Local Roundup: Frontier boys, girls basketball earn wins over Easthampton at PV Tip-Off

By THOMAS JOHNSTON

Staff Writer

Published: 12-15-2024 3:22 PM

AMHERST — It was a big Franklin League North showdown to open the final day of the Pioneer Valley Tip-Off at the Mullins Center on Sunday. 

The Frontier and Easthampton girls basketball teams entered the season with eyes on winning the Franklin League North, making Sunday’s first game between the two foes all the more meaningful. 

Frontier built a 28-17 lead at the half before outscoring the Eagles 24-9 in the third, allowing the Redhawks to pull away with a 56-39 victory. 

Playing in a large gym like the Mullins Center took some adjusting to, seeing as it’s a much larger venue than the high school gyms in the area. 

“At home we have the student section and all the parents,” Frontier senior Olivia Machon said. “The lighting is different, the floor is different. Here it’s like you’re on a stage plus it’s in the morning so you don’t have your routine. It was weird but I think we did well for what we had.” 

After scoring 11 points in the first quarter, Frontier put up 17 in the second and 24 in the third, showing its offensive potential. 

“A lot of us were nervous but once we got out there and got in our groove, we found it,” Redhawk senior Claire Kirkendall said. “We played as a team.” 

“It was intimidating stepping out on the court at first,” Frontier’s Addsion Harrington said. “It’s like a stage. Everyone is watching you.” 

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Frontier’s Claire Kirkendall opened the game with a 3-pointer before Skyler Steele, Jazzy Hayes and Addie Harrington scored off turnovers, helping the Redhawks build a 9-1 lead. 

Points from Grace Pappedellis, Samone Young and Nola Roos helped the Eagles cut into the lead, though Easthampton trailed 11-6 after eight minutes. 

“We did some things that we were happy with,” Eagle coach Brian Miller said. “We did execute some things and got good looks but if you miss layups, you miss layups. There’s not much you can do about that. We felt like at the end of the first quarter we had enough opportunities where we could have been up but we’re down 10 because we missed easy layups. 

“That’s going to happen,” Miller added. “We’ll learn from it. It was a good first game for us.” 

It was the 3-point shot that allowed Frontier to balloon its lead in the second quarter. Kirkendall and Steele opened the frame with 3’s before Olivia Machon made a pair from behind the arc, the second allowing the Redhawks to take a 28-14 lead. 

Easthampton’s Kyleigh Dorman swished a 3 at the halftime buzzer, cutting the deficit to 28-17 at the intermission. 

The Frontier defense stepped up in the third quarter to expand its lead while Harrington swished a 3 that helped the Redhawks build a 35-22 lead. Kirkendall hit a pair of 3’s to close out the quarter before Frontier put the game away in the fourth. 

Steele and Kirkendall both finished with 13 points, Harrington scored 11 points, Jazzy Hayes scored nine points while Machon had six points for the Redhawks. 

Christine Raymond led the Eagles with 12 points, Young scored 11 points and Dorman added six points for Easthampton. 

Next up for the Redhawks is a trip to Greenfield to face the Wave on Tuesday while the Eagles will head to Granby to take on the Rams on Tuesday. 

Boys basketball

Frontier 60, Easthampton 58 — The second PV Tip-Off game on Sunday also featured the Redhawks and the Eagles, with the Easthampton boys taking Frontier to the wire. 

The Redhawks led 55-49 midway through the final frame but the Eagles didn’t go away, with Easthampton’s Jasper Alvarez making a pair of free throws with 40 seconds to go that cut the Frontier lead to 60-58. 

The Redhawks failed to convert on the other end but turned the Eagles over in the final seconds to hold on for a 60-58 triumph at the Mullins Center. 

“We knew we’d win or lose this game on the defensive end,” Frontier coach Josh Morse said, “and we did with that turnover at the end. I thought our defensive effort was great.” 

Leading 45-41 going into the fourth, the Redhawks opened the final frame on a 6-0 run behind a basket from Austin D’Urso, a 3-pointer from Diego Frazier and a free throw from Ty Skroski.

 After an injury to an Easthampton player halted the game with six minutes to go, the Eagles locked in. Anthony Incampo got to the rim for a trio of baskets that cut the lead to 52-47 and with under three minutes to play, Logan Boyle converted an and-one and Patrick Larson scored a basket that cut the Redhawk lead to 55-54. 

Garrett Dredge swished a critical 3 for Frontier to go ahead 58-54 before a Boyle basket for the Eagles. Max Millette made a pair from the line that gave Frontier a 60-56 lead with under two minutes to play. 

“During the final five, six minutes, we did everything we could for our friend just like we did for our two players who tore their ACL’s before the year,” Easthampton coach Nick Whitney said. “I’m proud of the fight. They didn’t give up. It would have been easy to give up seeing a friend down like that. I’m proud of the group.” 

Max Millette got Frontier out to a good start, scoring nine points in the opening eight minutes though a Larson 3 gave the Eagles a 19-17 lead after one. 

Both teams traded baskets throughout the second quarter before Redhawk Ian Paciorek nailed a 3 and Skroski tacked on a late bucket to give Frontier a 32-30 lead at the half. 

Easthampton did its work from the line in the third, knocking down six free throws but a free throw and a basket late in the quarter from Millette gave Frontier a 45-41 lead going into the fourth. 

Millette finished with a game-high 28 points, Dredge and Rowan Modestow both scored eight points while Alex Ellis tossed in five points for Frontier. Morse noted he was pleased with how his team adapted to playing in the new environment. 

“You’re playing on a big court and a spacious environment,” Morse said. “It’s a much different environment because your perception of the basket is much different than it is in a high school gym. You just have to trust your form and technique. We knew that going in.” 

Boyle led the way with 15 points, Alvarez tallied nine points while Larson and Incampo both scored eight points for Easthampton. 

“I think we played better in spurts,” Whitney said. “We did this culture workshop where we talked about bench energy and making it as loud as possible and feel positively through the ranks whether you played 30 minutes or are on the bench cheering guys on. In spurts we were good at it.” 

Hockey

Greenfield 5, Southwick 1 — Tied 1-1 at the end of the first period, the Green Wave dominated the final two periods on Saturday in Southwick. 

Greenfield tallied twice in the second period and closed things out with a pair of goals in the third to run away with a 5-1 victory in its season opener. 

Matt Garvin scored a pair of goals and added two assists while defenseman Jack Laurie also found the back of the net twice while dishing an assist. 

Freshman Chase Zraunig rounded out the scoring and Jake Jurek dished a pair of assists in the win. 

Youth hockey

FCHA 10U 9, Yellow Jackets 0 — Jacoby Houle scored three goals and dished two assists while Samuel Edson had three goals and one assists in FCHA’s victory Saturday. 

Nicholas Brisson had a goal and an assist, Harper Coffin and Emerson Snow each had a goal while Finnegan Connelly dished an assist in the win.