ATHOL — The Mohawk Trail girls basketball team is playing its best ball down the stretch as it hopes to lock up a spot in the MIAA Div. 5 state tournament.

The Warriors entered Friday’s game against Athol winners of their last two, and Mohawk Trail wasted no time taking control, building a 21-3 lead after eight minutes. 

The Warriors stayed in control the rest of the way, as Mohawk Trail cruised to a 78-21 Franklin County League South victory at Mallet Gymnasium. 

“We’ve been working all season and telling them to get better every practice and every game,” Warriors coach Steve Bzomowski said. “Even games like this where we felt like there was a good chance we could come out on top, the whole idea was to prepare for the next game and the game after that. They took that to heart. I wanted to get some bench players in and they performed well.” 

For an inexperienced Athol squad, Bears coach Conor Morrissey has just been hoping to see strides each time out on the court. 

“We’re a young team,” Morrissey said. “Most of the girls out there are freshmen and new to basketball. They’re just picking it up. We’re trying to build for the future and learn all the lessons we need to learn the hard way this year.”

The win moves Mohawk Trail to 8-8 on the season. Ranked 45th in the MIAA Div. 5 power rankings, the Warriors would earn an automatic bid if they finish with a .500 record. Mohawk Trail has four regular season games left to accomplish that, though Bzomowski said he’s not putting his focus on it. 

“I’m not thinking about it,” Bzomowski said. “I’m just thinking about getting better every day and focusing on the next game ahead.” 

Natalie Lanoue drained a pair of 3-pointers while Bella Pettengill also tossed in six points in the opening quarter, helping the Warriors build their 21-3 lead after one. 

Pettengill added seven of her game-high 23 points in the second quarter while Jetzon scored six more in the frame. Allison Robertson and Madi Hermes each hit 3s for Athol (0-16) in the second, though the Bears still trailed 38-10 at the half. 

Mohawk Trail went on to lead 52-12 at the end of the third before going on to seal the victory. 

Jetzon tallied 13 points, Lanoue and Emmalee Inman each scored 10 points, Bella Brown recorded eight points while Sadie Wilcox tossed in six points in the victory for the Warriors, which are building confidence with each victory. 

“Confidence is a huge thing in sports and it’s a huge thing in basketball,” Bzomowski said. “They’ve been building that every week. It’s not surprising they’re getting better results.”

Hermes finished with nine points, Ava Martin scored six points while Maddie Desrosiers added two points in the loss for Athol.

“I’m proud of our team for showing up and trying,” Morrissey said. “We’re just trying to grow the program over time.”

Drury 63, Pioneer 11 — The Blue Devils limited the Panthers to two points in the first quarter before shutting out Pioneer in the second, as Drury pulled away with an independent victory in North Adams on Friday. 

Maggie Tsipenyuk and Natalie Rios each tallied four points for the Panthers while Kyler McClelland knocked down a 3-pointer in the loss. Pioneer closes out its regular season slate on Monday when it travels to Buckland to face Mohawk Trail, with the tip slated for 7 p.m.