Wahconah Rides Hot Start to Victory in Rematch with Hampshire

CHESHIRE, Mass. -- The Wahconah girls basketball team Saturday jumped out to an 18-0 lead toward the end of the first quarter en route to a 51-35 win over Hampshire at the Coaches vs. Cancer showcase at Hoosac Valley High School.

 

Noelle Furlong scored 14 points, and Maria Gamberoni added 12 as Wahconah (11-2) held an opponent to 36 points or fewer for the ninth time in its last 10 games.

 

Hampshire went without a two-point field goal for 16 minutes, scoring all its points on five 3-pointers and a free throw.

 

But it was the first seven minutes that really impressed, as Abbie Steinmann (eight points) scored to cap the 18-0 opening run.

 

“We came out similar to how we came out against Monument the other night,” Wahconah coach Liz Kay said. “We’re also familiar with this gym. We’ve been here so many times. I think it’s nice to take advantage of that to start. Maybe [Hoosac Valley coach Ron Wojcik] gave me his bench, on the winning side. I don’t know.

 

“It was nice to jump out to a a lead. We do remember last March, obviously, so that was on their minds coming in.”

 

Hampshire defeated Wahconah last year in the Western Massachusetts Division 3 Championship Game at Curry Hicks Cage in Amherst.

 

Saturday’s outcome was never really in doubt, although Kay had her concerns after Hampshire hit four second-quarter triples and got it down to 18-10 when Madelyn Pond hit a free throw with 5 minutes, 34 seconds left in the half.

 

Wahconah answered with a 12-0 run of its own that ended with a Gamberoni bucket to make it 30-10.

 

Hampshire connected from beyond the arc just twice in the second half. Kay said she did make some defensive adjustments.

 

“Well, it was 18-0, and then it’s 18-10,” she said. “We knew coming into the third quarter that they could points on the board in a hurry. So, we did make a couple of adjustments.”

 

Neither team could do much offensively in a sluggish third quarter that saw the teams combine for 11 points.

 

“I thought the energy could have been better,” Kay said. “It was very quiet in the gym, and creating your own energy … I said, ‘If I’m the loudest person in the gym, that’s not good,’ for a couple of reasons. … It was really nice to see us get a little bit of energy. I think Victoria coming back in the game was nice. She’s our engine, certainly defensively.

 

“I didn’t want to feel like we put it in cruise control, because Hampshire can make runs.”

 

Wahconah (11-2) goes to Pittsfield on Monday.