SPRINGFIELD — Thirteen local seniors earned invites to an exclusive 32 minutes of basketball on the hardwood at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
A total of 60 seniors were invited to the 11th annual Western Massachusetts Senior All-Star games at the Jerry Colangelo Court of Dreams on Friday night.
The evening was split into three games and Taconic’s Sean Harrigan was honored as the boys Western Mass. Player of the Year during the night’s final contest.
“The moment I found out, all the work I put in throughout my career paid off,” Harrigan said while reflecting on the honor.
Harrigan played 23 games in his senior year and averaged nearly 17 points per game for the Thunder. Additionally, he joins former teammate Isaac Percy as the second Taconic player to win the award.
“It’s good for the future,” Harrigan said of Taconic’s sustained success. “It keeps us on the radar for kids coming up, everyone knows who we are now.”
Harrigan, along with Sam Sherman and Pittsfield’s Tobias Gaulden-Wheeler, were featured on the Class A and B boys teams. The boys teams were created based on designated classes for the Pioneer Valley Interscholastic Athletic Conference and the rosters were chosen based on a committee of local coaches and media members, according to a release from the Hall of Fame.
Hoosac Valley’s Carson Meczywor, Drury’s Ben Moulton, Lenox’s Mike Wade and McCann Tech’s Jacob Howland were featured in the Class C and D All-Star game, which started the night. Meczywor and the Hurricanes won the inaugural Class D Western Mass. tournament, Moulton and the Blue Devils were finalists in the Class C field.
The girls took the court for the second game, which featured representatives from all four classes. Lee’s Emma Puleri and Drury’s Kayla McGrath were teammates on Team 1.
On the other bench, Hoosac’s Averie McGrath and Alyssa Garabedian joined Taconic’s Ahliya Phillips and Faith Cross on Team 2. Matt Mickle, coach of the Thunder, and his assistants coached Team 2.
Hoosac Valley topped Lee in the Class D championship game and ended the season as D-V state tournament finalists. The Thunder defeated Drury in the Class C semifinals and won the sectional crown, before falling to the Hurricanes in the state semifinals.
“Everything,” Kayla McGrath said of what catches her eye when walking into the Hall of Fame. “It’s a crazy place and getting to play in it is just awesome.”
Harrigan, Sherman and Gaulden-Wheeler were responsible for ending the night on a good note as the closing act.
Playing at the Hall is just another notch on the checklist for the Class of 2022.
“Just those core memories of being together with my teammates,” Kayla McGrath said of what she wants to stick with her decades after her basketball career is over. “It feels like I’ve played with them forever.”