Shepardson, Doyle Earn Athlete of the Week Honors

It was a big week for rivalries on the county's high school hardwoods, and the iBerkshires.com/Southwestern Vermont Health Care Athletes of the Week helped their teams earn some revenge.

 

There has been no hotter rivalry in Berkshire County basketball in recent years than that between the Hoosac Valley and Wahconah girls.

 

On Wednesday, Wahconah earned a 54-47 win to even the season series against the Hurricanes behind a team-high 17 points from sophomore Anna Doyle.

 

Doyle has been a consistent contributor this winter for Wahconah, averaging more than 8.5 points per game for a team that already has clinched its spot in the Division 4 State Tournament.

 

Wahconah (10-2) won three games this past week to extend its current winning streak to six in a row.

 

It will put that streak on the line on Monday when it visits Mount Greylock, the first of two games this week before it gets a chance to avenge its only other loss on Feb. 5 with a trip to South Hadley.

 

It always is a big deal when Pittsfield and Taconic meet in any sport, and the county's two biggest schools held the latest incarnation of one of its biggest rivalries on Friday in front of a big crowd at the Boys and Girls Club.

 

Senior Makai Shepardson was not one of four Pittsfield Generals to finish in double figures in a 68-62 win over the Thunder, but he left his mark all over the PHS victory.

 

Shepardson finished with eight points, 10 rebounds, four assists and a couple of steals as Pittsfield got revenge for a loss to Taconic earlier this month.

 

For the season, he is averaging a team-best 15 points per game for a Pittsfield team that started the week ranked No. 6 in the latest MIAA in-season power rankings in Division 3.

 

The Generals (8-5) have been up and down this winter but will look to carry the momentum of a two-game winning streak and the big win over Taconic into Tuesday's home rematch against Agawam, a 67-64 winnner when the teams met on Jan. 11.

 

The iBerkshires.com Athlete of the Week is sponsored by Southwestern Vermont Health Care.