Baystate Boys Pull Away from Mount Greylock in Second Half

AMHERST, Mass. -- Travis Jordan scored 28 points, and the Baystate Charter boys basketball team Saturday opened up a big lead in the second half en route to a 70-44 win over Mount Greylock at the Pioneer Valley Tipoff Classic at the University of Massachusetts.

 

Jackson Powell scored nine for the Mounties, who got eight from Chase Doyle in their season opener.

 

Baystate's Jordan was a force at the offensive end throughout the game. In the second half, his team got a boost from Jarelle Casey, who scored 11 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter.

 

It was a four-point margin at half-time, but Baystate opened the third quarter on a 13-2 run to open up a double-digit margin it never relinquished.

 

Jordan started that run with a conventional three-point play, and Tyrese Christie ended it when he got to the line attempting to put back an offensive rebound with 3 minutes, 38 seconds left in the third and converted both free throws to make it 38-23.

 

In the fourth quarter, Casey took over, scoring 11 points, including six on 3-pointers, in a 19-7 run that pushed the margin to 25 and put the game out reach.

 

Baystate led by as many as seven points in the first half as the Mounties struggled with ball security issues.

 

Mount Greylock committed 14 first-half turnovers. What kept the Mounties in the game was its dominance on the boards.

 

Max McAlister ran down four first-half rebounds, and Chase Doyle, Seamus Barnes and Adam Sandifer had three caroms apiece before half-time.

 

It was a a 13-8 game after one quarter after Doyle got to the line in transition and converted both shots to cut into a seven-point Baystate cushion.

 

The Mounties went on an 8-3 run to start the second, capped by a Doyle bucket in transition with an assist from Jackson Powell to make it 16-16.

 

But Baystate answered with a 9-2 run, including six from Travis Jordan, to lead, 25-18, with less than a minute to go.

 

A McAlister 3-pointer from NBA range on the left wing sent the teams into the locker room with Baystate ahead, 25-21.