Unbeaten Spartans Hand Hoosac Valley its First Loss

CHESHIRE, Mass. — The Monument Mountain boys basketball team Wednesday took down Hoosac Valley, 83-49.

 

It was a battle of the undefeated teams as 6-0 Monument took on the 4-0 Hoosac Valley Hurricanes. It was a game marked on everyone's schedules coming into the week and Monument looked to be up to the task early on. They took an early lead in this one and never looked back. 

 

Khalil Carlson had a game high with 29 points, and Manny Brown added 19 of his own. Sebastian Guete-Ramirez and Isaiah Keefner also added nine points each. 

 

Monument set the tone early with their full court pressure, forcing Hoosac into uncharacteristic turnovers that really jump-started the Spartan offense. 

 

“We depend a lot on our defense to get our offense going,” Monument Mountain coach Randy Koldys said. “Tonight we had it going a couple different ways, we were able to get in passing lanes and were very disruptive, that's the kind of game we like to play.”

 

Monument jumped out to a 20-14 lead at the end of the first quarter, but really got things going in the start of the second, when they went on an 8-3 run forcing Hoosac into an early timeout. Monument was able to move the Hoosac Valley zone all around the court getting nice open looks from deep. The Spartans’ ability to crash the boards was huge, giving them easy second chance points which they used to widen the gap. 

 

“We talked about offensive rebounding before the game. It was one of our goals to not give up more than eight offensive rebounds and get more than 15 of our own, and we did a pretty good job with that,” Koldys said.

 

The Spartans finished the half up, 40-26, and really closed the door on any chance of a comeback in the third outscoring Hoosac, 22-13.

 

Frank Field led the way for Hoosac Valley with 17 points after coming in only needing 22 to reach 1,000 points in his career. Bradley Qwannell and Trevor Moynihan pitched in with eight each. 

 

“It was a shame Frank didn’t get his 1000th point because he’s a great kid,” Koldys said. “Of the 1,000 points he’s going to score I think 500 of them were on us.”

 

Monument will look to keep their undefeated streak alive when it faces Belchertown next Monday. 

 

As for Hoosac Valley, they will look to right the ship against Easthampton on Monday. 

 

Photos from this game here.