NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Drury High boys basketball team Wednesday took care of business at home on Senior Night with a 62-50 win over Monument Mountain in the Berkshire Classic.

 

Hayden Bird lead all scorers with 27 points in the battle of Berkshire North and South Division foes.

 

Reece Racette and Scott McGuire chipped in with 12 apiece, and senior Bryce Webb had himself a good offensive night with eight. 

 

For Monument (10-7) David Riegel had 15 and Kevin Troiano finished with eight. 

 

This is the second time these two teams have met this year, both times at Drury (15-2).

 

This time around things went a little different than the last game with the Blue Devils getting the win. Both teams honored their senior players with starting roles in Wednesday’s game, showing appreciation to the players who have dedicated so much to their respective teams over the years.

 

It was a close contest throughout the first quarter with both teams trading baskets. Drury was able to finish the first quarter with a slender 12-11 lead. In the second, Drury’s intensity picked up and due to some great ball movement it was able to widen the gap. The Blue Devils took a double digit lead at the break, 31-21. 

 

In the second half, things started to get a little chippy with both teams trying to lock in on defense. Monument Mountain went on a little run of its own to close the gap, but Drury answered right back. The Blue Devils forced Monument out of their zone and were able to get some open looks. 

 

“We pulled them out of their zone and we got them in their man to man. Got some easy looks for Bird. We played pretty good defense, but if we keep teams in the 50s  without scoring power we are going to be OK,” Drury coach Jack Racette said. 

 

The fourth quarter is where Monument really started to make its imprint on the game. The Spartans were able to string a few baskets together early in the quarter and cut the deficit to five with less than three minutes left to go. On Drury’s ensuing possession, senior Bird was able to knock down a big 3-pointer with the shot clock running down to widen the gap to eight. From there, the Blue Devils’ stifling defense, led by Connor Meehan, was able to close the game out and give Drury its 15th win of the season.  

 

Both of these teams have clinched playoff berths and will look to improve their Western Mass tournament seeds with only a few games remaining in the season. Drury hosts rival Hoosac Valley on Friday, while Monument Mountain goes to Pittsfield to take on St. Joe.