Steinman Scores 29 as Pittsfield Pulls Away From Wahconah

DALTON, Mass. -- Midway through the third quarter of Monday's girls basketball game, Pittsfield junior Peyton Steinman brought the ball over half court, stopped about 23 feet from the basket, calmly surveyed the defense and then knocked down a 3-pointer.

 

The shot gave the Generals a 15-point lead and sent them on their way to a 61-36 win.

 

Steinman finished with five 3-pointers among her 11 field goals as she upped her season scoring average to more than 20 points per game.

 

"She's been having a hard time with her shot, and I think it was just a matter of confidence," Pittsfield coach Joe Racicot said. "It was up and down for a little while -- after the 1,000 point thing. I think she's getting it back, and she's feeling more comfortable with her stroke.

 

"That's a good thing for us."

 

Allie Hunt and Toni Satrape were pretty good as well, pitching in with 10 and eight points, respectively, as Pittsfield (14-4) won for the eighth time in nine outings.

 

The final score belies a hard-fought first half that saw Wahconah (12-6) lead by as many as five and go to the locker room down just two, 26-24.

 

But Pittsfield took control of the game in the third quarter, opening on a 16-3 run that Steinman capped with her deep 3-pointer.

 

Then after Lily Pudlo (16 points, 16 rebounds) hit a free throw tomake it 42-28, Pittsfield went on a 9-2 spurt to take a 21-point lead into the fourth quarter.

 

Pittsfield fourced seven Wahconah turnovers in the pivotal fourth quarter, including two of Steinman's five steals on the night.

 

"We weren't sure what defense to go with in the beginning," Racicot said. "And at half-time, the kids felt really comfortable with just staying with the zone -- trying to quicken the pace, having the guards go out and put some pressure on.

 

"It kind of opened things up a little bit, and we started getting some transition baskets."

 

Pittsfield finished up the Berkshire County portion of its schedule on Monday and finishes its regular season this week with dates against Northfield on Wednesday and at Minnechaug on Friday to tune up for the Western Mass tournament.

 

Wahconah also is heading to the post-season, but first it must deal with Drury on Thursday night in a rematch of a one-point Blue Devils win from mid-January.