CHESHIRE, Mass. — Hoosac Valley High School senior Carson Meczywor scored his 1000th point on Friday as the Hurricanes beat Smith Academy 59-38, moving on to the second round of the Division 5 State Tournament.
Meczywor scored 27 points in the game, hitting five 3-pointers. Despite knowing he was close to reaching 1000, Meczywor said this knowledge did not change how he or the team played.
"I just let it come to me," he said. "I wasn't really thinking about it. It just happened."
Meczywor was responsible for 12 of Hoosac Valley's 19 points in the first quarter, needing only nine more the rest of the game to hit 1,000. The Hurricanes went into the second quarter with an eight-point lead, with a 19-11 score.
The defensive intensity picked up from both teams in the second, with each team only scoring in single digits, with a score of 28-19 going into halftime. Meczywor was held scoreless in the quarter as Smith's players put significant defensive pressure on him.
Hoosac Valley was able to take control of the game in the third, scoring 21 points and taking a 20-point lead going into the fourth quarter. Meczywor scored 12 in the quarter again, with his 1000th point coming from a three with just over two minutes left.
Despite his offensive performance, leading the game's second-highest scorer by 15 points, Meczywor credited his team's defense for allowing them to control the game's tempo and build a lead.
"We definitely focus on the defensive side of the ball," he said. "Our intensity just gives us momentum throughout the game, and it just transitioned to the offensive side of the ball."
Meczywor scored another 3-pointer in the fourth quarter before coming out of the game with three minutes left to play. Hoosac Valley's defense held Smith to just 8 points, with the team's lead peaking at 21 points.
The Hurricanes (16-6) advance to next week’s Sweet 16 and will host Hull, a 67-53 winner over Douglas on Friday night.
