Last season’s sweep of their rival didn’t sit pretty with the Berkshire Badgers. After losing both games against the Huskies last year, seniors Jack Hastings and Mason Mendolera never wanted to experience that type of feeling again.
Game photos click here.
Last season’s sweep of their rival didn’t sit pretty with the Berkshire Badgers. After losing both games against the Huskies last year, seniors Jack Hastings and Mason Mendolera never wanted to experience that type of feeling again.
Jan. 9 was the first time the teams faced each other this season — the Badgers coming in at 2-5, the Huskies at 2-8, but a tale of two very different teams thus far.
The Badgers have a roster loaded with experienced players, including three seniors in their starting lineup, while the Huskies graduated six seniors a season ago, including four of their five starters.
Huskies seniors Troy Domen and Aidan Gallagher nearly never come off the court.
And did we mention a new face on the sidelines for the Huskies? Head Coach Kyle Deckerd took over after longtime leader Jon Cummins stepped away after last season.
Berkshire started this year off right in the rivalry, winning the game 69-46.
A strong start for the Badgers on Husky turf got them out to a 12-4 lead in the first quarter before Deckerd called his first time out. Hastings, a guard, quickly recorded seven points in the opening minutes, while Mendolera added five.
But it would only take minutes for Cardinal’s Domen to start heating up and pull his team within four. The senior came into the contest averaging 24 points. He would knock down three out of four 3-pointers to kick off the game.
Behind Domen and junior point guard Cal Ciminello, the Huskies began to settle into the contest.
All momentum would swing back to the Badgers when Mendolera connected on another three, halting the Huskies’ 9-2 run before the end of the first quarter.
Berkshire led 17-13 after the first quarter.
Back-to-back stops by Cardinal’s defense pulled them within two when sophomore Landon Gallagher pulled down an offensive rebound and dished it out to Domen for two.
On his team’s next offensive possession, Hastings would connect on a jumper. A big-time three from Domen pulled the Huskies within one before Landon Gallagher went down with a knee injury, forcing Coach Deckerd to go deep into his bench.
The Badgers would string together a 7-0 run after the injury, forcing Coach Deckerd to call a timeout with 3:15 left in the first half. Senior Miles Miller continued the hot shooting streak for the Badgers when he stretched the lead to 10 with a three of his own.
After junior Chuck Soltis connected on a three with time expiring before the half, the Badgers led 34-24. Hastings led the Badgers with 18 points, while Domen led all scorers with 19.
The message that Berkshire Head Coach Joe Montanaro gave his team at the half was played out almost perfectly in the third quarter. Montanaro expected more from his team on the defensive side of the ball, and challenged them.
“Heading into halftime with a lead, our emphasis was on the importance of sticking to the game plan and maintaining defensive pressure,” Montanaro said. “We also stressed the need to continue running the floor offensively, aiming to create easy scoring chances.”
His Badgers did just that, holding Domen scoreless in the third quarter, forcing another player to step up and score.
“Troy Domen is an outstanding player,” Coach Montanaro said. “After a great first quarter by him, we made some adjustments to limit his impact and disrupt his scoring opportunities.”
The Badgers outscored the Huskies 16-8 in the third quarter, with Mendolera scoring five points and Hastings four, respectively.
Ciminello provided some consistency for the Huskies with five points, but the experience from the Badgers proved too much.
Aidan Gallagher connected on a three with 5:15 left in the third quarter, the first points recorded by the Huskies in the quarter.
After a missed three from Miller, Hastings grabbed an offensive rebound, stretching his team’s lead to 13. Facing a 45-29 deficit, Cardinal called a timeout with 2:15 remaining.
“I think, offensively, we had been struggling a bit,” said Mendolera after the game. “Tonight, we put up 69 points, and that’s pretty nice. We shot the ball well, we got to the hoop and got some post touches, which is one of our biggest emphases the last couple days in practice. I think we are really accomplishing that and we are going to ride this win, and hopefully we get hot around the right time.”
The Badgers came away with the win, 69-46, after dropping both games a season ago.
“Last year we knew that losing twice to them was unacceptable,” Hastings said. “Especially with them coming to our place, the first game ever in the new school, and they stomped on us. We had to get them back, and we couldn’t do it the second game of the year, last year, but we knew that this year was our time. We just really wanted to get a win as seniors.”
Pacing the way for Berkshire were Hastings and Mendolera. Hastings scored a game-high 28 points, while grabbing 10 rebounds, while Mendolera recorded 18 points. Sophomore Cameron Beam led the way with 11 rebounds, while junior Gavin Hipp recorded two steals.
With the win, the Badgers picked up their second conference win.
Troy Domen led the Huskies with 24 points and five rebounds. Ciminello added seven points and two assists, while Aidan Gallagher added six points. Junior Austin Jones recorded six rebounds and three assists in the loss. The Huskies are still searching for their first conference win of the season.
“We didn’t execute our gameplan at all against Berkshire,” Deckerd said. “Despite the loss, we need to keep showing up every day and learning the game. Other than a senior or two, nobody else has previous varsity experience. The game is much faster paced at the varsity level, and we are working on getting guys up to that pace, but every day is a new opportunity and we have to continue striving to be the best versions of ourselves.”
The two teams will meet again Feb. 9 at Berkshire.
