Hoosac's Mercier, Wahconah's White Recognized as Athletes of the Week
This week’s iBerkshires.com/Adams Community Bank Athletes of the Week led their respective teams to league championships, and each plays for a program that will set its sights even higher in the weeks ahead.
Senior Lexi Mercier and the Hoosac Valley girls basketball team know a thing or two about Berkshire County North Division titles, having won at least a share of the last seven, and Western Massachusetts titles, winning five in a row before seeing that streak come to an end in March.
This week, the Hurricanes got ready for this winter’s Western Mass tournament by winning three in a row -- the middle victory securing a piece of the league crown.
Mercier, who earlier this season joined teammate Alie Mendel in the 1,000-point club, was on fire, scoring 68 points in the three wins.
Her lowest point total of the week -- 15 -- came on a night when her team needed those points the most. She accounted for one third of the Hurricanes’ scoring total in a 45-40, come-from-behind victory at Pittsfield that secured a share of the North crown.
This season, Mercier is averaging 18 points per game and has hit 4.25 3-pointers per night.
Hoosac Valley (15-3) goes east to play in the Foxborough Tournament tomorrow and Monday before learning Saturday where it will be seeded in the Western Mass D3 tourney.
Junior Alex White led Wahconah to a county title on Friday at Cove Lanes, holding down the anchor position as his team went 12-2 in three best-of-seven Baker format matches, including a 4-2 win over Lee in the finale.
This season, he posted the third-highest average in league play, 220, to help his squad earn the third seed going into Friday’s league tournament.
White also earned something arguably just as tough: the league’s sportsmanship award. In a sport where cheering on the opposition and celebrating your opponent’s strikes is the rule, it is hard to stand out for being a good sport.
“When I was younger, I always got angry and stuff,” White said. “Now, I just have to make sure that I'm nice to everyone. It means a lot to me because I've worked so hard at it.
“This is the only game where, if someone does well, the other team claps for them. In basketball or football, a team will clap if the other team does bad. In this sport ... It's a close sport. It's really tight-knit. All the teams know each other and most people like each other. It's really cool to see how much sportsmanship goes on.”
In a couple of weeks, Wahconah will hit the road to Central Mass, where it will attempt to defend its state championship, joining four other Berkshire County teams in an effort to bring the trophy back to the county.
The iBerkshires.com Athlete of the Week is sponsored by Adams Community Bank.