Sondrini Scores 25 to Lead Pittsfield Past Mount Greylock
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. -- Alexi Sondrini scored 25 points, and the Pittsfield girls basketball team played smothering defense Tuesday to end the year with a 70-36 win over Mount Greylock.
The Generals (3-3) had their best offensive day of the season and held an opponent to fewer than 40 points for the second time this winter in winning their second straight.
"They've got some offense that didn't work too well for them today, but we always had a hand in somebody's face," Pittsfield coach Joe Racicot said. "Basically, we kind of limited them to just one opportunity [per possession]."
Madison Ross scored a team-high nine points for the Mounties (2-2) -- all in the first half and mostly in transition.
The Generals got 17 points from Randi Duquette and eight rebounds from Jamie Duquette. Senior Jordyn Lummus scored 11 points, made five steals and passed out three assists.
Pittsfield wasted no time taking control of the game.
It was 11-5, Generals, midway through the first half when PHS went on a 10-0 run -- all of the points coming from Sondrini.
First, she converted an assist from Jamie Duquette for a 3-pointer. Then she got tot he line on three straight trips -- once in transition after a Lummus steal and twice driving to the basket.
Finally, Sondrini knocked down the second of her three first-half 3s to make it 21-5.
Mount Greylock got back into the game with a 7-1 spurt that spanned the first and second quarters.
Ross scored in transition and put back an offensive rebound to get the Mounties within 10 at 22-12 with about five minutes left in the half.
But Pittsfield pulled away, using an 8-0 run late in the quarter to take a 37-20 lead into the locker room.
The Mounties committed two turnovers during that stretch.
"We came out tentative," Mount Greylock coach John Jacobbe said. "We didn't trust ourselves. I don't think we came out believing we were going to win, and when you come out like that, you're going to not play your best.
"Today was a learning curve for us. We need to match the other team's intensity and believe we can play with these teams. I feel like we can play with these teams, and they have to believe it when they step on the court."
Any hopes for a comeback disappeared in the first four minutes of the third quarter. Jamie Duquette (seven points) started the Generals with a 3-pointer, and Sondrini scored the next five to push the lead to 25 at 45-20.
The Mounties got seven points from Emma Stevens and six from Emma Gilooly. Delaney Babcock pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds.
Pittsfield got another confidence boost going into Friday night's game at East Longmeadow.
It was a busy holiday week for the Generals, who went 1-1 in a holiday showcase for college coaches in Amsterdam, N.Y., before coming back to pick up the Berkshire County League win.
"We like going out to Amsterdam, because it's good competition," Racicot said. "Right now, we're 3-3, so you can't really beat it because we came back with a win.
"The Amsterdam thing gets you revved up for the rest of your season. ... You've got to go where the competition is."
Mount Greylock plays its second straight crossover game against the North Division on Friday when it hosts Hoosac Valley.