Steinman Scores 33 to Lift Pittsfield into Western Mass Final
AMHERST, Mass. -- In the biggest game of the year, the Pittsfield High girls basketball team's only senior found herself in the unfamiliar and unwelcome role of spectator for most of the first half on Tuesday night.
But in the second half, Allie Hunt came back on the floor to score eight of her points and grab all seven of her rebounds in a 60-56 win over Belchertown in the Western Massachusetts Division 2 semi-finals.
Peyton Steinman led all scorers with 33 points for the third-seeded Generals (18-4), who on Saturday will face the winner of Wednesday's semi-final between Longmeadow and North Middlesex.
Hunt, who picked up her second foul early in the first half, was a very uncomfortable observer on Tuesday as the Orioles led by as many as 11 before settling for a 27-24 half-time lead.
"It's so difficult," Hunt said. "You don't know if you're going to get a next game, and being a senior, my basketball career is over with this. So I just had to rely on my teammates, and they pulled through."
No one pulled more weight than junior Peyton Steinman, the General's 1,000-point scorer was truly grand at Curry Hicks Cage, stealing the ball several times and passing out a couple of second-half assists -- one, a behind-the-back beauty to Aitken in transition, provided PIttsfield with its first points of the second half.
Steinman scored nine of her own in the third quarter to help PHS pull even, 41-41, in the closing seconds of the third.
Then it was up to freshman Megan Collins, a recent addition to the rotation from the junior varsity. She took a feed from Aitken on the left wing and calmly knocked down a triple to give Pittsfield its first lead, 44-41, going into the fourth quarter.
"She's great," Hunt said of Collins. "I love her."
"Megan's been leading our JVs in 3s," Pittsfield coach Joe Racicot said. "All practice she's been up with us, and I just had a hunch she was ready to hit a 3. I thought about it a couple more times [in the fourth] when they were at the foul line. But to me, it was a matter, of let's just get the ball and run the clock out rather than trying to get some more."
The Generals led by as many as eight, 49-41, early in the fourth quarter.
But second-seeded Belchertown fought back, drawing within one when Jacqueline Johnson (13 points) hit a 3-pointer to make it 51-50 with about four minutes remaining.
Natasha Shade answered with a deep 2 to push the lead back to three, and Hunt hit a pair of foul shots on the next trip to give Pittsfield a 55-50 advantage.
Belchertown never got closer than four points the rest of the way.
Steinman closed out the game by going 3-for-4 at the line in the last 17 seconds to give PIttsfield a 59-53 lead with 11.4 seconds left. Kayla Henry (team-high 21 points hit a 3 with 3.5 seconds on the clock, and Steinman dribbled out the last few ticks.
Pittsfield fans have come to expect superhuman accomplishments from Steinman, and on Tuesday she did not disappoint.
"[Steinman] created a lot of good things tonight," Racicot said. "And just like everyone else, she had her ups and downs, but her ups outweighed her downs by many. We were looking to get the ball to her. We didn't think they had anyone who could guard her, and it worked out for the best."
Hunt said Pittsfield's floor general was prepared for the battle.
"She knew that they have great shooters too, and she would have be be on her game tonight. And she came ready," Hunt said.