointer Monday to give Easthampton a 66-65 win over Mount Greylock in a rematch from last year’s Western Massachusetts Division 3 semi-finals.
Ant Moynihan lead the way for the Eagles (12-7) with 15 points, including three connectives 3-pointers in the third quarter.
Crisafulli had 14 points and Zade Jenkins added 13.
For Mount Greylock (16-4), Sean McCormack had a monster night scoring 28 points, While Sam Dils and Brady Foehl chipped in with nine a piece.
Is it March yet? If you were watching this game tonight it would be hard not to believe so.
A rematch from the 2016 tournament turned into an instant classic this year. Just like last year’s matchup, Easthampton came out with instant pressure, looking to get Mount Greylock off its game early and that is exactly what happened.
It took Mount Greylock four minutes before it got its first points of the game with Brady Foehl knocking down two free throws. Soon after that, Mount Greylock settled into the game and took a 13-7 lead at the end of the first. Second quarter action started off with two key fouls on Easthampton’s Zach Crisafulli, forcing him to sit out most the second half.
With Crisafulli out, Greylock looked to Sean McCormack down low often. McCormack had 10 points alone in the quarter. With Crisafulli out, Zade Jenkins matched McCormack’s second quarter performance with 11 of his own points helping the Eagles keep a 33-31 lead at the break.
In the second half, Easthampton looked to extend its lead with help from Ant Moynihan. He knocked down three 3-pointers in the quarter to give Easthampton some breathing room.
Both teams continued to trade baskets in a high tempo affair. It wasn’t until the 5-minute mark when Greylock finally tied the game up, but just like in previous quarters, Easthampton wasted no time getting the ball up the court and took the lead right back.
After a big 3 by Toby Foehl to regain the lead late in the fourth quarter, McCormack got an even bigger and-one on the following play. It seemed like things were starting to turn in Greylock’s favor before Sophandara Pek drove the lane and finished on a nice layup while drawing the foul with 3:11 to go, drawing them closer.
With time running down and Crisafulli on the bench for most of the fourth quarter it was time for him to make his mark on the game. Mount Greylock led by two before Crisafulli hit a step back three with 5 seconds left on the clock giving Easthampton the win in a thriller on the road.
After a slow start to the season for Easthampton, it has won four in a row and looks like it is playing its best basketball at the right time. As for Mount Greylock, this loss ended a 14-game win streak and will go into the tournament with 16 wins. Easthampton Wednesday will play Palmer, a team they lost to by 14 earlier in the season.
