NORTH ADAMS — For Scott McGuire Jr., getting his 1,000th point brought a smile to his face.
McGuire took a pass from Reece Racette and drove to the basket with 4.9 seconds left in the first quarter. McGuire was fouled, completed the three-point play and went over the 1,000-point mark. The hoop gave Drury a 15-point lead after one quarter and the Blue Devil guard went on to score a game-high 36 points in Drury's 89-62 win over North Berkshire rival Hoosac Valley on Friday night.
"I loved the way it happened," he said after the game. " is our biggest leader, to be honest. He's the one that keeps us going and everything. I'm glad I got the assist from him."
McGuire came into the game needing 13 points to become the seventh Drury boys' player, the 14th player overall, and the second Drury basketball player this year to reach 1,000 points. McGuire got 14 in the opening eight minutes.
"A thousand is a thousand," McGuire said. "I'd give every one of those points off the score for a Western Mass. championship, no doubt."
Drury (14-4, 3-4 Berkshire North) fell behind 12-4 out of the gate to the visiting Hurricanes (6-13, 0-7 Berkshire North). The Blue Devils went ahead on a 12-0 run, but Hoosac responded. And when Sam Larabee scored on a putback off his own miss, it was 18-18 with 2:12 left.
That was the best of the night for the Hurricanes, because Drury closed out the quarter on a 15-0 run. Racette, who finished with 21 points, nine rebounds and six assists, forced Hoosac coach Dave Harte Jr. to call his second time out of the quarter, as the Blue Devils scored seven points in about 50 seconds.
"I think it wasn't great for us to start off like that. It made us think we could play their tempo," Harte said. "Their speed and athleticism was too much for us to handle. We talked about controlling the tempo, we talked about trying to pick Reese up early, so he wasn't going downhill. He's a very tough cover, he and McGuire."
Out of the Hoosac time out, Cove Massey caught a pass from McGuire and hit a 3-pointer. While Hoosac closed the first quarter going 0 for 4 with a turnover, McGuire twice scored on drives to the basket. The first one came when he rebounded a miss and went all the way back. The points for 1,000 came on a Racette assist. It was 33-18 after one quarter.
"It definitely pumps up our team" when they're not missing shots, McGuire said. "It makes us feel like we're not going to miss any more. We keep shooting and get other guys involved. Everyone was hitting tonight. That's what we want."
The Blue Devils went 12 for 14 from the floor to close out the first quarter, and made their last eight shots.
"It was nice to be back home, because we missed a ton [of shots] Tuesday night" in a loss at Pittsfield, said Drury coach Jack Racette. "Guys had to remember that a little bit. We scored 44 points and you have to give credit to their defense. I think our offense was clicking tonight.
"You're playing at home, and you shoot the ball better."
Hunter Sarkis opened the second quarter with a trey, but Cole Deroches answered with one for Hoosac. But an 8-3 burst that included two more treys by Sarkis, opened up a 20-point lead, and the Hurricanes could not recover.
McGuire scored 23 points in the first half as Drury led 53-36.
"They hit shots in the first quarter. I was saying it to the TV station. It was like a pickup game for them," said coach Racette. "They had nothing to lose. When you come in with that mentality, you make shots sometimes. We came out with a slow start, but as we always say, you have to stay the course."
If Hoosac had any chance to come back, the Blue Devils squashed it by opening the third quarter with a 7-2 burst.
Carson Meczywor had 11 points to pace the Hurricanes. Obilio Rodriguez and McGuire each had eight rebounds for Drury, as the Blue Devils out-rebounded the Hurricanes 48-34.
Reece Racette, who is now 37 points away from the Drury boys' scoring record of 1,361, held by Glenn Tatro, said he was thrilled to be the second 1,000-point scorer on the team — and third in the school when you add Brooke DiGennaro.
It means a lot to a lot of people. From a players' perspective, I know Scott. We're both the same about it. It [doesn't mean anything]," said Racette. "We're all about a team. We're all about a family. We wouldn't be at 1,000 points without the teams we had. We're all about the team, and we're looking to get that championship."
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