There have been many changes at Hoosac Valley recently, including a lot of turnover and roster changes. However, the one thing that remains constant is their history of winning basketball games, and they added another chapter to that history on Saturday.
Taylor Garabedian, a senior, led the offense with 22 points and seven rebounds. Ashlyn Lesure and Abby Scialabba, also seniors, each scored 16 points as the top-seeded Hoosac Valley came from behind to win the girls basketball championship with a 71-53 victory over No. 2 West Boylston in the Div. 5 state final.
Garabedian said, “We’ve played some tough games, but we are good at keeping up the pace and staying positive. We've been in this situation before, and we know how to overcome it.”
Many fans thought Hoosac Valley would be a tough opponent for West Boylston, since it was their first time in a state final. This was the eighth time for the Hurricanes in the past decade.
On the contrary, the Lions (21-4) were able to overcome their early nerves, and with senior guard Madison Pitro leading, they went on a 19-1 run from the end of the first quarter to late in the first half. By the time Garabedian and her teammates were able to regroup, the Hurricanes were suddenly trailing 25-12 with 6:24 left in the second quarter.
Hoosac Valley coach Jon Frederick said, “I guess the difference was that our one (poor) quarter turned into two quarters. At the end of the first, beginning of the second, I don't know. We just weren’t playing our game, doing what we wanted to do coming in. They might have got the better of us there a little bit.”
After Garabedian scored 17 points in the first two quarters, Hoosac Valley started to find their rhythm. They were able to close the gap and enter halftime with a score of 32-31.
Once the third quarter began, the Hurricanes were on a roll. After Garabedian played a key role in the early offense, Lesure and Scialabba stepped up to contribute. The two seniors combined for 25 points in the second half, and Hoosac Valley outscored West Boylston 40-21 in the final two quarters. This victory marked the program's third state championship in the last 10 years, and its first in the Div. 5 ranks.
Pitro led West Boylston with 23 points, while senior Sammie Mullins added 14 points.
After celebrating with fans, the Hurricanes quickly took their seats to support their classmates playing in the Div. 5 boys championship against New Mission.
Frederick is optimistic about the future of the Hoosac Valley basketball program in the Berkshires. As a second-year coach for the girls team, he believes it all starts with a strong community pipeline of athletes.
Frederick said, “We can't emphasize enough the importance of our work in Adams and Cheshire. We have dedicated volunteers who have been involved in the programs for 20 years. It's not a situation where someone comes in to coach for a short time. We have people who have been here for five, 10, 20 years. We have built this from youth programs, and it continues through high school.”
