Boys basketball: Greenfield handles Hopkins Academy in HL South action (PHOTOS)
Published: 01-26-2024 9:48 PM |
GREENFIELD — It was going to be a challenge for the Hopkins Academy boys basketball team on Friday against Greenfield.
The Green Wave, which currently has the top record in the Hampshire League South, were able to get what they wanted offensively, scoring 45 points in the first half before putting 36 points on the board in the third quarter to take an 81-36 lead. Greenfield ultimately walked away with a 94-45 victory at Nichols Gymnasium.
It’s been a tough year for the Golden Hawks (4-9), which lost several key members of their rotation from last year’s Western Mass. Class D runner up squad. A team so accustomed to competing for league and Western Mass. titles, Hopkins coach Jim Hart said he’s staying patient as his young squad learns on the fly.
“I have the patience, which is good," Hart said. "I stick up for them, make them work hard and don't make anything easy. I'm not going to walk through the game and complain. They're going to play through difficult times because that's how you get better."
Starting two freshmen, one sophomore, one junior and one senior is no easy task for a varsity team, and at a school as small as Hopkins, it’s not easy to gain numbers on a year-to-year basis.
James Fitzgibbons led the way with 23 points on Friday, with Owen Earle scoring 10 points. Nate Rickles and Chace Earle each knocked down a 3 in the loss.
"Jimmy was crazy on the post," Hart said. "He just doesn't have much around him. We're trying to get him spots on the floor where we can get him the ball. It's just youth and inexperience. A lot of these guys don't play year round. It's a small school. I expect it."
If the young Golden Hawks players stick around, Hopkins will have plenty of experience under its belt as it looks to get back to competing for championships. Keeping those players around — star freshman point guard Teddy Cyr departed for Deerfield Academy prior to this year — will be the challenge.
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"For a long time Hopkins has been really good," Hart said. "We don't know what else is in the cupboard coming up. We're really limited with numbers and we don't know who will stick around. You're limited to what you can do. This is a big gym, big school. I tried to get them up before this game but it just wasn't there."