Tanley Drake Leads Mounties Past Thunder
PITTSFIELD, Mass. – Tanley Drake scored 27 points Tuesday to lead the Mount Greylock girls basketball team to a 75-53 win over Taconic.
Naelyn Robinson had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Madison Powell scored 12 points as the Mounties moved back over .500.
Mount Greylock took the lead early thanks to its defense, which forced 13 Taconic turnovers in the first quarter.
That was enough to overcome a couple of first-quarter 3-pointers from the Thunder’s Kiannah Josephs (16 points) and give the visitors a six-point edge going to the second.
A 14-5 Mount Greylock run opened a 28-13 lead after back-to-back 3-pointers from Powell and A.J. Pelkey made it 28-13.
“We actually shot the 3 ball a little better than we have all year,” Mount Greylock coach
Jabari Powell said after his team made eight shots from beyond the arc. “A bunch of people actually saw the ball go in, which is fantastic.
“I had a couple of girls take some shots who don’t usually shoot, which is fantastic. I’ve been trying to get that to happen all year, and they finally shot and saw it go in, which is the most important thing.”
Pelkey’s second triple of the night ignited a 14-2 run that started the second half and effectively put the game out of reach.
Mount Greylock started the half with a solid 36-19 lead.
Three straight transition baskets by Drake and Robinson off Taconic turnovers capped the third-quarter opening run with the Mounties on top, 50-21.
“I think we play the best when we get turnovers and start running,” Jabari Powell said. “Girls see the ball go in the hoop. We have a young team, so sometimes if that ball’s not going int the hoop right away, it’s a little tough for them.
“But if they see those balls going in the hoop on the transition, it starts to build their confidence, and then they start to go.”
Taconic started to see some more shots fall in the fourth quarter, when it outscored the Mounties, 21-16, after the game was out of reach.
Evellyn Croce, who scored a team-high 19 points, scored 11 down the stretch, when Taconic started creating some scoring opportunities with its pressure defense.
Against a Mount Greylock lineup largely consisting of reserves, the Thunder forced 12 fourth-quarter turnovers – seven with the press.
“I’m extremely happy with the effort in the fourth quarter,” Taconic coach Jason Conuel said. “I just came to a point and said, ‘You know what? I’m not going to sub. I’m going to leave you in, and we’re going to kind of find out who we’re going to be.’
“So, we saw we can apply a lot of pressure when we want to do it. But there’s a lot to work on, and we’re very young, and, you know, it shows.”
Taconic (1-6) hosts Pioneer Valley Christian on Thursday.
Mount Greylock (4-3) hosts Easthampton on Thursday.