Trailblazers Rally, Beats Bridgewater, 67-64

By Jeffrey PuleriMCLA Sports Info
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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts Trailblazers rallied from a double-digit second-half deficit and then held off the Bridgewater State Bears, earning a hard fought 67-64 win. The game marked the regular-season finale for both teams heading into the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament.

The Trailblazers (13-12, 9-3) will be the second seed and earn a first-round bye in the tournament.  BSU (11-13, 5-7) will be the fourth seed.
 
After the Bears held a slim four-point lead at the break, MCLA promptly tied the game at 29 out of the locker room.  The Bears then went on a 12-0 run to snag their largest lead of the night at 41-29. Shawn Yard and Michael Lofton each spurred the run with five points each. MCLA battled back though.
 
With the Bears up 43-34, MCLA then went on a game-changing 17-4 spurt to grab a 51-47 lead with 8:08 remaining. Kenny Suggs and Paul Maurice collected 11 points in the run to give MCLA their first
lead since early in the opening half. Bridgewater stayed close though, eventually pulling to within a point with under two minutes to play.
 
Four straight points from Bilal Shabazz put MCLA up 65-60 with just 30 seconds left in the game. A Lofton tip-in pulled the Bears within two, but Shabazz once again drained a pair of free throws to stretch back out to a five-point cushion.
 
For MCLA, Shabazz finished with a team-high 17 points. Maurice chipped in with 15 points, 12 of which came in the second half. 
 
Prior to the contest, MCLA honored seniors Richard Johnson, Shabazz and Vernon Cross, who played their final home game.
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Clarksburg Sees Race for Select Board Seat

CLARKSBURG, Mass. — The town will see a three-way race for a seat on the Select Board in May. 
 
Colton Andrews, Seth Alexander and Bryana Malloy returned papers by Wednesday's deadline to run for the three-year term vacated by Jeffrey Levanos. 
 
Andrews ran unsuccessfully for School Committee and is former chairman of the North Adams Housing Authority, on which he was a union representative. He is also president of the Pioneer Valley Building Trades Council.
 
Malloy and Alexander are both newcomers to campaigning. Malloy is manager of industrial relations for the Berkshire Workforce Board and Alexander is a resident of Gates Avenue. 
 
Alexander also returned papers for several other offices, including School Committee, moderator, library trustee and the five-year seat on the Planning Board. He took out papers for War Memorial trustee and tree warden but did not return them and withdrew a run for Board of Health. 
 
He will face off in the three-year School Committee seat against incumbent Cynthia Brule, who is running for her third term, and fellow newcomer Bonnie Cunningham for library trustee. 
 
Incumbent Ronald Boucher took out papers for a one-year term as moderator but did not return them. He was appointed by affirmation in 2021 when no won ran and accepted the post again last year as a write-in.
 
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