Mount Everett Claims Tourney Title

TURNERS FALLS, Mass. -- Trevor Leonard scored 16 points, and the Mount Everett boys basketball team used a 23-0 first half run to build an insurmountable lead en route to a 63-33 win over the hosts in the championship game of the Franklin Tech Holiday Tournament on Friday.

 

Darius Taliaferro scored 13 to go with his 19 from the opener on Thursday to earn tournament MVP honors.

 

The dangerous point guard was complemented by Brady Carpenter in the post. After going for 12 and 17 on Thurday against Hopkins, Carpenter scored nine and grabbed eight rebounds while blocking a shot as the Egles improved to 2-0.

 

"Our 1 and our 5 guy, Darius and Brady, those are going to be the big two for us on both ends of the floor if they can stay health," Mount Everett coach Jowe Warren said. "Brady got hurt last night, but he fought through it today. He's limping around out there.

 

"They're both putting in a lot of effort, and we're going to need those two all year."

 

Carpenter scored in the post late in the first quarter to give Mount Everett an 11-10 lead it never relinquished.

 

Taliaferro ended the first quarter by putting back an offensive rebound to make it 18-10.

 

And the visitors scored the first 14 points of the second quarter to stretch that margin to 22 points when Guthrie Davis (eight points) scored in transition.

 

It was a 36-16 lead at half-time, and Mount Everett erased all doubt with a 10-2 third quarter followed by a 15-0 run that started early in the fourth to make it 63-25 on a Taliaferro transition bucket.

 

Leonard's 16 points were good enough to put him on the all-tournament team. Hayden Pothul drained three fourth-quarter 3-pointers on his way to a 12-point night.

 

Warren has happy with the way his team performed in the back-to-back -- after a little hiccup in the opener.

 

"The first quarter last night was a little rough, but after those eight minutes, we were OK," he said. "We're kind of a new team in a way, where we had so many seniors leave last year.

 

"We're trying to figure out who we are, what our identity is on offense and defense. And I think we're starting to figure out a couple of things."

 

Mount Everett will look to stay unbeaten on Monday when it hosts Lenox.

 

Photos from this game to come.