Northampton Turns It Up After Halftime In Win Over Pittsfield

December 12, 2019

Northampton 65, Pittsfield 45

Games have been counting on the record for nearly three weeks in New York, but December 12 served as the opening night of the MIAA regular season schedule. There was an interesting matchup in the Berkshires right off the bat, as Division 2 state finalist Northampton headed west to take on an always-competitive Pittsfield squad.

Pittsfield briefly held the lead at the outset, as they got off to a quick start with four Jordyn Lummus (Pittsfield 2020) points, but Northampton would then hold Pittsfield scoreless for over 5 minutes, going on an 8-0 run with four coming from Syd Lewandowski (Northampton 2020) to retain the lead for good. Another 9-0 run early in the 2nd quarter, capped with a three-point play from Amanda Mieczkowski (Northampton 2020; Assumption signee) and a Emily Sledzieski trey off a Mieczkowski feed, gave Northampton a double-digit lead at 22-10. Pittsfield made a push to end the half on their home court, starting with a three from Emery Sime to stop the bleeding. The Generals then scored 10 of the last 12 in the half, hitting four late free throws to go into the locker room down 25-22.

Amanda Mieczkowski was a force for Northampton; the Assumption bound PG led the way with 21 pts & had a strong all-around game.

A pair of Mieczkowski free throws to start the 2nd half was answered with another Pittsfield trey off the hand of Alexi Sandrini, but Northampton was able to start gaining separation after seeing their lead cut to 27-25. Mieczkowski had 5 more in a quick spurt, then Jill McGrath hit a pair of free throws & a three to push their edge to 38-26. The margin hovered between 8 and 13 throughout the rest of the 3rd quarter & deep into the 4th, as Pittsfield wasn't able to make a significant push into the deficit, but Northampton was also unable to deliver a knockout blow. The put-away run came predominantly at the free throw line for the visitors, a place where both teams had a great deal of success. After a Lummus and-one cut Pittsfield's deficit to 51-42 with 4:41 left, Northampton scored 7 straight - a Mieczkowski bucket & a 5/6 stretch at the line, all from McGrath - to push their edge to 16 with 2:12 left. In all, Northampton shot 10/11 from the line in the 4th quarter with the last ones coming in the closing seconds to push what was a competitive game up to a 20 point margin.

Amanda Mieczkowski had a strong game for Northampton, running the show at the PG spot and also pumping in a game high 21 points with 15 coming after halftime. Jill McGrath provided another scoring punch at the guard spot, contributing 18 points with 13 coming in the 2nd half. Syd Lewandowski joined them in double figures, contributing 13 points in the victory. Pittsfield also had three players finish in double digits, led by Jordyn Lummus' 19 point effort. Alexi Sandrini added 12 points to the cause, and Emery Sime chipped in with 10.

Jordyn Lummus was relentless for Pittsfield, leading the Generals with 19 points on Thursday.

#ThoughtsFromTheBaseline

- A team with several good athletes will definitely win some games. A team with several good athletes and a true point guard is one I'll go to war with. A team with several good athletes and a true point guard that can also go get a bucket for us? That's one I'll win the war with. I felt like that's what I was looking at in Northampton. It's a pretty athletic group that plays very hard. Jill McGrath produced in transition & in the half-court, Syd Lewandowski handled the paint and also got out & scored on the run, others stepped up & hit open shots... and then there's Mitch. I've always been a sucker for a point guard with high basketball IQ, so I'm always feeling good with Amanda Mieczkowski on my team.

I was impressed with her season opener. The Assumption signee made her presence felt at both ends and along with running the show on offense, creating & setting others up, she was a little more aggressive and looked to score more. She's an unselfish player but has the ability to change games at times with her scoring, and she took the opportunity to do that when needed in this one. The usually trustworthy jumper was a little off Thursday with a few rim-outs on clean looks, so she went downhill and used her strength around the rim, finishing through contact and spending plenty of time at the line. 20+ point game, active rebounder at the defensive end, high assist/turnover ratio, a nuisance on the ball defensively... you'll take that! And perhaps the most evident mark on what Coach Messer thinks of her IQ & importance - she picked up 2 early fouls in the 1st quarter. The vast majority of the time, that's an instant sub until the end of the quarter. In a few instances this year, it's been an instant sub for the rest of the half. For Amanda? Not even a second. She was trusted to ride out the 1st half without picking up a 3rd; she did that, and she ended up going the distance & playing all 32 in this one.

- The free throw shooting in this game was excellent. Northampton shot 23/28 (82.1%) from the line, and Pittsfield wasn't far behind, going 19/25 (76%) from the charity stripe. I'll put the combined 42/53 from the line up against any HS game I get to this winter!

- Haven't ventured into WMass as much during the winter over the last couple years. A big part of that is the increased amount of time spent in the western third of New York, an area I didn't cover at all in the start. Another reason, simply put, is the general lack of success I've had in the past getting western Massachusetts talent over to the Albany area for EST events (the league, the showcases, etc.). Here's my word - going to try & make it into the 413 some more this winter. Cheaper gas & D'Angelo's (well, Angelina's in Pittsfield). Happy start to the season, Massachusetts!

Syd Lewandowski was an important piece to the Northampton puzzle, and she finished with 13 points in the win.