'A dream come true' for Amherst seniors
1
SPRINGFIELD - Seniors Alyssa Leonard and Jenna Klaes vaguely remember attending Amherst Regional girls basketball games as 8th graders.
The Hurricanes, who went 1-19 that year, didn't leave much of an impression on the youngsters. But since reaching high school Klaes and Leonard have certainly left their impression on Amherst.
The pair guided the Hurricanes to a 46-25 victory over Pittsfield in the Western Massachusetts Division 1 Tournament semifinal round at American International College Wednesday.
Top-seeded Amherst (21-0) will face No. 3 East Longmeadow (17-4) for the championship at 5:45 p.m. Saturday at the Curry Hicks Cage in Amherst.
"It's a dream come true," Klaes said of reaching the finals. "This has been our goal since before high school."
It's Amherst first trip to the final since 2000, when it lost to Minnechaug. In the years since the success faded and in 2006 the team finished 1-19.
"We wanted to come in and make an impact," Klaes said. "We were never intimidated."
Klaes and Leonard were the only two freshmen to make varsity in 2006-07 and it was fitting. The pair had played together for the previous five years in youth basketball.
"It's a perfect way to go out," said Leonard of the final. "Nine seasons with her ... this is something we want. This is something we know we want to go out together with and we know it's going to take senior leadership out on the court and we're ready to work. We have the best eight teammates behind us and everyone wants the same thing. The 10 of us want the championship."
First-year coach Christal Murphy also joined the program that season. Murphy was a standout on that Minnechaug team in 2000, which finished 25-0 and as state champions.
"She's done wonders for the program," Leonard said. "Every day she's looking for ways for us to improve. She's a great coach and a great motivator."
Together Amherst rebounded, went 14-6 and won a first-round tournament game against Taconic in 2007. The Hurricanes then fell to Northampton in the quarterfinal round. More success came the following two years. Klaes and Leonard went 12-8 as sophomores but lost to the Blue Devils again in the quarterfinal round.
Last season they battled injuries en route to a 10-10 mark. Amherst, however, beat West Springfield in the first round of the playoffs and then lost to Minnechaug in the quarters.
"I remember freshmen year we did a set of scrimmages and we lost all the scrimmages," Murphy said.
"The next year you saw more improvement. The third year, started winning. You started to see growth. They took it in and worked hard."
The Hurricanes weren't about to lose to Pittsfield on Wednesday. Leonard (six rebounds, two steals) had 15 points against the Generals, scoring the first six points of the game and last four points of the half as Amherst struggled offensively.
In the third quarter Klaes (four steals) had two 3-pointers to key a 7-0 run which gave Amherst a 32-15 lead entering the fourth.
"They run the team," Murphy said. "Jenna's our floor general and Alyssa's the spark that sets the tone."
It hasn't been all Klaes and Leonard. Juniors Mariah Lesure (14 points, 14 rebounds, three blocks) and Nicole DeMarchena (five points, seven rebounds, three blocks) contributed to the win Wednesday while the remaining players have been instrumental in the undefeated season.
"We all know how to play together," Leonard said. "We have a lot of siblings on the team and we're all great friends. It's about team chemistry at this point and who wants it. Who's going to work the hardest and like we've been saying all year, all we need is the 10 of us and good things will happen."
Mike Moran can be reached at mmoran@gazettenet.com. For more coverage, including a high school sports blog, go to www.gazettenet.com/hs-sports.
