Genevieve Lagess is first to Ashlyn Lesure in celebration, with Hoosac Valley teammate Emma Meczywor closing in, after the Hurricanes beat Renaissance.  MIKE WALSH — THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE

 

LOWELL — The Springfield Renaissance School is nicknamed the Phoenix. It was Hoosac Valley, however, that rose from the ashes to win the MIAA Division V State Championship.

 

The defending champion, and second-seeded Hurricanes outscored the Phoenix by 20 points in the second half, rallying from a 13-point halftime deficit to beat No. 5 Renaissance 64-57 Sunday afternoon, and claim their second state title in as many years.

 

"It's so cool" to go back-to-back, said Hoosac's Emma Meczywor. "This program is really like no other. You can see it in the [arena]. We had this entire side filled with our fans. We were so much louder than them. You could just feel the energy from the fans and from each other on the court."

 

The teams met last year in the state semifinals at West Springfield High School, with the Hurricanes getting the best of the Phoenix then as well.

 

Hoosac Valley's bench and crowd celebrate after Sophia Wilson scored on a layup to make it 62-57 with just 5.7 seconds left.  MIKE WALSH — THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE

 

It was a game where Hoosac led for 2 minutes and 21 seconds, and until Meczywor scored with 1:38 to go, the Hurricanes hadn't led since it was 6-5 after Ashlyn Lesure made 1 of 2 free throws as part of her team-high 18 points.

 

It was Meczywor, who sat for a spell in the third quarter after receiving a technical foul, who made what turned out to be the game-winning basket. Her drive to the hoop with 1:38 left broke a 56-all tie.

 

And the Hurricanes held Renaissance to one free throw over the final 5:11 of the game, ensuring the ride home to Cheshire would be a happy one.

 

"It hasn't sunk in yet, but it's freakin' awesome," Hoosac coach Jon Frederick said to reporters about the second title. "This is great. How many teams can do it?

 

It's something we always talk about, especially at playoff time. You know what? We're one out of 36 and then we're [one] out of 18 and we're one out of eight. Now we're one out of two.

 

Hoosac Valley's Hannah Lord and Maryn Cappiello defend against Renaissance's Zi'Yan Wallace.  MIKE WALSH — THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE

 

"There are 10 teams left at this point, so let's go freaking win ours and get out of here."

 

As the Hoosac players took pictures on the upstairs concourse, Lesure had a death grip on the state championship trophy.

 

"I don't think so. I wish," Lesure said with a laugh when she was asked by a reporter if she was going to take the trophy home. "I'm speechless about it all.

 

Hoosac Valley's Reagan Shea knocks down one of her three 3-pointers. She had 15 points against Renaissance in the State Championship game.  MIKE WALSH — THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE

 

"It was definitely very physical, and the way our team stuck together and was there for each other the whole, entire time. We worked and pushed until the very end."

 

It was a game that saw 40 fouls whistled, six technical fouls called, four Renaissance players ejected and Phoenix eighth-grade standout Zi'Yan Wallace fouling out with 4:25 left. The younger Wallace sister had carried Renaissance with a game-high 20 points and 22 rebounds. There was even a double technical called between Lesure and Renaissance's Zh'Nai Wallace way back in the first quarter.

 

"Unfortunately, we had to experience a loss," Renaissance coach Jashua Baker said. "The way we had to experience a loss, we felt like it didn't go the way we wanted it to."

 

After scoring on a coast-to-coast layup to give Hoosac Valley a 58-56 lead with 1:38 left in the fourth quarter, senior Emma Meczywor lets out a yell at her bench.  MIKE WALSH — THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE

 

Hoosac's Meczywor, the beating heart of the Hurricanes' team, said it was a rough first half for a team that missed 11 layups and found itself down 35-22 at intermission.

 

Gradually, Hoosac trimmed into the lead, cutting it to 48-46 when freshman Genevieve Lagess scored. She had taken a pass from Maryn Cappiello, who was flat on her belly when she got the ball to her teammate.

 

Hoosac Valley senior Ashlyn Lesure plays tight defense on Renaissance's Zi'Yan Wallace.  MIKE WALSH — THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE

 

The Phoenix responded as J'Dore Reese scored and then, after a Hoosac turnover, Jada Marrero got 2 breaking the Hoosac press. Things looked a little dire.

 

After Reagan Shea — who finished with 15 points for Hoosac — missed a 3-pointer, Wallace snared her 22nd rebound. But she was called for her fifth foul with 4:25 left. That opened the door for the Hurricanes.

 

The Hoosac Valley crowd joins Ashlyn Lesure and the Hurricanes in celebrating with the State Championship trophy.  MIKE WALSH — THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE

 

It was 56-49 when Hoosac took command. First it was Shea, making her third trey of the game. Then, after she rebounded a miss by Renaissance's Marrero, Meczywor was fouled in the act, and made 1 of 2, and the score was 56-53. 

 

Hoosac Valley seniors Ashlyn Lesure, Emma Meczywor and Maryn Cappiello leave the Tsongas Center floor in Lowell Sunday afternoon as MIAA D-V State Champions.  MIKE WALSH — THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE

 

Hoosac called time with 2:19 left in the fourth. Lesure was fouled, went to the line and made the second. Then, inexplicably, Reese stepped over the end line for a turnover. On the inbounds, Meczywor found Sophia Wilson for a basket that tied the score at 56.

 

Renaissance's Keisha Rodriguez missed at her end, Meczywor pulled down the rebound and took it coast-to-coast for the hoop that put the Hurricanes up 58-56 with 1:38 left.

 

"I didn't think it was going to go in," Meczywor said. "Thank God it did."

 

The senior admitted that the first two quarters were frustrating. The physical nature of the game, with Renaissance being the aggressor, coupled with Hoosac missing 11 layups, led to frustration for the No. 2 seeds.

 

"We were definitely frustrated," Meczywor said. "I was frustrated at myself. We were frustrated at each other. They went on a run there because we weren't finishing. At halftime, [Frederick] said, they're not falling now, but they're going to fall in the second half and they ended up falling."

 

After leading 56-48 with 5:11 left, the Phoenix managed only 1 more point. That came when Rodriguez was fouled by Meczywor and sank the second of two free throws. That happened to be the Hoosac standout's fifth foul, so she sat down with those 11 points, adding seven rebounds and three steals.

 

A new Berkshire basketball dynasty, Hoosac girls picking up Lee's mantle  The Hoosac Valley girls won back-to-back state titles, cementing themselves as the next great Berkshire County dynasty.

 

Standing with reporters in the hallway after the Hurricanes received their medals and the championship trophy, Frederick was asked if the game played out the way he anticipated.

 

"Physicality-wise 100 percent," the Hoosac coach said. "I would say mentally-wise, with what was going on on the court, 100 percent. Score-wise in the first half, no. We just weren't making buckets. We were getting good looks. We were getting some wide-open layups that weren't dropping. They came out and were hitting theirs and that was the difference. Physicality, we knew it was going to be there. We knew what they were about, and that's the way we play too.

 

"These kids are tough, and they'll fight for everything."

 

Twelve months ago on this court, the Hurricanes beat West Boylston to win the school's second state title in the previous five years. In 2023, Hoosac lost in the semifinal round to Millis and in 2022, lost to Hopedale in the championship game.

 

The Hurricanes were the only Western Massachusetts team to bring home a state championship Sunday, as South Hadley lost to Cathedral 68-37 in the Division IV final.

 

"Everybody did their part. Everybody knew their job," the Hoosac coach said of his team's victory. "It was a great team effort, from the start of the season to the end."

 

———

 

Renaissance 22 13 8 14 — 57

Hoosac Valley 11 11 17 25 — 64

 

RENAISSANCE (57)

Zi. Wallace 6-6-20, Baker 1-1-3, Alvarado Colon 0-0-0, Rios 0-0-0, Buzzell 3-0-6, Zh. Wallace 1-2-4, Rodriguez 4-1-9, Marrero 1-0-2, Parks 0-0-0, Robinson 0-0-0, Reese 6-1-13. Totals 22-11-57.

 

HOOSAC VALLEY (64)

Cappiello 1-1-3, Lagess 3-1-7, Meczywor 3-5-11, Witek 1-0-3, Lesure 5-4-18, Shea 5-3-15, Wilson 2-3-7, Lord 0-0-0. Totals 18-16-64.

 

3-point baskets — R 1 (Zi. Wallace). HV 6 (Shea 3, Lesure 2, Witek).