Warriors outlast Highlanders, repeat as BL champions

LITCHFIELD - Wamogo’s boys basketball team successfully defended its Berkshire League Tournament championship in a 50-41 overtime slugfest over Northwestern at Wamogo High School.

The Highlanders played their second straight game without four players suspended for non-team disciplinary reasons.

That left a seeming matchup of individual stars in Zack Penn’s 6-4 size for Northwestern versus Garrett Sattazahn’s 6-2 finesse for the Warriors.

Penn only scored 13 and Sattazahn only scored 12, but the final result depended much more on their passing than scoring.

“Penn and Ben North (14 points) tried to carry (their teammates) on their backs,” Wamogo coach Gregg Hunt said.

And, for the second consecutive game, Warrior sophomore Cole Higgins had the biggest shot of the game — a three-pointer to put the Warriors up at the start of overtime.

Playmaking for Sattazahn and Penn was a feature from the start.

Ethan Collins (14 points) scored the game’s first basket on a feed from Sattazahn. Michael Neumann scored Northwestern’s first hoop on a pass from Penn.

Penn picked up a second foul early in the second period and headed for the bench. Sattazahn kept up the feeds — to Collins and Higgins — as Wamogo pulled out to a 21-15 lead.

The pace and physicality revved up steadily in the second half. Penn got a third foul call on a charge midway through the third, but whistles were scarce by the time he had a huge block and steal. Northwestern led, 41-39, with 2:17 left in the fourth.

Collins tied it with an

eight-footer. Defense took the game to overtime.

Higgins hit his three on

the first possession. Three more Wamogo layups earned the Warrior crown.

“There was a lot of stress, and it was tough,” Sattazahn said. “But that’s how we like to play.”