HOLYOKE – Commerce raced out to a 17-9 first quarter lead, led by 17 points at the half, and produced three double digit points scorers in downing the Westfield Bombers 73-64 in a high school boys’ basketball game Tuesday night at Holyoke Community College.
Westfield (1-4) rallied, outscoring Commerce 50-42 in the second but fell short.
Westfield’s Javi Santos (23) attempts to outleap the competition in a high school boys’ basketball game against Commerce Tuesday night at Holyoke Community College. (Photo by Lynn Boscher)
Raul Lopez (18 points), Najier Jenkins (17), and Abdiel Bou (13) led Commerce in scoring. Bou made three 3-pointers. Anthony Diaz chipped in eight points, and two other Red Raiders finished with six apiece.
Westfield’s Gabe Piepergerdes recorded a game-high 23 – he drained four shots from beyond the arc – followed by Javi Santos (13) and Aidan Dunn (10). Bombers’ Kam Wells had eight.
The game was originally scheduled to be played in front of the “Bomb Squad” on Westfield’s home court but a leak in the gymnasium roof forced the move. It is the second time in less than a week that a Bombers’ game has been impacted by this unfortunate set of circumstances.
Mastello nets 15 in loss
Pathfinder 51, Gateway 39
Shane Mastello led Gateway with 15 points. Brett Turban (10 points) and Jake McKittrick (8) also contributed for the Gators.
LeClair paces Rams
Southwick 60, Baystate Academy 48
Southwick’s Ryan LeClair scored a game-high 21 points, and Nick Hough had 14 in leading the Rams to victory at home.
GIRLS’ BASKETBALL
White, Rams’ D nets win
Southwick 36, Pope Francis 26
McKinley White scored a team-high 14 points, and Southwick’s defense held Pope Francis to just nine second-half points in Southwick’s double-digit victory.
Blue Devils down Bombers
Northampton 73, Westfield 37
Northampton went on 20-8 run to begin the contest, and never looked back. Lauraine Joensen scored a game-high 21 points for the Blue Devils.
Kaela Mochak led Westfield with 15. Bombers’ Olivia Hadla had 10.
Pioneers chase Saints
Pathfinder 42, St. Mary 11
Pathfinder raced out to a stunning 24-0 lead at the half, and cruised past visiting St. Mary. Pioneers’ Caleena Welsh led all scorers with 14.
St. Mary held Pathfinder to just three points in the third quarter.
JV GIRLS’ BASKETBALL
Southwick 39, Pope Francis 20
Kathleen Shea (8 points) and Kaitlyn Haseltine (6) led Southwick to victory.
WRESTLING WITH THE HOLIDAYS: Westfield wrestling emerged with another solid outing, this time on the mats at Agawam High in the Phil Tomkiel Holiday Tournament late last week.
Senior captain Cole Cannady (120 pounds) pinned Enfield’s Shawn Keeler and Suffield’s Dylan Washburn before pinning Montville’s Jaden Colon for a third place Westfield finish. Bombers’ senior captain Johnny Gourde claimed fourth with pins over Montville’s Cody Jones, Southwick’s Trevor Desruisseaux, and Tri-County’s Tim McSweeney.
While the upperclassmen set the tone for Westfield, the underclassmen performed admirably as well.
Westfield sophomore Ed Towers defeated second-seeded Longmeadow wrestler Dominic Jones in the final seconds to reach the semifinals before finishing sixth. Bombers’ freshman Nick Clauson took second-place finisher Cooper Fleming to the third period before falling by pin. Fleming then defeated Ryan Cullen (Lincoln-Sudbury) and pinned Tri-County’s Jacob Dillon to finish sixth.
Westfield’s Jack Yvon wrestled well, advancing to the semifinals before having to exit early, and finished sixth. Carlito Serrano picked up his first victory for the Bombers. Serrano pinned Ian McSweeney (Tri-County) in the first period.
Josh Larriu (113 pounds), Kaleb Cree (126), and Keandre Godbout (132) picked up wins for Westfield, while Bombers’ Cam Foster (152), Doug Rogers (170) and Johann Shieppe (heavyweight) wrestled tough.
