The men’s basketball team took the short trip to Springfield last weekend for the Pioneer Valley Classic, a tournament that Amherst has dominated in recent years. The Jeffs lived up to expectations, taking home the championship with wins on Friday and Saturday.
The Friday matchup pitted Amherst against host Springfield, who got off to a good start. The Jeffs, used to blowing their first few opponents out in the early going, had to adjust after falling behind 13-10 in the first six minutes. The game was hotly-contested for the rest of the first half as well, and Amherst went into the locker room clinging to a four-point lead. The second half action proved just as entertaining, and the Jeffs held a single- digit lead for most of the period.
With under four minutes to go, Aaron Toomey ’14 took over the game, scoring Amherst’s last 10 points and preserving a tense 81-71 victory. Toomey led the team with 21 points on the night, but many others had solid contributions. Willy Workman ’13 scored 15 points and added five assists and four rebounds to his stat line, while Taylor Barisse ’12 went four for six from behind the arc en route to a 14-point scoring night.
The Jeffs actually had an easier time in their next game against Westfield State, going up 46-22 after the first half. The Owls made a late push and cut the lead to 14 points with slightly less than 10 minutes to play in the game. David Waller ’12, however, kicked the ball out for a quick three-pointer by Workman to shift momentum Amherst’s way, and the Jeffs never looked back from there.
If not for the 25 points poured in by Westfield State’s Lee Vasquez, the game might have been much more lopsided than the final 79-62 score. For Amherst, Toomey led the way again with 20 points, while Barisse added 14 and Waller dropped 10. However, Workman’s night stood out the most, as he posted a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Coming off a pair of road triumphs, the Jeffs came back to LeFrak on Tuesday to host Emmanuel. The team continued to build its early season momentum, extending their win streak to six games with a 100-76 victory. This offensive explosion, which marked the first time this season the Jeffs reached the century point mark, was led by Toomey’s 20 points, his fourth consecutive game with 20 or more. Workman and Jeff Holmes ’12, however, were the stars of this game, as both recorded double-doubles. Workman posted 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Holmes put up an impressive 18-point, 12-rebound effort.
The early part of this season is looking similar to the dominant stretch the Jeffs enjoyed last year, and the team is simply looking to sustain its success and build from the learning opportunities in each game. Their next test is on Thursday at Babson College, followed by another road game on Saturday at Brandeis. Lastly, the team comes home to take on Anna Maria on Tuesday before an extended break in the schedule, which has them off until Dec. 30 to enjoy the holidays.