PITTSFIELD, Mass. -- The Mount Anthony Union girls basketball team Wednesday continued to feast on Berkshire County competition, using a swarming defense for a big third quarter en route to a 66-44 win over Pittsfield at Moynihan Field House.
Madison Little came up big with 23 points to lead the Patriots, who earlier this month knocked off Wahconah in Vermont and later this season will take on Mount Greylock.
On Tuesday, the Generals (2-2) gave the visitors from Vermont all they could handle for 16 minutes, and the Pats went to the locker room with a narrow, 34-33 lead.
But MAU opened the second half with a Little 3-pointer and went on to outscore Pittsfield, 19-2, in the frame, scoring 13 unanswered to close the period.
“These guys opened up a lot of cracks that we have,” Pittsfield coach Joe Racicot said. “I think it’s a good stepping stone and a learning experience for some of the younger kids.
“The first half, I told the girls it was going to be a shootout. They were a little more consistent than we were, and then they outhustled us in third quarter. But they already had a big jump.”
Early on, Pittsfield senior Peyton Steinman got the jump on Mount Anthony, scoring 12 first quarter points to stake the Generals to a 21-16 lead.
Bella Aitken also scored seven in that quarter, including a 3-pointer from the left wing for the final points of the period.
Pittsfield stretched its lead to seven points, 23-16, when Jordyn Lummus hit a pull-up on the right side to open the second quarter.
But Mount Anthony answered with a 10-1 run that started with a Little bucket in transition and included four foul shots. A 3-pointer made it 26-24, Mount Anthony, and the Patriots never again trailed.
Though Pittsfield did tie the game three more times, and Julia Eline-Wright hit a free throw with 20 seconds left in the half to get her team within a point.
In the second half, though, Mount Anthony’s experience (it suits up five seniors), quickness and size proved to be too much for Pittsfield to handle.
“We had too many balls that were tipped, a lot of bad passes,” Racicot said. “They’re long, and they extended the half-court defense just with their length and size.”
Mount Anthony outrebounded the Generals, 40-33, and that’s after Pittsfield made up some ground in the closing minutes after most of the starters had departed.
Pittsfield’s top rebounder was Alexis Garvey with 10 boards, but the sophomore center ran into foul trouble early, drawing her second midway through the first quarter.
Steinman finished the night with 19 points. Aitken added 10, and Toi Satrape scored six.
The Generals will look to bounce back on Friday when they visit Mount Greylock.
“Hopefully, we can take something from this and be better for it,” Racicot said.
