NORTHFIELD — To say it was a rock fight at Messer Gymnasium on Friday would be an understatement.

With a spot in the MIAA Div. 5 semifinals on the line, neither the Pioneer or Maynard boys basketball teams were giving an inch on the defensive end of the court. 

The No. 4 Panthers held a 17-16 lead at the half, but it was the fifth-seeded Tigers who found their footing on offense in the second half, outscoring Pioneer 16-11 in the third to take a 32-28 lead into the fourth. In the final eight minutes the Panthers were held to just one field goal, as Maynard took command of the game and knocked down its free throws late to advance to the semis with a 45-32 victory. 

“We shot 19 percent from the field,” Pioneer coach Scott Thayer said. “We were 10-for-52 shooting. I told the kids it wasn’t for a lack of effort on the defensive end. We gave up 45 points and lost the game. Most times you hold a team 50 and under and you win the game. Maybe the moment got to us a little bit and we started tightening up on some of those shots once they weren’t going in. One led to the next. When you play a good team like that you have to stay connected.

“We fought,” Thayer continued. “It wasn’t for a lack of effort. We just have to make a few shots and maybe things change. We did everything we were supposed to do defensively.”

The loss closes out the season for the Panthers (20-4), which took home the Hampshire League South title as well as winning the Western Mass. Class D championship. The Tigers (15-7) advance to face No. 1 Taconic in the semis. 

“There’s some disappointed kids,” Thayer said. “Right now it hurts and stings but that’s what it’s supposed to do. If you do this long enough you’ll go through it on both ends. Take a couple days and they’ll realize the great season they had.”

Maynard (15-7) opened the fourth quarter with a basket from Abraao Alencar to take a 34-28 lead. 

Brayden Thayer was fouled on the other end and made a pair of free throws, but Alencar and Ryan McLaughlin scored the next two baskets for the Tigers. 

With 3:50 to play, Kurt Redeker got the ball at the free throw line and dished it to Hugh Cyhowski down low who finished the layup to cut the lead to 38-32, but it would be the final basket the Panthers would make in the contest. 

Maynard sealed the game with 1:22 to play. Nolan Currier drove to the rim and kicked it out to Dylan Gallo in the right corner and the sophomore swished the 3, making it a three-possession game. The Tigers got a stop on the other end and made their free throws late to seal the hard fought win. 

“You tend to see that when you get this deep in the playoffs and teams are battling for every possession,” Maynard coach Paul Howes said. “I just hoped that our guys could hang in there. We were getting a little fatigued. So much respect for Pioneer.”

The defensive intensity was felt from the opening tip on. Maynard, who knocked down 14 3-pointers in its Round of 16 win over Greenfield, struggled to put the ball in the basket from deep against a hounding Panther defense, finishing the game with just four made 3s. 

Ryan Cedeno knocked down two of those, both coming in the first quarter to help give the Tigers a 12-7 advantage after eight minutes. Redeker scored inside, Josh Wood drained a 3 and Redeker got fouled and made both foul shots for the Pioneer points in the frame. 

The Panther defense took over the game in the second quarter, holding Maynard to just four points. Wood opened the quarter by sinking a 3 before Alencar scored in the paint. 

Thayer later made a 3 before Redeker got to the rim and finished with 3:59 left in the frame to give Pioneer a 15-14 lead, its first of the game. 

Alex McClelland knocked down two free throws before Currier got to the rim for two to slice the Panther lead to 17-16 going into the break. 

“I liked where we were at halftime,” Scott Thayer said. “It was low scoring but I was good with that because most games we go through a drought like that but then we make a few in a row and it gives us a cushion. We were never able to get to that point but they were able to get to that six-to-eight point cushion.” 

Thayer opened the second half by swishing a deep 3, but Currier took things into his own hands after to put the Tigers in control of the game. 

After driving and kicking throughout the first half to no avail, Currier started attacking the rim and looking to score in the second half. He got fouled and made both free throws, got inside for two in transition and on the ensuing possession got inside for another layup. He then found Alencar inside who scored with the foul, as Maynard went on a 9-0 run to take a 25-20 lead. 

Wood halted the run with a 3 of his own before banking in a midrange jumper to knot the game up at 25. McLaughlin then made a shot from downtown and Alencar used his size to score in the paint to give the Tigers a five-point cushion but Wood came back and hit a 3 for Pioneer. Daniel Terrell closed out the quarter by getting inside for two to give Maynard its 32-28 lead going into the fourth. 

“We know these are tough kids and it’s going to be a battle,” Howes said. “We just made shots against Greenfield. We haven’t made 14 3s like that in 10 years. Our guys played tough tonight and I’m really proud of them.”

The Tigers were able to capitalize on multiple second possession opportunities, using their size down low to win the rebounding margin. 

“We gave up too many opportunities,” Thayer said. “We have to gang rebound. I haven’t checked the numbers but I’m pretty sure we lost the rebounding edge. We were getting good looks. Those are shots we normally make. You can’t make them all but you have to make a few.” 

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