Newington, Conn., Tops Hoosac Valley

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Three bad minutes made all the difference in the world for the Hoosac Valley boys basketball team in Saturday’s 60-49 loss to Newington, Conn., in the Hoophall Invitational at Sci-Tech.

 

Kellen Roby hit five 3-pointers to lead the Nor’easters to a 60-49 win.

 

With the loss, the Hurricanes (5-5) play on Sunday morning in the consolation round of their bracket against Pilgrim High of Warwick, R.I., a loser to Lunenburg on Saturday in the other half of the bracket.

 

Hoosac Valley went blow for blow with Newington in the first half, which ended with the Hurricanes behind, 33-31.

 

But the team from the Nutmeg State opened the second half on a 10-0 run to open a 43-31  lead. Hoosac Valley fought back to within three midway through the fourth quarter but was never able to get over the hump.

 

The Nor’easters big third-quarter run was keyed by its pressure defense, which helped lead to 11 Hoosac Valley turnovers in the second half after the ‘Canes coughed up the ball just three times in the first half.

 

Hoosac Valley coach Bill Robinson said mental errors led to the mistakes that allowed Newington to pull ahead.

 

“We just melted down,” Robinson said. “I can’t say we did uncharacteristic things, because these things have been going on all year, unfortunately. But it’s uncharacteristic for our teams, typically, to do stuff like we did today.

 

“Guys were taking the ball out [of bounds] who weren’t supposed to do it, and guys were supposed to be on the floor, and they weren’t. And we throw it in to a 4-foot-1 gnome in the corner, and he gets trapped, and they take it in for a lay-up. That’s going to happen because the 4-foot-1 guy doesn’t belong there. He belongs over there.”

 

Shawn Hudson (team-high 16 points) started the second half with two 3-pointers and a basket in transition for Newington to make it 41-31.

 

It was 43-31 when Hoosac Valley’s Trevor Moynihan (game-high 26 points) knocked down a 3-pointer with an assist from Will Hakes (eight points) to break the run.

 

And Hoosac Valley had some chances late in the quarter to get it down to a one-possession game. But the Hurricanes went 3-for-6 at the line in a 5-0 run that made it 45-39, Newington, with eight minutes left.

 

The Hurricanes did eventually get within a possession thanks to a 5-0 spurt early in the fourth.

 

First, Qwanell Bradley (five points, 11 rebounds) put back a rebound. Then, with 5 minutes, 10 seconds left to play, Hakes hit a 3 to make it 47-44.

 

But Newington scored the next eight points, capped by a triple from Hudson with 2:05 left to make it 55-44.

 

Moynihan answered with a deep 3 to give Hoosac some hope, but Roby capped his day with a corner 3 to push the lead back to double digits.

 

“That kid, No. 23 [Roby] had the game of his life,” Robinson said. “I saw a couple of game films, and he didn’t come into my game play. I just asked him, ‘You shoot like that all the time?’ He said, ‘No.’ I said, ‘Thanks for being honest. You had the game of your life.’

 

“And he did. He hurt us.”

 

What will help Hoosac Valley is the experience of playing teams who present different challenges than the Hurricanes see in their Western Mass schedule all winter.

 

“New Mission comes to mind, last year,” Robinson said, referring to the Boston team that beat the Hurricanes in the Division 5 State Championship game. “You don’t see much of that. So now we play a team like this, and we have something to go back to and say, ‘OK, when we’re playing New Mission, remember Newington. That’s how we’ve got to play. We didn’t do a great job there, so how are we going to fix it?’ “

 

Photos from this game to come.