Gamberoni, Beany Come Up Big in Teams' Wins

This week's iBerkshires.com/Adams Community Bank Athletes of the Week each had a super week while leading their teams to a couple of big wins.

 

McCann Tech's Jeremy Beany scored 26 points in a five-point win over Baystate Academy on Wednesday night in North Adams. He followed that up with a team-high 18 on Friday night as the Hornets clinched a berth in the Western Massachusetts tournament with a road win at Pathfinder.

 

"Beany was so huge all night," McCann Tech coach Chris Bullett said after the Baystate win.

 

And all season.

 

The 6-foot-6 senior pivot is averaging 12 points per game for the Hornets (10-4), who will look to improve their tournament seed starting Tuesday at Hampden Charter.

 

Four of McCann Tech's remaining six games are against teams the Hornets beat the first time around this winter.

 

No one had a better week -- or, in a weather-challenged stretch, played more games -- than the Wahconah girls basketball team.

 

It started the week already in the tournament but improved its seed considerably with wins over Division 2 Pittsfield and perennial D3 power Hoosac Valley before beating likely D3 tournament qualifier Drury on Saturday.

 

The highlight came in the closing seconds of the dramatic 46-44 win over the Hurricanes in Dalton, when Gamberoni hit a runner in the lane at the buzzer to give Wahconah its third win over Hoosac in the last two seasons.

 

For Wahconah, it was a fitting ending. Gamberoni dominated the game with 28 points.

 

"Maria is a great player," Hoosac Valley coach Ron Wojcik said. "She made key plays for them down the stretch. She's just a great player already as a sophomore. She can find ways to score and create and take charge.

 

"And that's impressive for a sophomore. I thought she did a really good job of doing that, and she made a really great shot to win it."

 

Gamberoni leads Wahconah (14-2) with just more than 17 points per game and 28 3-pointers, for just less than two triples per night.

 

Wahconah has a quieter week ahead, hosting Monument Mountain on Monday and then taking a week to get ready for its Feb. 11 rematch at Taconic, a five-point winner in Dalton back on opening night.

 

The iBerkshires.com Athlete of the Week is sponsored by Adams Community Bank.