PITTSFIELD, Mass. -- At McCann Tech, they like to play AC/DC’s “Hells Bells” at football games, but it was the girls basketball team Friday that used 32 minutes of hell to burn Mohawk on Friday night.
The Hornets took control of the game with a 12-2 run to open the second half and finished things off with an 8-0 spurt to secure a 54-39 win.
Both runs were fueled by McCann’s full-court press, which more than made up for Mohawk’s height advantage and the play of Emma Poplowski, who scored 17 points and grabbed 26 rebounds for the visitors.
McCann Tech (2-4) combined for 20 steals -- five from Aimee Dowling, who also scored 16, grabbed 11 rebounds and passed out four assists.
Six different Hornets had at least one steal as the implemented the game plan to perfection.
“That’s dictated by our personnel and my style,” first-year coach Kathy Budaj said. “I like an up-tempo game. It makes it more exciting for the fans, and they want to come see an exciting game.
“So win or lose, if you play hard, dive for loose balls and work hard, good things are going to happen.”
After a back and forth first half that saw the Hornets go to the locker room with a 20-19 lead, things really got good for the home team and its fans in the third quarter.
Alanza Quinones (game-high 17 points, eight rebounds) got the decisive run going when she drove the baseline for a bucket to make it 24-21. Then, after Dowling stole the ball out of the press, she drove to the basket for a lay-in.
Mohawk went to the line for two to cut the lead back to three on its next possession, but McCann scored the next six to make it 32-23, cashing in on a pair of turnovers to get field goals from Dowling and Gibeau wrapped around a pair of free throws from Michaela Malloy.
A six-point spurt later in the in the quarter pushed the lead to double digits, 37-25. Jordan Budaj had a steal and an offensive rebound during that stretch.
The game went back and forth again with the Hornets managing to maintain an eight-point lead with its second unit. It was a nine-point margin when Poplowski scored with about two minutes left to make it 46-37.
But McCann Tech closed with an 8-0 run that saw Dowling drive to the back twice, Gibeau score in transition and Quinones knock down the game’s final basket off a turnover.
“We’ve been working on defense, being aggressive, pushing it,” Kathy Budaj said. “We’ve really been struggling with our shots. Our shot percentage has been off, and you saw that in the first half. Then we get these spots where we’re hitting ‘em, we’re doing all the right things. They just need to keep being patient and taking the shots.
“This was a good win for us. We needed a confidence win. We’re going into some tough games -- Pioneer, Greenfield, Ware -- so we need to play tough.”
The Hornets host Pioneer on Tuesday.
