Garvey, Steinman Lead PHS Girls to Western Mass Crown

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires.com Sports
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AMHERST, Mass. -- Pittsfield High sophomore Lexi Garvey has shown flashes of brilliance all season long.
 
But nothing like what she did on Saturday afternoon on the biggest stage in Western Mass.
 
The PHS sophomore scored 25 points and grabbed nine rebounds to help lead the Generals to a 69-44 win over Belchertown and the Western Massachusetts Division 2 Championship at Curry Hicks Cage.
 
Earlier this winter after a good -- but not great -- night for the sophomore forward, Pittsfield coach Joe Racicot said she was, "coming along."
 
And Saturday?
 
"I think she got here, today, yeah," Racicot said. "She caught the train, got off the bus at the right time. Slept well, I guess. Yeah, she was hot as a firecracker tonight."
 
Senior Peyton Steinman, the Generals' all-time leading scorer backed up Garvey with 23 points as Pittsfield earned the program's first sectional title since 2002.
 
On Monday evening, Pittsfield (16-7) will face the Central Mass D2 champion at the DCU Center in Worcester in the state semi-finals.
 
On Saturday at the Cage, Steinman scored just five points in the first half, but the Generals took a 27-16 lead into the locker room thanks largely to the 11 scored by Garvey.
 
"Bella Aitken got in early foul trouble, and she usually makes up some of the differnce," Racicot said. "If we can get these three going at the same time, we've got something working."
 
Garvey and Steinman were playing off one another in the second half.
 
The senior St. Anselm-bound Steinman scored 10 points in the third quarter to help Pittsfield stretch its lead to 49-28.
 
Pittsfield used a 12-2 run early in the third quarter to break the game wide open.
 
It started with a baseline jumper from Garvey to make it 29-19 and included a Natasha Shade 3-pointer with help from Tea Bramer. Bramer then closed the run with a steal to start a fast break that ended with her at the foul line, where she sank both shots to give the Generals an 18-point lead, 39-21.
 
In the fourth, Garvey put back an offensive rebound and hit a 3-pointer on back-to-back trips to push the lead to 63-36 with three minutes left, signalling both coaches to start clearing their benches.
 
Racicot said he knew the sophomore had this kind of game in her.
 
"In practice, [Garvey] shoots really well," he said. "But during the season she's been getting in a lot of early foul trouble. There was one game at Hoosac Valley when she played six minutes. That wasn't my choice. That was her's. The thing is she's a basketball player. She hurt her knee playing basketball going to the hoop hard.
 
"This is looking good for things to come."
 
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