Generals Deal Devils Another Close Defeat
NORTH ADAMS, Mass — Down seven points at the half, the Drury boys' basketball team rallied back against Pittsfield only to see the Generals pull away in the fourth quarter to earn a 49-45 win at Bucky Bullett Gymnasium on Friday night.The Blue Devils trailed 28-21 at the break but took advantage of a big third quarter, outscoring Pittsfield 17-10 in the frame, to tie the game at 38 points apiece heading into the fourth quarter. Drury's offense went cold in the final quarter, however, and the Generals made more shots down the stretch to pull out the win. With its seventh loss in a row, Jack Racette's team now falls to 5-9 on the season.
Keiland Cross hit three 3-pointers on his way to a game-high 15 points to lead Pittsfield, while teammate Keiland Cross also drained a trio of threes on his way to 13 points. The Generals hit nine triples to just four for the Blue Devils, who were led by senior Tyler Benoit's 14 points. Sophomore Alex Bush also had a solid game for Drury with 12 points, while senior point guard Cody Wemette added 10.
"We only scored seven points in both the second and the fourth quarters," Racette said. "We're just not executing. I don't know if we get fatigued, but we just didn't execute down the stretch. We didn't make shots. Bush had a great game, but we've played that team two times now. We've held them under 50 points both times, but we just can't put the ball in the basket."
Close losses have been a disturbing trend for the Devils in their recent seven-game losing streak. In the past four games alone, Drury has lost by a grand total of 18 points, equal to 4.5 points per game. For the Blue Devils to bridge that gap, Racette feels like his seniors need to keep doing their job, while his younger players just need to cut down on their mistakes late in games.
"You look at your seniors, and hope Cody and Tyler can step up in the next two games," Racette said. "It's not all about them, but sometimes we make young mistakes. We're making some crucial mistakes in the fourth quarter, and a seasoned team doesn't make those mistakes."
Drury gets two chances to break its losing streak next week with a home game against Mount Greylock on Tuesday night and a road game against Taconic on Thursday night.