Poor Second Half Spells Defeat for Hoosac
BELCHERTOWN, Mass — After taking the lead into halftime, the Hoosac Valley boys' basketball team couldn't fight off a prolonged scoring drought in the second half, causing the Hurricanes to drop their season-opening game to Belchertown 53-42 on Friday night.Bill Robinson's squad started strong, reeling off 18 points in the second quarter to earn a 28-23 halftime lead. Hoosac's offense sputtered in the second half, however, scoring just seven points a quarter over the final 16 minutes of the game.
"It was a tough start to the season," Robinson said. "We took a lead into haltime and built it to 35-28 becore we went ice cold. Nothing would drop for us, and we were held scoreless for a little over eight minutes from the middle of the third quarter to the latter part of the fourth quarter. We let an opportunity slip away."
Sophomore forward Trevor Alibozek had a solid night for the 'Canes, leading his team with a team-high 12 points and 10 rebounds. He also knocked down a trio of 3-pointers on a night where Hoosac sank seven long balls in all. Junior Zach O'Neil finished with nine points for the Hurricanes, while junior guard Corey Puccio chipped with seven more.
The Orioles, who outscored Hoosac 30-14 in the second half, were led by 22 points from Zach Parsons. The 'Canes are on the road again on Tuesday night, when they play at Commerce at 7 p.m.