BUCKLAND — After Sam Whitney drained a three-pointer to end the third quarter, it looked like the the Four Rivers boys basketball team had gained momentum going into the final eight minutes of the River Valley Athletic League championship game on Thursday. 

Whitney’s trey capped off a 7-0 Otters run to end the third and cut visiting Eagle Hill’s lead to 29-28 going into the fourth. 

The fourth quarter belonged to the Pioneers, however. 

After Cooper Whitney sank a pair of shots that tied the game at 32, the Pioneers went on a 9-0 run to take a 41-32 lead with under two minutes to go. The Otters were unable to convert a field goal in those final minutes, and Eagle Hill captured the championship for the second year in a row with a 42-33 victory at Mohawk Trail Regional School. 

“The level of effort and heart that these players put into the game is unbelievable,”  Four Rivers coach Ashely Schenk said. “They’re in the locker room bawling the ir eyes out. You can say that that’s a sad thing but it’s also beautiful that they’re trying so hard and that we have so much support in the stands.” 

It was Ben Elfner who sparked the run for the Pioneers. 

The freshman sank a 3 to give Eagle Hill a 35-32 lead and on the ensuing possession, knocked down a jumper with his foot on the line. 

Noah Slotnick swished a 3 before Alex Minich made a free throw, and suddenly the Pioneers held a 41-32 lead with under two minutes to play. 

Offensively, the shots stopped falling for Four Rivers. While the Otters heated up throughout the game, they were unable to get going to halt the Eagle Hill run in the fourth. 

“They got tired,” Schenk said. “I didn’t go as deep in my bench as they went with theirs. Their shots fell and ours didn’t.” 

It was a low-scoring first quarter, with Cooper Whitney sinking a shot late that gave Four Rivers a 10-9 lead after eight minutes. 

Caleb Bird-Richards tallied three points while Cooper Whitney and Kolin Broderick each had a basket in the second quarter for the Otters, with the game knotted at 17 at the half. 

The Pioneers opened the second half on a 10-2 run. Minich got the scoring going with a basket inside before Cooper Whitney answered with a bucket for Four Rivers. 

Eagle Hill’s Ethan Joseph made a free throw, Minich sank a jumper, Noah Slotnick buried a 3 and Joseph scored inside, giving the Pioneers a 27-19 lead. 

Cooper Whitney halted the run with a basket for the Otters. Reese Cohen followed with a basket for Eagle Hill, Bird-Richards made a 3 and knocked down a free throw before Sam Whitney’s 3 at the buzzer cut the deficit to 29-28 going into the fourth. 

“That was great to see us make a run to end the third quarter,” Schenk said. “It felt good to be able to come back at that point.” 

Cooper Whitney led the way with 16 points for Four Rivers. Bird-Richards tallied eight points, Sam Whitney scored six points while Broderick had two points in the loss. 

Mount Greylock 80, Turners Falls 55 — Branden Truesdell knocked down four 3s to finish with 27 points for the Thunder in a Hampshire League North loss to the Mounties in Williamstown on Thursday. 

Turners Falls closed out its regular season with a 6-12 record. 

Caden Williams-Senethavisouk tallied 13 points, Dylen Richardson scored eight points and Cam Burnett tossed in four points for the Thunder. 

Late Wednesday results

Mahar 62, Frontier 50 — Derek Collins scored 17 points while Marshall Ames tossed in 11 points to lift the Sens past the Redhawks at Goodnow Gymnasium on Wednesday. 

Morgan Softic, Lucas Isrow and Will Barnes each added 10 points for Mahar. 

Nico Fasulo and Owen Babb both recorded 12 points while Max Millette tallied nine points for Frontier. 

Preps

NEPSAC Alpine ski
championships

Paced by a first-place finish from Ryan Choi, the Northfield Mount Hermon boys ski team captured the NEPSAC Class A title on Wednesday at Waterville Valley (N.H.).

The Hoggers amassed 51 points, holding off runner-up Belmont Hill (68). Deerfield Academy finished 11th as a team.

The NMH girls’ team took second place with 48 points behind champion Noble and Greenough (18). DA was fourth overall (108).

 NMH’s Ellie Pinkham was fourth in the slalom and ninth in the GS to pace her side.

Deerfield results

In action from Wednesday, the Big Green boys basketball team captured a 72-60 win over Suffield Academy.

Elsewhere, the girls hockey team tied Taft, 2-2, while the boys hockey team fell to Cushing, 2-1, in OT.

The girls squash team edged Taft, 4-3, and the boys squash team dropped a 6-1 decision to Taft.