Trailblazers Continue MASCAC Tear, Beat Westfield State

By Jeffrey PuleriMCLA Sports Info
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WESTFIELD, Mass. — The Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts men's basketball team went on the road to challenge Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference rival Westfield State and came back with a statement victory.  The Trailblazers held the Owls, the preseason MASCAC favorites, to just 21 percent shooting as they blitzed Westfield and defeated them 64-43 Tuesday night.

With the win, MCLA remains perfect in league play at 3-0 while improving to 6-9 overall.  The Owls drop to 2-2 in MASCAC play and 12-4 overall.
 
After starting the season at 3-6, MCLA has ripped off three straight conference wins including consecutive road tilts at Worcester and Westfield. The win over the Owls also avenged a pair of narrow losses from a year ago.
 
MCLA took command early in the opening half as Westfield struggled from the floor. Trailblazer forward Ramon Viches canned consecutive 3-pointers to fuel a 12-2 MCLA run, pushing the Trailblazers out to a 22-8 lead.  Westfield never got within 10 points from there and trailed at the half 29-17.
 
In the second period, MCLA quickly erased any Westfield thoughts of a comeback. The Trailblazers used a 13-3 spurt to open the half jumping out to an insurmountable 42-20 lead with 13:23 to play. The MCLA lead grew to as many as 25 before settling on the final score. The Owls never got closer than 18 points in the second half.
 
The Trailblazers were led by Viches' 13 points. He was 5-8 from the floor, including 3-6 from downtown. John Jones overcame early foul trouble to finish with 12 points and eight rebounds.
 
The Trailblazers will next play on Thursday night when they host Framingham State at 7:30.
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Armed North Adams Man Arrested Following Domestic Standoff

Staff Reports

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Matthew Parker, a 44-year-old North Adams man, is set to face multiple counts of attempted murder and weapons charges in Northern Berkshire District Court on Friday morning following an hours-long, armed standoff at a Houghton Street home.

The defendant is being arraigned for:

  • Domestic Assault and Battery
  • Assault with the Intent to Murder (3 counts)
  • Carrying a Firearm While Under the Influence of Alcohol (3 counts)
  • Possession of a hi-capacity firearm (4 counts)
  • Improper Storage of a hi-capacity firearm (2 counts)
  • Improper Storage of a firearm (6 counts)

According to a report, on June 10, at approximately 8:42 p.m., officers responded to 365 Houghton St. following a report of a domestic assault and battery. The caller said she and her husband had been involved in a physical altercation.

She said her husband was intoxicated, making suicidal statements about shooting himself, and had access to both a shotgun and a pistol.

Upon arrival, officers made contact with both the caller and Parker. During the encounter, Parker threatened to shoot officers before retreating into the home and refusing to exit.

Officers believed that Parker was armed.

To ensure public safety, police established a perimeter around the home and requested assistance from the Berkshire County Special Response Team (SRT) and North Adams Police crisis negotiators. The Brien Center was also contacted and promptly provided an emergency mental health clinician to assist with the incident.

Special Response Team personnel deployed drones to monitor the residence and provide aerial illumination. During the operation, officers saw Parker exit the house carrying a rifle. He pointed it at the drones, stated a report. Parker subsequently pointed the rifle toward several officers positioned behind their cruisers. After officers attempted to de-escalate the situation, Parker returned inside the residence.

Trained crisis negotiators maintained communication with Parker for several hours in an effort to peacefully resolve the situation. At approximately 2 a.m., Parker ceased communication with negotiators.

Drone operators later observed Parker unconscious in a recliner on the first floor of the residence, with a rifle and shotgun on the floor nearby.

Members of the Berkshire County SRT then executed a coordinated operation. Diversionary devices were deployed through a window while an entry team simultaneously entered the home, secured the firearms, and took the defendant into custody.

A search warrant was executed after Parker was in custody. North Adams Police seized four shotguns, six rifles, two handguns, and thousands or rounds of ammunition from the home.

During the operation, one SRT member sustained a minor injury related to a less-lethal bean bag deployment. Parker also sustained non-life threatening injuries during the arrest and was transported to Berkshire Medical Center for medical evaluation.

"We thank the community for its patience and cooperation throughout this incident, particularly residents in the affected area who complied with temporary shelter-in-place requests," Police Chief Mark Bailey said.  "The North Adams Police Department extends its sincere appreciation to the agencies that provided mutual aid and assisted by handling calls for service during this incident. We are especially grateful to the Berkshire County Special Response Team for its professional and decisive response, the Brien Center for the rapid deployment of a mental health clinician, and our crisis negotiators whose efforts helped maintain dialogue and contributed significantly to the safe resolution of this incident."

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