Craig Jackson Leads Pittsfield Boys to Win at Hoosac Valley
CHESHIRE, Mass. — The Pittsfield boys basketball team cruised past Hoosac Valley, 65-38, on the road, Tuesday night.
It was the type of game Pittsfield needed after a stretch of tough match-ups the last couple of weeks. Craig Jackson led the way for Pittsfield (4-5) with 20 points, While Kymani Harley and La’Quan Brown each added 10.
The Generals started the game off with back-to-back 3-point shots but hit a bit of a lull offensively after that. This allowed Hoosac Valley (5-4) back in the game. Both teams continued to struggle a bit more offensively, including Izaha Stubbs who picked up two quick fouls and found himself on the bench for most of the first half. Stubbs was able to finish the game with a team-high of 13 points and Shaun Kastner Jr. had 12.
Pittsfield took advantage of the foul trouble and was able to finish the first quarter leading 17-11.
In the second quarter, Pittsfield started to find its groove a little more, dominating the offensive boards. It was able to get good penetration for kick-outs leading to wide open shots. Pittsfield was able to hold Hoosac to just six points in the quarter and really opened the game up just before the break.
“Rebounding has been a focal point of our practices the last couple of weeks,” Pittsfield coach Brandon Mauer said. “We’ve had some let downs with offensive rebounding so I think the team responded well today.”
Pittsfield then came out after the half ready to put this game to bed. It started on a 10-2 run continuing that unselfish offense leading to easy points. The defensive intensity picked up even more, forcing turnovers and speeding up Hoosac Valley more than they wanted. Pittsfield outscored Hoosac, 23-10, in the quarter and all but decided the issue.
This was a big win for Pittsfield as they close a four-game losing streak. The Generals will look to build off of this performance as they take on Drury at home, Friday.
“This game reset our identity,” Mauer said. “We’ve always been a defensive minded team and we’ve been giving up 80 points a game. We needed to reset, and we held this team to under 40, so that is what we were looking for.”
Hurricanes coach Dave Harte was disappointed by his team’s performance.
“Uninspired night by us tonight, and I’m not sure why,” he said. “They hit a bunch of 3s, which was the whole focus of our defense. We wanted contested twos. But their athleticism on the glass took away our heart and will.”
Hoosac Valley will take on Lee on Thursday at home.