South Hadley streaking into marquee matchup

For the second time this season, the South Hadley boys basketball team will meet Monument Mountain – one of two remaining unbeatens in all of western Massachusetts (Duggan Academy being the other). The two teams will tango on Friday night, with the Tigers looking to avenge their 83-50 blowout loss to the Spartans one month ago.

South Hadley has played like a different team since then. The loss fueled a four-game winning streak, the Tigers having outscored their opponents by an average of 19 points per game during that stretch.

Heading into Friday, South Hadley (6-2) is playing its best basketball of the season. Junior Jack Loughrey is coming off a 25-point performance against Frontier a week ago, and sophomore Isiah James has emerged as the team’s second-leading scorer – putting up double digits in four of his last five outings. Loughrey is averaging 25.5 points per game during the winning streak, and James has knocked down multiple 3s in every game this season.

But it doesn’t stop there. Forward Brady Currier and point guard Noah Hambley are both capable and willing scorers when called upon, and the Tigers have several strong role players off the bench to help bolster their rotation.

Just as it did the first time around, South Hadley is going to have its hands full with Monument Mountain (10-0) forward Khalil Carlson. The senior dropped 30 on the Tigers back on Dec. 18, and has scored 25 or more points and converted at least 10 field goals in each of the Spartans’ last five games. Carlson surpassed 1,000 points earlier this season, and Currier is certainly going to have his hands full down low.

The scoring matchup between Loughrey and Carlson should be an entertaining one, with Loughrey eyeing revenge for his season-low six points the last time these two teams met.

Orioles finding a groove at midway point

After starting the season 1-3, the Belchertown girls basketball team has won three of its last four games to bring its record to an even 4-4.

The Orioles’ first three losses were by 19 points to Pope Francis, 26 points to Agawam, and 20 points to Minnechaug. When Belchertown hosted Pope Francis the second time around, it only lost by 13 in a hard-fought game that saw the Orioles outscore the Cardinals in the first and fourth quarters. If it weren’t for a 16-2 run in the second frame, Belchertown was right in the mix against perhaps the best team in the Central League.

Belchertown defeated Southwick, Monument Mountain, and Mount Greylock twice to get its four victories. Junior Chloe LaRoche netted 18 points in both meetings with the Mounties, and is the Orioles’ leading scorer on the year. Senior Laura Cote and freshman Morghan Litz are also talented offensive players, and combined for 22 points in the most recent win over Mount Greylock on Jan. 12.

Agawam rolls into Belchertown on Thursday night for the teams’ second game of the season. If the Orioles continue to play with the same grit and determination they have over the past two weeks, they have the potential to make up for the earlier loss to the Brownies – or at least keep it much closer.

Falcons, Raiders chasing Athol in Hampshire League North

Smith Academy (4-5) and Hampshire (5-4) sit in the middle of the pack of the Hampshire League North as the regular season kicks into full gear now a few weeks into the new year.

Athol stands alone at the top with an 8-1 record, having already beaten the Falcons and Raiders once this season. The two squads have plenty of winnable contests remaining, and they will both get the Bears again down the road.

Smith Academy is led by senior Greg Stone and junior Garret Willard, while Hampshire is paced by senior Adam Golasinski and sophomore Braylon Jarrett. The Falcons beat the Raiders 46-42 last week, and they play again on Feb. 6. That game potentially could have huge implications.

Athol has a handful of tough games still to play, including a stretch of four of five games coming on the road starting on Jan. 23.

If Smith Academy and Hampshire can find a way to beat Athol the next time they meet, the Hampshire League North could very well be a three-team race come February.

Easthampton boys, Hopkins girls going through growing pains

It’s been a rocky first half of the season for both the Easthampton boys (1-8) and Hopkins Academy girls (0-7) basketball teams. Both the Eagles and the Golden Hawks have an abundance of young, inexperienced players, and very few veterans.

Easthampton has just two seniors, and five of its six leading scorers are either a junior or younger. Trevor Canon-Smith (junior) leads the Eagles with 147 points this year, including four games of 20 points or more. Their lone win came against Baystate Academy on Jan. 4, a 63-43 win in which six players scored at least eight points in the win.

Junior Brayden English, senior Noah Murray, and the sophomore trio of Logan Boyle, Jayden Brown, and Ryan Guyette have all shown promising signs as well. The Eagles have a lot to look forward to in the coming years.

As for Hopkins, its roster consists of three seniors, one junior, one sophomore, two freshmen, and six eighth graders. The Golden Hawks are led by senior Cassidi Mushenski, but then there is a drop off in production from the upperclassmen. In high school sports, usually teams with the most seniors/players with lots of experience tend to be most successful. Hopkins is set at a disadvantage with so many youngsters.

But the Hawks have made the most of it. Juliana Eichenlaub and Laney Crutch are two eighth graders with strong skill sets, and junior Maggie Potter and sophomore Chloe Kosciusko also contribute at a high level. As this group gets older and continues to develop chemistry, the future could be very bright for Hopkins.