Green Mountain Holiday Basketball Tournament

The Cosmos girls were successful against Twin Valley in the consolation game. Also on the docket was a local clash between the Green Mountain and Springfield boys, which the Chieftains won.

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Springfield girls, GM boys third By CHRIS DOHERTY cdoherty@eagletimes.com Green Mountain’s Rachel Guerra drives for the lay-up during Wednesday’s championship game against Mt. St. Joseph. — CHRIS DOHERTY Green Mountain’s Rachel Guerra drives for the lay-up during Wednesday’s championship game against Mt. St. Joseph. — CHRIS DOHERTY CHESTER — After playing Tuesday’s first round of games, the Springfield girls looked to pick up either their first win while the Green Mountain ladies were hoping to take home the title in the Green Mountain Holiday Tournament. The Cosmos were successful against Twin Valley in the consolation game, but GM fell to Mt. St. Joseph. Also on the docket was a local clash between the Green Mountain and Springfield boys in a consolation game, which the Chieftains won. Below are capsules for the day’s games. GAME 1 (girls) Springfield 53, Twin Valley 35 Springfield put Tuesday behind them in impressive fashion. Twin Valley jumped out to a quick 6-2 lead in the first quarter, but from then on it was all Springfield. The Cosmos used smothering defense and efficient fast breaks in the first quarter to gain a 14-10 lead after one. “We came out with our hands extended, were very active,” said Springfield head coach Joe Costello. “We had a lot of people in. We got huge contributions up and down the lineup and that allowed us to stay with that level of consistency I was looking for.” Brooke Willey led the way early on, assisting on four separate fast break buckets. Willey ended the game with ?10 points, seven assists and five steals. In the second quarter, Springfield really started to create separation from the Wildcats. Springfield used a 10-3 run in the first four minutes of the quarter to create a 24-13 lead. It was the upperclassmen of Springfield making noise on both the offensive and defensive ends. Along with Willey; Lizzie Mackenzie, Diamond Bruso and Cassidy Otis all played strong games to lead the way for Springfield. My returning players absolutely set the tone. They behaved like leaders,” said Costello. “They provided a great example for the younger kids, but they did it through actions rather than words.” Springfield began the second half on a quick 9-2 run to create a 14-point lead. The quarter slowed down a bit, but the Cosmos ended with a bang as Madee Stagner made a steal with less than 10 seconds left and hit Mackenzie for a fast break layup at the buzzer to give Springfield a 39-27 lead going into the fourth quarter. The fourth quarter was much of the same for Springfield. The Cosmos used a suffocating 2-3 zone and was playing unselfish offense to keep extending the lead. Springfield was able to use everyone on the bench, and all came in and made an impact on the final result. Springfield earned third place in the Holiday Tournament, a nice way to earn win No. 1 on the season. “It’s nice to get your first win whenever it happens, but it’s certainly nice to win now,” said Costello. “It puts a nice taste in your mouth.” GAME 2 (boys) Green Mountain 47, Springfield 24 It was another less than average shooting night from the Chieftains, but it was the defense and rebounding that led to the GM win. “We’re just in that slump,” said GM head coach Brian Rapanotti. “They’re not bad shots and they’re coming from your best players. We’ll just have to get through that little slump and move forward.” Ryan McSally led the way for the Chieftains, scoring a game-high 13. “He’s playing really well, stepping up,” said Rapanotti. Springfield kept the game close early on, trailing 12-6 after the first quarter, but the defensive battle favored the Chieftains, leading 24-12 heading into the half. “Our defense played fairly well,” said Rapanotti. “We didn’t give them a ton of looks.” The third quarter was more of the same, as Springfield was the first team to score almost halfway through the third quarter. GM responded right away with a three from Mack Walton, one of his three on the day. Walton scored 11 in the win. GM had two others score in double-figures, Cooper McCoy with 12 and Mack Walton with 11. The Chieftains just looked a bit worn down in their second game in two days. And unfortunately for them, the Christmas break doesn’t last long, getting back in the gym Saturday in preparation for Monday’s contest with West Rutland. “That’ll get us two days to prep (Saturday and Sunday),” said Rapanotti. A good note for GM, Ian Kehoe returned to the lineup after battling the flu for the past week or so. “It was good to get Ian back. He’s just been out with the flu for seven or eight days so it will be good to get him back in the mix,” said Rapanotti. Michael Messer led the Cosmos in scoring with eight. The defense for Springfield seemed to slow GM down, playing a zone for a lot of the game, but the edge in rebounding doomed the Cosmos. Springfield will get back in action Tuesday against Arlington.