Boys basketball: Mat Sulda became the 21st player in Smith Academy history to reach the milestone and the third in the past 12 months.
HATFIELD – For someone who shuns the spotlight, Smith Academy boys basketball player Mat Sulda certainly crossed the 1000-point mark in style.
The senior guard scored a career-high 35 points in the Falcons’ 77-50 blowout of Athol in front of a raucous home crowd Monday.
“It feels great and I’m happy I got it done tonight,” Sulda said. “I didn’t want them to stop the game and all that. I didn’t want us to get cold. It is hard to turn it on, turn it off and then on again.”
Sulda certainly had it turned on – often. He missed his first two shots, but his third 3-pointer in a span of two minutes, 44 seconds pushed him past the 1000-point threshold. He became the 21st player in Smith Academy history to reach the milestone and the third in the past 12 months (Anthony Afflitto in 2010, Alyssa Klepacki last month).
“It’s an honor and it means a lot to me. My uncle and my grandfather also did it,” Sulda said.
Much to his chagrin, the game was stopped for a brief ceremony. With family members filling the stands, Sulda was presented with a ceremonial ball he gave to his parents, earning hugs from teammates and coaches.
“I couldn’t have done this without my teammates, coaches, family and friends,” he said.
“He is like having another coach on the floor,” Smith Academy coach Matt Zerneri said. “He does everything I ask him to do and he is always a team-first kid. This is a great honor for him.”
The Falcons were never threatened as their team speed and outside shooting proved too much for Athol. David Longstreeth added 14 points and five rebounds while Keith Natale chipped in 10 points and 11 rebounds. Sulda’s big hoop opened up a 14-6 lead for Smith and the visitors never got any closer.
He finished the first quarter with 17 points as the Falcons opened up a 28-11 lead on the Red Raiders. Neither team shot well in the second, but Longstreeth’s two 3s helped hike the Falcons’ advantage to 42-19 at the break.
Athol was just 4 for 20 from the floor in the quarter. Junior Adrian Sexton had all four of those field goals and finished with 24 points.
Sulda’s 14 third-quarter points powered Smith to a 58-33 lead after three and the Falcons hit cruise control over the final eight minutes. The starters rested for the last half of the game and Sulda left to a standing ovation.
“It was a great crowd tonight,” he said. “I’m proud to be part of this tradition and I’m just glad we got this over with in the first quarter. Most important is that we got the win.”