By Braedan Shea
@Braedan_Shea
Three years ago, the word “rivalry” sat toward the bottom of ways to describe Springfield Central and Putnam Vocational high schools boys basketball matchups.
In the 2021-22 season, the Beavers were no more than an afterthought for the Golden Eagles, as Central cruised to two 20-point-or-more victories, including a 85-30 shellacking in both teams first game of the season.
But as Putnam’s Darien Rudder’s free throw hit nothing but nylon just seconds into the program’s matchup in the 2025 Hoophall Classic, the energy in Springfield College’s Blake Arena expressed otherwise. The gym exploded, as if the freshman guard had hit a game winning half-court heave in the Massachusetts state championship game. It was clear that this was not only a rivalry game, but one of the most exciting in Western Mass.
While the foundation for a great battle has always been present, considering the schools are located less than a mile apart from one another, Putnam’s hard decline in production put the matchups’ excitement on ice. That is until UMass basketball legend and former NBA player Lou Roe took over as the head coach at Putnam Vocational in January of 2021.
Turning around the Beavers wasn’t an immediate process, but it was as close as a coach could get. In Roe’s first full season at the helm, Putnam went 2-13. By his third year, the team exploded to a record of 15-6. And not only did Roe bring success, he also rekindled the dying flame between his program and Central, all coming to a head at the 2024 Hoophall Classic.
Taking place during the same day and time slot of this year’s tournament, the final game on Thursday night, the Central and Putnam matchup a year ago had everything that is great with high school basketball – large runs, big 3-pointers, loud crowds, a historic moment and a tight finish.
Spectators were treated to a high-intensity 77-75 battle, capped off by then-Putnam senior Andrew Mabry dropping 30 points and surpassing the 1,000 point career milestone. But it also marked another career milestone: Roe defeating Central for the first time in his coaching career. The rivalry was fully back.
Now a year later, Central and Putnam’s opening day Hoophall matchup was one of the most anticipated games of the day.
Despite tip-off not occurring until an hour and a half – and one minute – after the scheduled 9:00 pm jump, and being a weekday game, fans still packed the tired, wooden bleachers of Blake. With a crowd that included cheerleaders from both Putnam and Central, and deafening cheering for each bucket, the game played more like a pep rally than a midseason matchup.
For the first three quarters of action, the gameplay on the floor was a complete slugfest. Much like a year ago, the teams played a tight game, both trading buckets and the lead. With 7:01 left to play in the third quarter, however, Central’s Jabari Sifrin showed why the Golden Eagles had been the big brother for so many years.
Sifrin powered to the rim, kissing the ball off the backboard to give Central a 27-26 lead. A three-point bucket by teammate Unique Kynard on the ensuing possession was just the spark the Golden Eagles needed. By time the third quarter ended, Central raced out to a commanding 44-28 lead, and one it held until the final whistle with the Golden Eagles getting a 56-47 redemption victory.
Central head coach Bill Watson embraces the fierce competition with Putnam, noting that the two programs are very similar at its cores.
“There’s a lot of, a lot of good energy when we’re playing Putnam, especially because it’s right down the street. They’re a good school and a good program as well. They got some good basketball players over there, got a little history and tradition, and they’re a very prideful school. But Central is very prideful too. We kind of hang our hats on wanting to be the best at everything – academics, sports – and anything else that comes across the table. So anytime you put two schools like that together, we’re gonna get after it.”
Photo by Dante Iafrate/The Student