Longmeadow Girls Top Pittsfield in Western Mass Final

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires.com Sports
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AAMHERST, Mass. -- Kayla Mokwuah scored eight second-half points and grabbed 15 rebounds to lead the Longmeadow girls basketball team to a 49-38 win over Pittsfield on Saturday in the Western Massachusetts Division 2 championship game at Curry Hicks Cage.
 
Although she came on a little bit in the second half, the 6-foot-3 super sophomore fell far short of the 24 points and 26 rebounds she had when Pittsfield played Longmeadow in the HoopHall Classic back in January.
 
This time around, she finished with just 10 points.
 
"We shot very poorly today, and we were still in the game. You can't argue with that," Pittsfield coach Joe Racicot said.
 
"We did exactly what we wanted to do with the big girl, got her a little frustrated. We had a lot of great chances. We just didn't take advantage of them."
 
Racicot had Britney Perkett and Toni Satrape fronting Mokuah and Allie Hunt providing help from the back side.
 
And for 16 minutes, the strategy was working out perfectly.
 
Top-seeded Longmeadow (21-1) broke open a close game with a 16-4 run in the third quarter.
 
Mokwuah got it started with a bucket in the post and later added a putback and a free throw in the run.
 
Katherine Fydenkevez scored 12 points and grabbed five rebounds for Longmeadow, which moves on to Monday's state semi-final against Notre Dame Academy-Worcester at the DCU Center.
 
Peyton Steinman scored 21 points, and Bella Aitken grabbed 13 rebounds for Pittsfield (18-5).
 
PHS senior Allie Hunt ended her basketball career with a five-point, 10-rebound performance.
 
"I tell you what -- you know Allie is a softball player and not once has she looked forward to that," Racicot said. "She's the kind of kid who gives you 100 percent, and she just keeps working all day long."
 
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