WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. – The Mount Greylock boys basketball team turned up the pressure on Turners Falls to open a 23-point lead in the third quarter en route to a 71-50 win in Tuesday’s regular season finale.
Chase Doyle scored 26 points, and Adam Sandifer had a double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds as the Mounties won their seventh straight and improved to 13-5 on Senior Night.
Five nights after beating the Thunder (2-15) by 33 in Montague, Mount Greylock led most of the game in the rematch.
But it was just a three-point game early in the second quarter. And by the end of the half, Mounties coach Bob Thistle started throwing a full-court press at the visitors.
“If you look at the box scores [Turners Falls] played teams tough this year,” Thistle said. “It was a 10-, 12-, 13-point game at half-time, whatever it was, and those games can quickly go the other way.
“I was pleased with the intensity of our defense in the second half, in particular. And that was our main focus: Let our defense drive our offense, transition, things like that. So we threw a new wrinkle, a new press in there tonight, and the kids played hard.”
Mount Greylock started to get some separation midway through the second quarter after Turners Falls scored four straight to cut the deficit to 20-17 and Thistle called a timeout.
Out of that timeout, Doyle scored nine straight points – starting with a putback and scoring six points in transition – to make it a 12-point margin.
The Thunder held the line from there and got to the locker room down, 36-23, after Sandifer put back one of his many first-half offensive rebounds with 11 seconds left.
One of seven seniors on the Mount Greylock roster, Sandifer made the most of his start on Tuesday night, scoring 13 points before half-time, including six on putbacks.
“Adam had a great night,” Thistle said. “And Adam’s had a great two or three games. If he can bring that …
“One of the words we’re trying to focus on is ‘compete’ – just compete. He’s a sixth man, and he could be starting. But starter or sixth man, it doesn’t matter. Everybody competes. He was a beast on the glass tonight, and I’m proud of him.”
The knockout blow for Mount Greylock came in the third quarter, when the Mounties mounted a 14-4 run to go ahead, 52-29.
Doyle got things started with seven straight in transition, the last three on an and-one after his steal led to a fast break.
Sandifer closed the run by scoring in the post off a baseline inbounds pass from Doyle with three minutes left in the quarter to give Mount Greylock its biggest lead to that point at 23.
One sour note for Mount Greylock on an otherwise celebratory night: a 12-for-27 performance at the free throw line.
Thistle said there might be some extra practice time at the foul line in the Mounties’ future as they gear up for next week’s Western Massachusetts regional tournament.
“We’ve been shooting them better,” he said. “But in the playoffs, that’s going to determine these games. My hope is we can get back at that for sure.”
In general, Thistle will have his team ignoring its’ 11-1 turnaround over the last 12 games and focusing on the task ahead.
“We’re never satisfied with a regular season, but we’re pleased with 13-5, and now that’s over,” he said. “Our whole focus, our mantra now is just, ‘Round One.’ Round One, Round One, Round One.
“It doesn’t matter what the brackets look like. It doesn’t matter where we go or who comes here. It’s Round One.”
