Hot Start Lifts Hoosac Valley Girls in Western Mass Final

WESTFIELD, Mass. -- The Hoosac Valley girls basketball team Saturday stormed out of the gate with a 23-4 first quarter and did not look back in a 57-35 win over Pioneer Valley in the Western Massachusetts Class D Championship Game.

 

Emma Meczywor scored 22 points, and Taylor Garabedian added 10 as the Hurricanes won their third straight regional title and improved to 18-3 this winter.

 

Hoosac Valley will carry that gaudy record into the Division 5 State Tournament this week. On Saturday afternoon, the 'Canes were installed as the No. 1 seed in the field, and they will open play against the winner of Monday's preliminary round game between Abby Kelley Foster and Norfolk Aggie.

 

On Saturday at Westfield High School, Hoosac Valley wasted no time setting the tone in winning its 11th straight game.

 

Meczywor scored seven in the first quarter, including one of the team's four first-quarter 3-pointers. Hanna Shea had two 3s in the first eight minutes.

 

The Hurricanes held Pioneer Valley to single digits through the first two quarters, taking a 35-9 lead into the locker room.

 

"Our energy level in the first half was really off the charts," Hoosac Valley coach Jon Frederick said. "The kids played well. As usual, we were all unselfish.

 

"Emma Meczywor was huge today. But again, all the other girls were too. I mean, we had a ton of assists. Everybody was making the right reads. It was good to see."

 

In the third quarter, Pioneer Valley made a charge, outscoring the Hurricanes, 13-9, behind a pair of triples from Kyler McClelland, but Meczywor put up eight points in the period to help Hoosac Valley right the ship.

 

Frederick said it was, again, a collective effort to keep the Panthers from picking up any momentum.

 

"We had our third quarter slump ... [Pioneer Valley] came out, and I think they hit the first three or four shots,' Frederick said. "And you start to wonder, 'Is this where the wheels come off?'

 

"It was Emma, Ashlyn [Lesure], Taylor who stepped up. Obviously, Emma shows up in the box score, but without those guys making a steal or a nice assist, it wasn't going to happen. ... We bring in Hailey [McNeice] or Maryn [Cappiello], and Maryn was lockdown today in her defense, which was awesome to see."

 

Lesure scored nine points in the win. Shea and Abby Scialabba contributed eight and six, respectively.