NORTH ADAMS, Mass. -- It was a battle from the start.
Fortunately for the Drury Blue Devils they were able to hold their composure in the final 38:7 seconds.
Unfortunately for Wahconah, Kevin Boino’s shot for 3 to tie the game at 56 rolled around the rim and out, giving the Devil’s time to put up one more shot for a 58-53 win in the championship game of the Gene Wein Tournament.
Monument Mountain beat St. Joseph, 72-46, in Wednesday's consolation game.
In the final, both teams were aggressive on each side of the court; defensively they were putting up stops and offensively the shots were falling, especially for Drury senior Kareen Beckett, who finished with a game high of 22 points.
In the second quarter, Wahconah’s defense had the Devils pushing the ball up the court fast. They were beating the Wahconah press, but they weren’t getting quality looks at the basket, and the visitors were able to execute offense off of those rushed shots, putting the score at 21-19 going into the third.
“I think we’re getting a little more confident,” Drury coach Jack Racette said. “At the beginning I think both teams were jittery; we were both playing zone and kind of feeling each other out and then guys started hitting shots.”
In the third quarter both Wahconah and Drury switched to man to man defense looking to take away those three point opportunities, but Beckett hit three in a row after Wahconah stole the lead to tie it up at 36.
“They were hitting too many 3s against the zone and we weren’t getting out and covering,” Wahconah coach Dustin Belcher said. “I thought the only way we could really cover that spot was to match up with them, but like I said credit goes to Drury, they outplayed us tonight.”
Drury stole back the lead before the end of the third after senior Doug Sigsbury was sent the line and off another 3-pointer from Beckett and one from sophomore Hayden Bird, putting the score at 42-36.
Wahconah got into foul trouble late in the third quarter, which worked to Drury’s advantage in the fourth. Wahconah’s Ryan McMahon and Jeff Pullano each fouled out of the game.
The Devils were able to finish at the line and keep the lead throughout the final minutes of the game.
“We stayed poised and under control at the game and we trusted our teammates,” Beckett said. “It was a close game down the stretch, but we did well and pulled it out, we need to keep that high level of intensity throughout the game.”
Marco Anastasio finished with a team high 15 points for Wahconah. For Drury, Beckett was named the tournament MVP finishing with 22 points. Senior Justin Girard and Bird both finished with 12 points.
Drury (4-0) will host Lenox Monday evening at 7:30 p.m. Wahconah (2-1) will travel to Lee Friday.
