NORTHAMPTON – Silas Coles rose up through a group of Holyoke defenders and flicked the ball through the hoop, putting Northampton within one point.  

Not even 20 seconds later, Coles was at it again. 

This time, he gave the Blue Devils the lead. 

It was all about the second half for ’Hamp on Wednesday night, as it soared back from 15 points down to defeat Holyoke, 60-57. 

“I think we have a really good ability of going on and off,” Northampton senior guard Kelvin Perez said. “And when we're off, we can turn it on like that.” 

From the onset, Holyoke took charge, scoring the game’s first 11 points and jumping out to a 16-4 lead in the first quarter. The Purple Knights remained ahead throughout the first half, coasting to an 11-point advantage at intermission. 

“We were frustrated,” Northampton head coach Rey Harp said. “We just figured if we get down at halftime we’ll figure it out, and that's the mentality of our guys.”

Perez agreed.

“At halftime, we all came together, took a quick breather and then just talked about playing together,” he recalled. 

They came out of halftime on a mission. The Blue Devils scored 19 points in the third quarter, while limiting Holyoke to just seven. They played patiently on the offensive end, creating quality shots and hustling for second-chance points. Their newly-implemented full court press forced Holyoke into careless turnovers, and they contested almost every shot. 

“We try to leave it all out on the court,” Harp said. “We want to play with that type of intensity it takes to win games.”

The confidence had shifted; the Holyoke bench became quiet just as the Northampton bench came alive.

“I was 100 percent certain we were going to win this game,” said Coles. 

Coles, who had a quiet first half, came alive with 11 third-quarter points, showing the ability to score in and around the paint while out-jumping Holyoke defenders for rebounds. 

But, if Northampton (11-5) wanted to hang on, finishing the fourth quarter strong was one last thing that needed to be done as Holyoke was not going away quietly. 

Perez knew his team needed Wednesday’s win and took it into his own hands, just as Coles did in the third.

He scored seven fourth-quarter points, including a deep 3-pointer to give the Blue Devils a 49-47 lead with just under five minutes to go, a shot that once again sent the crowd into a frenzy. 

But not even a minute later, Holyoke’s Jordan King knocked down a huge 3, giving the Knights the lead back for the first time since the third quarter. 

Even though Holyoke stayed in the game down to the final seconds, Northampton's second half surge proved too much to overcome.

It was a win that may have surprised those in attendance, but left Harp and his squad unfazed.  

“We thrive in this type of chaos,” Harp said. “Guys made mistakes and they'd start hanging their heads, but the next minute they'd be in there [making a play].”

The teams get to do it all over again next week, when Holyoke hosts Northampton on Monday at John “Jinx” O'Connor Gymnasium.

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