NORTHAMPTON – Kyle Dale cracked a window into the lane with a jab step. His Hampshire Regional boys basketball team trailed Smith Vocational by two with less than a minute to in the Vikings gym Saturday.

The Raiders had lost their first seven games of the season, three of them by just two points. That wasn’t going to change being passive. 

“I took it. I knew I had to be aggressive,” Dale said.

He finished through contact to tie the game then sank a free throw to put the Raiders up a point with 52.3 seconds left. That was the last field goal of their 68-66 victory over the Vikings, both their first of the season and the first of coach Dylan Rickles career.

“It meant everything. He’s a great coach and he shows us he loves us,” Dale said. “We love him, trust him back. We had to get this one for him.”

Dale finished with 23 points, 19 in the second half as Hampshire (1-7) rallied from a double-digit deficit. He put up at least 20 for the fifth time this season and rebounded after scoring just five in the previous game at Ware.

“He’s being guarded really, really tough now. For him to have the game that he had against Ware and then respond in a really big moment shows a lot about who he is as a person and his character and his commitment to excellence,” Rickles said. “I’ve seen him grow since his freshman year, and this was really important for us and for him to carry us like that.”

The teams exchanged shots and the lead for the entire first half. No one led by more than Hampshire’s five at the 2 minute, 16 second mark of the second quarter 30-25. But the Vikings (4-4) ended the half on an 8-0 run. Marshall Ingram (18 points) hit a 3 to re-establish the Vikings lead 31-30 with 40 seconds to halftime, then David Collazo (14 points) sank a buzzer beater after a steal to give Smith Vocational a 33-30 halftime advantage.

Hampshire’s Aidan Hocking nailed a 3 out of halftime to knot them again.

The Vikings ripped off a 13-1 after Adam Golasinski put the Raiders ahead 37-36. Smith Vocational’s 50-37 advantage was the largest of the game, but Hampshire chipped away.

“They just started out hustling us. We had to re group. we weren’t going to let them out work us (Friday),” Dale said. “We needed that win, and we needed it bad. We just made sure we came out with more intensity than them, and we got it back.”

Dale banked in a 3 at the third quarter buzzer to shave Hampshire’s deficit to 4, and he gave the Raiders their first lead since the first quarter with his jab step layup. There was still 52.3 seconds of drama left for the packed house filled with fans from both teams.

“That's a the best environment to play in, intense games,” Dale said. “That's why we play.”

Braylon Jarrett (16 points) made another free throw to give the Raiders a three-point advantage with 40 seconds on the clock. 

The Vikings clawed back to within a point after a steal that Jayon Black (14) converted to a layup that made it 67-66 with 15 seconds to go. Smith Vocational went for a steal but didn’t get it and committed an intentional foul with 2.9 seconds left that gave Hampshire two free throws and the ball.

The Raiders missed one of the intentional free throws, and another pair once the Vikings fouled them off the inbound, giving Smith Vocational a prayer down 68-66 with 1.9 seconds left.

Smith Vocational executed a give and go from out of bounds, but the clock started before someone in bounds touched the ball, rushing any chance the Vikings had at a last shot that fell off the mark.

“The experience they had those first three games losing by two points, I think they just weren’t going let it happen again. I’m so proud of the effort and the calm you know,” Rickles said. “A lot of times, I just tell them to breathe on the sidelines, we're getting close. They just needed that reminder to take a deep breath and enjoy the moment.”

Hampshire has been practicing reading and reacting to situations rather than strictly following set plays. That paid off at the end, especially since the Raiders didn’t practice Thursday. They attended the wake of Maddie Schmidt, an 8-year old from Southampton who passed away in late December after a 10-month battle with cancer.

“This was an emotional week. It wasn't about the win for me, it was about our community. A couple of our teammates have a tremendous loss, and the families have really responded,” Rickles said. “We’re very thankful to be involved in them and supporting them. This is not about us. It's not about me, it's about our community. This was really a win for Maddie.”

Kyle Grabowski can be reached at kgrabowski@gazettenet.com. Follow him on Twitter @kylegrbwsk.]]>