A stout defensive effort, and some deadly shooting from Nevaeh Scribner powered the Mahar girls basketball team to a convincing victory on Saturday.

The Senators held rival Athol to just six points in the first half, and Scribner knocked down four 3-pointers en route to a game-high 17 points as Mahar snagged a 50-19 win at Grzesik-Bixby Gymnasium in Orange.

Mahar improved to 6-9 overall with the victory, while Athol dropped to 1-14. The Senators swept the season series, as they also won 49-17 on Jan. 3 in Athol.

Irati Martinez scored 12 points and recorded seven steals in the win for the Sens, which led 9-2 after one quarter and 26-6 at halftime. Scribner added seven rebounds and seven assists to go with her 17 points.

Alivia Patch (six points), Julia Hatch (five) and Dakota Cleveland (four) also aided the offensive effort for Mahar, while Mckenzie Scribner and Mackenzie Matthews both scored their first varsity points in the win. Thea Whitmore pulled down 12 rebounds for the hosts.

Athol’s Anna Duquette and Jenna Bonenfant tallied six points apiece to lead the way.

Mahar stays home to host Greenfield on Monday while Athol hosts Mount Everett on Tuesday.

Hockey

Greenfield 4, East Longmeadow 4 – Four different players found the back of the net, and the Green Wave rallied from a third-period deficit to secure an independent tie against a Berry Division foe on Saturday at the Olympia Ice Center in West Springfield.

Greenfield (10-5-1) trailed 3-2 entering the third period but scored a pair in the final stanza to force OT and ultimately settle for the tie.

Luca Siano, Jack Laurie, Brody Gagne and Jake Jurek scored goals for the Wave. Laurie, Jurek, Matt Garvin and Hunter Smith notched assists, and goalie Cooper Smith stopped 40 shots against a red-hot Spartans (7-6-2) team that entered the game on a 4-0-1 tear in its last five games.

Greenfield’s difficult independent schedule continues on Wednesday when Westfield comes to Collins-Moylan Arena for a 4:30 p.m. contest.

Swimming

Turners swimmers at Fast Chance

The Turners Falls swim team added a relay and an individual to its list of sectional qualifiers on Saturday.

The Thunder competed in the annual Fast Chance Meet at Minnechaug, where swimmers get one final crack at reach qualifying standards for next weekend’s Central/West Division 2 Championships at Springfield College (Sunday, Feb. 11).

The girls’ 200-yard freestyle relay quartet of Avery Heathwaite, Ainslee Flynn, Sophia McComb and Madi Liimatainen posted a time of 1:55.28 on Saturday, earning a sectional berth.

Turners’ Liam Bliss also punched a ticket to sectionals, as he posted a 24.39-second finish in the boys’ 50-yard freestyle.

They join previous sectional qualifiers in Liimatainen (50 free) and the girls’ 200-yard medley relay team of McComb, Heathwaite, Tristan Bliss and Liimatainen.

Also competing at the Fast Chance Meet from Turners were Ava Fortin, Tristan Bliss, Alice Fortin and Sylvie DiBartolomeo.

Nordic ski

The fifth race of the Berkshire Nordic Ski League season took place on Saturday on the two-loop course at Notchview in Windsor.

On the boys’ side, Mohawk Trail took fourth place as a team with 59 points, led by Augustus Niswonger’s fifth place overall finish in 18 minutes, 10 seconds.

Vincent Gauthier finished eighth for the Warriors (18:38), while teammates Adam Muller (22nd), Luke Pickard (28th) and Curtis Casey (31st) also contributed to the effort.

On the girls’ side, Mohawk Trail took second as a team behind winner Amherst.

Corinne Somes crossed in fourth place overall for Mohawk Trail (22:41), with teammate Charlotte Niswonger right behind in fifth (22:43).

Anya Read (12th place), Ada Corner (27th) and Noa Nabut (37th) rounded out the Warriors’ top five finishers.