Wicks Leads Hoosac Valley Past Lenox
CHESHIRE, Mass. — Adan Wicks scored 37 points in Hoosac Valley’s season opener as the Hurricanes defeated Lenox, 79-41, on Friday night.
It was a slow start offensively for both teams, as neither could find a basket early. Call it jitters or rust, both sides struggled to get the ball inside against the zone, and missed shots piled up. Hoosac Valley eventually came out on top in a low scoring first quarter.
Both teams found their rhythm in the second quarter, especially the Hurricanes, who opened the period on an 8-0 run that included back to back 3-three pointers followed by a steal and finish from Wicks. The difference maker, not only in the quarter but in the game, was Wicks’ shooting from deep. He hit five 3s in the quarter alone, stretching Hoosac Valley’s lead to 16 at halftime.
The Hurricanes held Lenox scoreless for the first three minutes of the quarter and poured in 22 points to break the game wide open.
“We came out slow, like you said, but Adan picked us up and hit huge shot after huge shot, and we started to pull away,” Hoosac Valley head coach Matt Larabee said.
Hoosac Valley went into the break with a 32-16 lead after scoring just 10 points in the first quarter. The second half showed a different side of the Hurricanes, as they made a concerted effort to attack the paint against Lenox’s switch to man-to-man defense. Qwanell Bradley scored five of his 11 points early in the half, helping Hoosac go on another strong run. Sophomore Ben Cachat also played a key role, scoring six tough points inside off offensive rebounds. Craig Field added four of his eight points in similar fashion as Hoosac Valley controlled the glass.
“We are undersized, but we have guys who can go get rebounds,” Larabee said. “Ben Cachat had some really good offensive rebounds and a few put backs. We have to rebound if we are going to be small and play, and everyone did that tonight. I’ve been preaching since day one that we need depth. We have 13 guys, and I need all 13 contributing each and every night.”
The lone bright spot for Lenox came late in the third quarter when it switched to a full court press, forcing Hoosac Valley into turnovers and closing the quarter on a positive note.
In the fourth quarter, Hoosac continued to rely on what built the lead in the first place, strong defense and consistent play inside. The Hurricanes forced easy turnovers that led to breakaways, making it difficult for Lenox to mount any sort of comeback.
This marked Larabee’s first game in charge of Hoosac Valley, and the Hurricanes will look to build on the win when they take on Monument Mountain on Monday night.
Lenox and its new coach, Leonard Miller, will look to shake off the early rust when they face Mount Everett on Monday.