Defensive effort spurs victory by South Hadley girls basketball over Hampshire
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SOUTH HADLEY - After losing by 17 points at Mahar on Friday, the South Hadley girls basketball team spent the weekend stewing over the loss and vowing to play better in its second game of the season.
The Tigers did just that Monday with a strong defensive effort and transition game in a 53-40 victory over Hampshire Regional at home.
"After seeing how bad we did on Friday, we just really wanted to get this win," said junior center Megan Lynes, whose squad fell 55-38 in Orange. "We just worked our hardest."
South Hadley forced 28 turnovers and turned many of them into fast break baskets en route to its first win over the Raiders (0-1) since a 51-47 victory in Westhampton on Dec. 17, 2007.
"Anybody that was in the building tonight knew our transition defense was atrocious," Hampshire coach Rich Moussette said. "That's my first line of corrections. I think offensively we were a little scattered, but that's expected (in the first game of the season). My biggest concern is our defense. I thought we'd be a lot better."
Kara Callahan finished with a game-high 15 points to go with four rebounds, four assists and four steals. Lynes added 12 points and eight rebounds.
"We were more excited and more intense because we knew we needed to get a win," said Callahan, who made two 3-pointers on the night. "It was really good to see us (respond) like that."
The improvement came in multiple parts, according to South Hadley coach Paul Dubuc.
The Tigers made their shots, which allowed them to set up their defense, which forced all those turnovers. Those turnovers led to easy baskets, which led to South Hadley making more of them.
"We made more layups, which allowed us to get into our defense," Dubuc said. "That and we took much better care of the basketball."
The Tigers also did their best to negate Hampshire's significant size advantage, which was also assisted by early foul trouble for Raiders senior center Kayla Burgielewicz.
"Any time you get your starting center is any kind of foul trouble, it makes for a long, arduous night," Moussette said. "You are constantly having to be careful the rest of the game and it changes what you can do."
Burgielewicz picked up her second foul with 5 minutes, 10 seconds left in the first quarter. She sat until the second quarter, where she gave her third foul with 6:29 left in the frame and again headed to the bench.
She played much of the second half, but remained less aggressive in order to stay on the floor. Burgielewicz finished the night with eight points and six rebounds.
Playing against Hampshire's size "was just boxing out and getting them out of there," Lynes said. "You really have to push and try your hardest. If you don't, you aren't going to get it. They are fighting for everything and you can't let them push you around."
Late in the second quarter, Hampshire cut an eight-point deficit to 16-12 when it sandwiched a Laura Whiteley put back and a pair of Bri Weltlich free throws around one Kelly Pouliot make from the line.
But Callahan buried her first 3-pointer of the night from the right wing with five seconds left. The Tigers forced a turnover on the ensuing inbound play and Tess Gauthier (seven points) added a free throw with 2.2 seconds remaining to push the lead back to nine at halftime.
The Tigers "played very well," Moussette said. "They were aggressive. They attacked us. They transitioned out (on fast breaks) very well."
Hampshire got the deficit back to seven early in the third behind baskets from junior forward Sarah Kober and Burgielewicz. But 3-pointers from Callahan and Gauthier pushed it back to double digits, and the Raiders never got over the hump.
Kober led Hampshire with 11 points, 18 rebounds and six steals. Taylor Abbott had 11 rebounds and two points.
The result marked the Raiders' first loss in a season opener since it fell to then-Division 1 power Central on Dec. 19, 2005. That squad fell in four of its first nine games and then didn't lose again until the state D-2 finals.
Jim Pignatiello can be reached at jpignatiello@gazettenet.com.
