Drury Tops Hoosac Valley to Claim League Crown
CHESHIRE, Mass. — The Drury boys basketball team (15-2) withstood a physical, back-and-forth battle before pulling away late for a 65-56 win over Hoosac Valley in a hard-fought contest.
Jorge Bond led all scorers with 32 points, while senior Connor Hinkell added 20 in a balanced effort for the Blue Devils.
With the win, Drury, the top-ranked team in the commonwealth in Division 5, secured a Berkshire County League title. The Blue Devils went into the last night of league play tied with Pittsfield, which dropped a 60-47 decision to Taconic.
In Cheshire, homestanding Hoosac Valley (9-8) set the tone early, jumping out to a 4-0 lead and igniting the crowd with a charge taken in the opening minutes. Drury answered quickly when Bond drove and kicked to Brayden Durant for a corner 3, the Blue Devils’ first points of the night. Hinkell followed with an acrobatic and-one, part of a 9-0 Drury run that flipped the momentum and gave the visitors an early lead.
Hoosac Valley closed the opening quarter strong, knocking down back-to-back 3-pointers from Adan Wicks and Qwanell Bradley just before the buzzer to reclaim the lead. After one, Hoosac held a slim 12-11 advantage.
“We knew on the road we had to grind it out,” Drury coach Jack Racette said. “We made plays when we had to, and I thought we dug in defensively for the most part, but they annihilated us on the boards. When we rebounded, we were able to get out in the open court, and that helped us down the stretch.”
Drury began to push the pace in the second quarter, with Bond drilling consecutive 3-pointers to give the Blue Devils a five-point cushion at 17-12. Hoosac Valley stayed within striking distance by continuing to battle on the offensive glass. The difference came from Hinkell, who relentlessly attacked the rim and added another and-one to make it 20-15.
The quarter turned into a defensive grind, with both teams trading mini runs. Bond went down briefly with an eye injury midway through the quarter, but Drury held steady, and got to halftime tied, 24-24.
Hinkell picked up right where he left off to open the third quarter, scoring on a well-designed out-of-bounds play for his third and-one of the night. His aggressive drives continued to give Hoosac Valley problems.
“Connor Hinkell had a huge game. That’s senior leadership right there,” Racette said. “I think we showed tonight we can win in different ways. We hung around and did what we had to do on the road. Jorge took a pretty good shot to the eye, but he toughed it out, and it was just a good win away from home.”
Hoosac Valley responded with an and-one from Bradley, followed by a layup from Blake Mazzeo and a full-court connection from Mazzeo to Bradley, pushing the hosts back in front, 31-29.
Jorge Bond quickly swung the momentum back, knocking down a 3 and then finishing through contact for another and-one. A technical foul was later called on Qwanell Bradley, his third foul of the night, allowed Drury to stretch the lead to 37-32. Hoosac Valley answered immediately, with Bradley converting another and-one to tie the game at 37-37.
The physical play intensified late in the quarter as Shane Faucher picked up his fourth foul, while Hoosac Valley continued to control the glass. Drury took a narrow 42-39 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Blue Devils leaned heavily on Hinkell inside to open the final frame, while Hoosac Valley stayed close behind with a big offensive rebound and putback from Terrell Johnson. With the game still in the balance, Bond took over. He buried a walk-up 3 and followed with a strong drive to the basket, extending Drury’s lead to 53-45 with under three minutes remaining.
The turning point came shortly after, when Hoosac Valley committed a foul in transition followed by a technical, sending Drury to the line for four free throws and pushing the lead to its largest margin of the night at 56-45. JJ Prenguber added the exclamation point with a 3-pointer with 1:42 left to seal the victory.
Drury will host Pioneer Valley on Senior Night in its final game of the regular season.
It was a tough week for Hoosac Valley, which dropped back-to-back close games at home. The Hurricanes will look to regroup and close the regular season on a high note when they face Veritas Prep Charter.