WESTFIELD — In order to break through and reach both the Western Massachusetts and state tournaments last year, the Minnechaug boys basketball team had to figure out how to win close games.
That successful recipe carried over into Thursday’s season opener, as the Falcons kept their composure down the stretch to start the 2025-26 campaign with a hard-fought victory.
Visiting Minnechaug outscored Westfield 9-2 over the final three minutes and 21 seconds of regulation to turn a tie game into a 51-44 independent victory.
“A part of it’s our experience from last year,” said Minnechaug coach Mike Orzech. “Last year, we were able to qualify for the Western Mass. and state tournaments. And with a bunch of guys coming back, six guys coming back from that team, we kind of learned how to win in these situations when games are on the line.
“I’ve had teams in the past that we find ways to lose these games. And I feel like with the maturity that we have, we have that composure down the stretch. And that’s what it takes to be successful in Western Mass. You’ve got to win a lot of close games.”
Jeremiah Rijos’ layup with 3:31 left tied the game at 42 for Westfield, but the Bombers were held without a field goal the rest of the way.
“It’s one of those things where we know we’re going to play hard. It’s my expectation that we always play hard, but we’ve got to execute,” Westfield coach Nate Martins said. “That’s what really good teams do, and we didn’t. Coach Orzech did a nice job settling his group down and executing and other guys for them stepped up, hit some shots and that’s what really good teams do. That’s why they’re a top team.”
Minnechaug star point guard Miles Fergus, a Preseason Super 7 selection, was on a minutes restriction as he continues to recover from a dislocated ankle. While the senior played sparingly for the first three quarters, he keyed the charge down the stretch when the Falcons pulled away late.
Fergus, who finished with eight points, didn’t score a point in the fourth quarter, but his calming presence with the ball in his hands helped Minnechaug close it out. The visitors received big hoops over the final three minutes from Landyn Eldridge (game-high 13 points), Caden Duke (six points) and Max Fergus (nine points). Darren Duah controlled the glass for the Falcons, and finished with 12 points — six in each half.
“He’s on a strict minutes constraint, so we tried to keep him to that to the best of our ability,” Orzech said of Miles Fergus. “He’s certainly our best player. He’s tremendous, so he makes a big difference.
“We’ve only had four practices as a team so we’ve got a lot of stuff to put in, a lot of stuff to learn. I’m just happy that they found a way to grind it out and walk out of here with a win.”
Minnechaug looked the part early, as the club stormed out of the gates to grab a 12-2 lead thanks to 3-pointers from Miles Fergus, Max Fergus and Duke. But the Bombers didn’t flinch, and a spark off the bench from Aiden Holliday had the hosts back within striking distance.
Minnechaug led 17-9 after one quarter and just 24-20 at halftime, as Evan Miller drained a 3 to help Westfield hang around.
Westfield’s Patryk Lech had the hot hand in the second half, as he scored 10 straight points for the Bombers at one point. His 3-pointer with 5:45 left in the fourth quarter tied the game at 38.
The Bombers tied it again twice more before Minnechaug locked in late, as Fergus returned to the game with 5:01 remaining and played the final stretch to help get the Falcons over the finish line.
Lech’s 10 points were a team high for Westfield, while Miller scored nine points and Holliday tossed in seven.
“The kids played really hard but we got beat on the glass,” Martins said. “And turnovers were an issue for us, and that’s kind of been frustrating from the start. You can’t win against really good teams playing like that.”
Minnechaug, which was also playing without starter Drew Grasso, has a busy start to its season with five games before the Christmas break. That stretch continues on Saturday night when the Falcons play Amherst in the Pioneer Valley Tip-Off at the Mullins Center in Amherst, and Orzech said his hope is to survive the early-season ups and downs into Christmas before taking some time to reset and fix what needs it.
Martins said the Bombers are hoping to take another step forward this winter after winning eight games apiece the last two seasons.
“The next step for us is executing so that we can have a playoff berth,” he said. “We’ve had eight wins the last couple of years, so we’re right there. We’re constantly talking about the small details, and the small details are, don’t turn over to basketball, and don’t give good teams second-chance baskets. I think we’re alright… that’s a really good team, but if we don’t execute, then it’s gonna be a long year.”
Westfield continues its schedule Monday with a home game against Chicopee. The Bombers play their first four games of the season in the Whip City.
