Wahconah Boys Shoot Past Easthampton
DALTON, Mass. — In a dominant performance on both sides of the court the Wahconah boys basketball team beat Easthampton, 85-47, on Friday night.
Wahconah had five players score in double figures, with Patrick McLaughlin leading the way with 18 points.
Wahconah had control from the beginning of the game, scoring 12 unanswered points to start the first quarter. By the start of the second quarter, its ead had grown to 21, with a score of 31-10.
Wahconah coach Dustin Belcher pointed to the offense as the deciding factor for the game. He said the team played unselfish basketball during the early run.
"I thought the kids did a good job getting out and running in transition," he said. "I thought we spaced the floor well. [Brody] Calvert made a couple of good passes. [Braedyn] Melle had a great one in that run. Just guys seeing the floor, sharing the basketball. I thought we did a really good job sharing a basketball tonight."
Wahconah continued its strong play in the second quarter, limiting Easthampton to 12 points while scoring 16 of their own, bringing the lead to 26. The score going into halftime was 47-22.
In addition to the offensive performance, Belcher said the team's defense was also strong.
"We were active; we had our hands in the passing lanes," he said. "I thought we did a good job with that. We rebounded the ball pretty well tonight."
Wahconah scored another 25 points in the third quarter while holding Easthampton to 14, pushing the lead to 36. Going into the fourth, the hosts had doubled Easthampton's scoring output for the game, with a score of 72-36.
Wahconah's lead reached as high as 43 in the fourth quarter before settling at 38 by the end of the game. Belcher said the team played a complete game all the way through.
"This time of year, it's all about getting better every day," he said. "You're getting ready for the postseason. The challenge for us tonight was to come out with intensity and play 32 complete minutes. We haven't always done that this year. That's one of the things we've been working on, so tonight, I thought we did a good job playing a complete game, complete effort."
With the win, Wahconah's record sits at 11-5 with a home game against Palmer on Monday. With only two games left to play before the playoffs, Belcher said the team is coming into its own.
"The season’s a grind,” he said. “You've got to get through January. I've always thought that January is a tough month to get through.
"As you come into February, and the playoffs are out there in the next couple of weeks, it's important that you find your second wind, and you start to push. In the last couple of days in practice, the kids have been fantastic. I've seen kind of a new energy a little bit, and that carried over to tonight. And we just need to build off of that."