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Litchfield's four seniors take their final home bow |
Quinlan McCarthy, above, drives for two of his 14 points and Drew Gauvain, below, fires away during Friday's loss to Gilbert. John McKenna photos
By John McKenna
BZ sports reporter
It was Senior Night on Friday and there was much on the line for Litchfield High's boys basketball team. A victory would send seniors Quinlan McCarthy, Drew Gauvain, Kyle Murphy and Nick Hula out as winners in their final regular-season home game and would keep the Cowboys' alive in their bid to qualify for the Class S tournament. Unfortunately for the Cowboys, the opponent was Gilbert, the Berkshire League's hottest team with the postseason approaching. Litchfield kept it close for the first half before Gilbert turned up the pressure and ran away to a 66-42 win. The beginning of the third quarter was the decisive stretch, as Gilbert scored 13 unanswered points to build a 45-26 lead and wipe out any hope the Cowboys had of an upset. "I told our kids at halftime that the first few minutes were going to be important," Litchfield coach Jason Harlow said. "Once they got the lead to double figures, there was no stopping them, no matter how many timeouts I called."
Gilbert 13-0 surge to begin the third quarter capped a 21-0 run that started just before halftime, when the Yellow Jackets scored eight straight points to turn a 26-24 deficit into a 32-26 lead. The loss dropped the Cowboys to 6-13 with one game left, Wednesday at Housatonic. They needed to beat Gilbert and had to win at Housy to net the eight wins needed to make the tournament. For 12 minutes, the Cowboys looked primed to knock off the Yellow Jackets as they played arguably their best ball of the season. Led by McCarthy and Gauvain, the Cowboys immediately took the lead and were up 18-17 after an entertaining quarter of fast-paced play. McCarthy netted six points and Gauvain banged a pair of three-pointers as the Cowboys, who made their first five shots, went toe-to-toe with the bigger and quicker Yellow Jackets. Harlow's club kept at it in the second quarter and was up 26-24 when Gilbert, sparked by an intentional foul, began its 21-0 blitz. Litchfield's scoring drought ended when McCarthy scored with 3:27 left in the third quarter to make it 46-28. After its strong first quarter, Litchfield scored just 24 points the rest of the way. McCarthy had 14 points, Gauvain 10 and Hula eight. After the game, Harlow paid tribute to the four seniors, calling them the hardest working group he has coached in his nine seasons at Litchfield. Below, Nick Hula tries to squeeze off a shot in the lane and Kyle Murphy waits to make a move in Friday's loss. John McKenna Back to Sports |
