Drury Hands Wahconah Its First Loss
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – The Drury boys basketball team Monday knocked off undefeated Wahconah in a 72-62 thriller at home.
It was a special night for the Drury (7-1) boys as the Blue Devils honored Jorge Bond for reaching the 1,000-point milestone, which he surpassed last week by scoring 36 points in Springfield. Bond picked up right where he left off, finishing with 24 points in the win. Senior Connor Hinkell added 17, Shane Faucher chipped in 12, and JJ Prenguber scored nine, all in the fourth quarter.
The game was back and forth from the start, which came as no surprise given the recent form of both teams. Wahconah (7-1) entered undefeated and looking to add another tough road win to its resume. Not much separated the two teams in the first quarter, but the Wahconah defense was sharp early. It was not until late in the quarter that Drury found its rhythm behind Hinkell’s strong presence in the paint. Hinkell scored seven of his points in the opening period, all from inside, keeping Drury within striking distance.
The Blue Devils carried that momentum into the second quarter and finally found their touch from long range. Bond knocked down two 3-pointers, including a buzzer-beater, to give Drury a six-point lead at halftime. Drury held Wahconah to just 10 points in the quarter, helping create the separation.
Wahconah responded in the third behind Jake Wasuk, who erupted for 13 points in the period, including two big 3-pointers, to swing the momentum back in the visitors’ favor. Drury struggled against the zone and committed several costly turnovers. After trailing by six at the half, Wahconah took a three-point lead into the fourth, setting up a dramatic final quarter.
From there, the teams traded runs, each searching for the decisive push. For Drury, it came late. Head coach Jack Racette made the adjustment to a zone defense, and the move paid off.
“Jake Wasuk had some foul trouble in the first half, so we did not have to worry about him as much, but in the second half he was getting to the paint,” Racette said. “We saved the zone and played it the whole fourth quarter because they were struggling to score.”
After a strong finish at the rim by Shane Faucher, Bond went coast to coast for an and-one finish that tied the game at 54 with just over five minutes remaining. The defense then sparked the decisive run. Prenguber came off the bench with a pair of steals at the top of the zone that led to fast-break points. Hinkell added a steal and basket of his own, and Prenguber capped the surge with a three-pointer that stretched the lead to 10.
“Jorge is going to get his, and teams are going to focus on him, which opens things up for others,” Racette said. “Faucher had a huge basket when it was a five or six-point game and attacked the rim with confidence. JJ is our defensive guy, and he works hard at it, and it showed tonight.”
Drury outscored Wahconah 26-13 in the fourth quarter to secure the win.
The Blue Devils will face another challenge on Thursday when they host rival Hoosac Valley. Wahconah will look to bounce back from its first loss of the season when it hosts Monument on Thursday.