Month: December 2023

The Bash: Day 3 recap

Day three of the 44th Annual Mike Lee Holiday Basketball Bash featured 11 games. Photo galleries from all games played at Farmington High School can be seen right here. You can also download high resolution images for free here.

Below is final scores from all 11 games along with the high scorers in each…

GAME 23
GIRLS: Portsmouth Christian 53, Noble 35
PCA: Ava Buchanan 19 points, Tatiana Stockbower 13
Noble: Taylor Gnirk 23

GAME 24
BOYS: Noble 66, Nute 23
Noble: Jacob Finn 10
Nute: Silas Picard 9

GAME 25
GIRLS: Coe-Brown 60, Raymond 32
CBNA: Eilah Crawn 12, Emma Lapierre 11
Raymond: Mollee Messenger 16

GAME 26
BOYS: Kennett 50, Franklin 32
Kennett: Owen Robertson 18
Franklin: Zeke McCoy 11

GAME 27
BOYS: Raymond 65, Concord Christian 62
Raymond: Caden Claytor 19, Dre Duffaut 14
CCA: Isaac Bowers 17, Jaden Young 15, Logan Duffy 12,

GAME 28: FULL STORY
BOYS: Windham 87, Portsmouth Christian 53
Windham: Bouchard 19, Begley 16, Blanco 13
PCA: Cai Summers 23, Connor Hickey 19

GAME 29
BOYS: Profile 45, Coe-Brown 30
Profile: Alex Leslie 12, Josh Robie 11, Cayden Wakeham 11
CBNA: Matson 12, Quinn Salter 10

GAME 30: FULL STORY
GIRLS: Kennett 48, Sanborn 35
Kennett: Kaylee Goodhart 21, Sam Sidoti 16
Sanborn: Emma Gillis 8, Kaylee Fortin 8

GAME 31
GIRLS: Profile 44, Belmont 36
Profile: Kyah Knight 14
Belmont: Darci Stone 15, Bailey Perkins 13

GAME 32: FULL STORY
BOYS: Sanborn 63, Belmont 53
Sanborn: Chase Frizzell 21, Dylan Rego 18, Brandon Sarette 15
Belmont: Keegan Martinez 25

GAME 33
BOYS: Derryfield 47, Farmington 45
Derryfield: Jack Krasnof 20, Alex Drake 11
FHS: Shawn Murphy 15, Cody Brazee 10

Kennett battles for quarterfinal victory at The Bash

By Nathaniel Ford

FARMINGTON – In a matchup of Division II teams, the Kennett girls held on for a 48-35 victory over Sanborn and advanced to the semifinals of The Bash.

Kennett, the defending Division II champions, had to fight for this victory. “We won D-II last year, so everyone looks forward to playing us and we are going to get their best game,” said their head coach Larry Meader. 

The Eagles were given a tough game today by Sanborn, with nothing coming easy for them. Sanborn came out early and picked up a 6-4 lead behind a pair of baskets from Kaylee Fortin. Kennett answered by going on an 11-0 run driven by a trio of three pointers from Kaley Goodhart, and they led 15-8 entering the break. 

Some teams would roll over following such a big run, but the Indians did not. “They brought a lot of energy, and you could tell that they wanted the game,” said Meader. Sanborn was playing with high intensity throughout the contest, and it showed.

Despite this, Kennett extended their lead to 10 points, and the game entered halftime with a score of 26-16. Their offense was flowing through Goodhart, who knocked down two more triples in the second quarter, bringing her to five in the half. She had 17 points and was outscoring the Indians single handedly. 

The Eagles were looking to shut down Sanborn’s top scorer Emma Gillis, as well as controlling the paint on the defensive end. Meader felt that this was not accomplished well enough in the first half, so he made a change. 

“We went to a zone in the second half, and it took a while for Sanborn to get adjusted,” Meader said. Kennett switched from their usually man-to-man defense, and it worked out well for them. 

The Eagles were able to extend their lead in the third quarter to as much as 16 points by containing their opponents for much of the period. Center Samantha Sidoti was valuable in the third, pouring in 7 points and leading them to a 42-27 scoreline entering the fourth. 

While this deficit proved too large for a comeback, Sanborn fought until the final whistle. They held the Eagles scoreless until 4:30 left in the quarter. Their defense was intense, as they forced countless turnovers and tough shots. However, it was not enough, and Kennett finished with a 48-35 victory.

Kennett was led by a game-high 21 points and five three-pointers from Goodhart, as well as 16 from Sidoti. Sanborn had a balanced offensive output, with Gillis and Fortin each scoring 8 points. Maya Thompson and Ashyln Gallant chipped in with 5 points. 

Kennett advances to the semifinals of The Bash, where they will play Division IV Franklin tomorrow afternoon at 3:00.

Check out the full photo gallery of the action by KJ Cardinal…

Windham advances to Bash semifinals in dominant fashion

By Nathaniel Ford

Windham came away with a huge 87-53 victory today over Portsmouth Christian in the quarterfinals of The Bash. 

The Jaguars proved why they are one of the top teams at the tournament this year. They controlled the entire contest against the Eagles, thwarting any chance of a comeback at any point.

Windham jumped out to an early lead behind a 7-2 run in the first minute of the game. Portsmouth Christian put together a 7-2 run of their own, but two straight and-one baskets from Jack Begley killed all of the momentum they built. Begley led the way with 11 points, and Windham was up 24-13 entering the second. 

The Jaguars jumped out to open the quarter again, recording an 8-0 run in the first two minutes. And just like the first quarter, PCA responded immediately with an 8-2 run of their own to keep it competitive. The rest of the quarter was back-and-forth, and Windham entered the break up 44-27.

It was clear that it was a game of runs in this contest, and that trend only evolved in the second half. This time, it was PCA who strung together an early run, jumping on Windham 10-2 in the first couple of minutes, which cut the lead to single digits. 

Windham’s true colors showed once again when faced with adversity. The Jaguars did not roll over, and they did not panic. Instead, Caden Bouchard connected from beyond the arc on three consecutive possessions, which brought their lead back up to 17.

Bouchard led the Eagles on this massive run with his shooting, and his defense helped lead another huge run to end the quarter. They forced multiple PCA turnovers and capitalized in transition, ending the quarter on a 12-0 run and giving them a huge 70-44 lead entering the fourth.

This lead was too great to overcome, and the Jaguars ran away with a 34 point victory. Three-point shooting was critical to their victory, with Windham knocking down 11 from downtown. 

Leading the way for the Jaguars was 21 points from Bouchard, as well as 16 from Begley and 15 from Jackson Blanco. Portsmouth Christian was led by a game-high 23 points from Cai Summers, while Connor Hickey added 19 of his own. 

Windham advances to the semifinal round to face the Profile Patriots, who took down the Coe-Brown Bears earlier today in their quarterfinal matchup.

Check out the photo gallery by KJ Cardinal…

The Bash: Day 2 recap

That’s a wrap on day two of the 44th Annual Mike Lee Holiday Basketball Bash. Photo galleries from all games played at Farmington High School can be seen right here. You can also download high resolution images for free here.

Below is final scores from all 10 games along with the high scorers in each…

GAME 13
GIRLS: Sanborn 56, Portsmouth Christian 48
Sanborn: Emma Gillis 23
PCA: Ava Buchanan 24, Jaela Stockbower 11

GAME 14: FULL STORY
BOYS: Sanborn 76, Nute 30
Sanborn: Chase Frizzell 14, Brandon Sarette 11
Nute: Collin Hathorn 12, Picard 10

GAME 15
BOYS: Derryfield 43, Kennett 33
Derryfield: Jack Krasnof 14, Alex Comire 11, Alex Drake 10
Kennett: Tavon Porter 11, Daven Bailey 14

GAME 16: FULL STORY
BOYS: Windham 68, Noble 54
Windham: Caden Bouchard 16, Jack Begley 10,
Noble: Jamier Rose 21, Bryce Guitard 18

GAME 17
GIRLS: Franklin 60, Noble 40
Franklin: Lily Cornell 21, Kourtney Kaplan 18
Noble: Aubrey Brennan 20, Taylor Gnirk 16

GAME 18: FULL STORY
BOYS: Portsmouth Christian 61, Franklin 38
PCA: Cai Summers 20, Connor Hickey 18
Franklin: Zeke McCoy 28

GAME 19
GIRLS: Profile 56, Coe-Brown 50
Profile: Morgan Presby 13, Mya Brown 22
CBNA: Emma Lapierre 15, Hannah Meehan 14

GAME 20: FULL STORY
BOYS: Profile 71, Raymond 42
Profile: Josh Robie 35, Alex Leslie 15
Raymond: Dre Duffaut 10

GAME 21
GIRLS: Farmington 57, Raymond 35
FHS: Zoey Johnson 15, Shaylee DiPrizio 13, Jaelyn Prosper 10
Raymond: Sophie Huynh 15

GAME 22
BOYS: Farmington 78, Concord Christian 56
FHS: Demery Hadges 27, Shawn Murphy 16, Dylan Zappala 11, Aiden Place 10
CCA: Jaden Young 20

Robie leads Patriots to quarterfinals

By Nathaniel Ford

FARMINGTON – The Josh Robie show was in full effect, as the standout senior scored 37 points in Profile’s 71-49 victory over the Raymond Rams.

The Patriots showed today why they are true contenders, both at The Bash and in Division IV. To put it simply, they scored 10 less points today than their season average. And they scored 71. 

“We’ve got a really good squad in Division IV,” said Profile coach Mitchell Roy. The Endicott College alumni in his fourth year coaching for the Patriots. He took over a struggling squad and has brought them into contention in Division IV, sitting at an undefeated 5-0 record. 

Profile jumped out early, going on a 12-0 run in the first three minutes of play. It’s no secret that they can score in bunches. What they proved tonight is their defensive capabilities. The Patriots played inspired on their end, forcing plenty of turnovers and hustling all over the court. 

The game was out of reach after the first quarter. Profile was winning 27-2, and it was on both ends of the floor. Robie scored 15 points in the quarter alone, 9 of which coming from back-to-back-to-back three pointers on consecutive possessions. 

Raymond showed some life in the second quarter, opening it with an 11-2 run and cutting the Profile lead to 16. The Patriots stayed composed, and they rebounded with a nice run of their own highlighted by some huge baskets by Alex Leslie. 

Leslie recorded 9 points in the second quarter, and Profile kept a commanding 38-17 lead into the half. Despite Raymond winning the second quarter, The Patriots were still leading by over 20 points. 

The third quarter provided more back-and-forth play between the teams with Profile winning it narrowly. Robie had another double-digit quarter with 10 points, giving Profile a 57-32 lead entering the final quarter. 

The lead was already too big for a Raymond comeback coming into the fourth regardless of what happened. A 14-10 quarter in favor of Profile would finalize a convincing 71-42 win for the Patriots.

Profile was led by Robie’s 37 points, as well as a nice 15-point performance from Alex Leslie. Raymond had a balanced scoring attack led by 10-points from Drezell Duffaut and 8 points from Caden Claytor.

Profile advances to the quarterfinals to face a tough Coe-Brown team tomorrow at 2:00. Coach David Smith’s squad won the Team Sportsmanship award last year, and they return 2022 All-Tournament selection Quinn Salter. 

Raymond has been eliminated from contention, and they play Concord Christian tomorrow at 11:30.

Check out photos of action by KJ Cardinal…

PCA dominates in 23-point victory over Franklin

By Nathaniel Ford

FARMINGTON – The Portsmouth Christian Eagles cruised to a 61-38 victory over Franklin Golden Tornadoes and advanced to the quarterfinals of The Bash.

This was a battle between two Division IV teams. The Eagles are 5-1 on the season, while the Golden Tornadoes are sitting at 2-3.

PCA never trailed in this dominant showing on both ends of the floor. The Eagles went on an impressive 10-0 run in the first three minutes of the first quarter. They held Franklin scoreless until 4:48 left in the quarter, when Zeke McCoy made a free throw.

It took until 40 seconds left in the quarter for the Golden Tornadoes to record a field goal. This superb defense by Portsmouth Christian helped give them a massive lead. They finished the quarter leading 19-3.

Franklin showed some life on the offensive end in the second quarter, mostly through the play of Zeke McCoy. He scored 10 of Franklin’s 11 points in the quarter, all on consecutive possessions.

Despite this, PCA stayed composed on the offensive end and kept their large lead. They finished the half up 37-14, led by 13 points from Cai Summers, and 3 three-pointers from Wade Michaud.

The Eagles continued to dominate into the second half, extending their lead even more in the fourth quarter. Connor Hickey scored 10 points in the third quarter and was a large part of this PCA attack. Despite a 9-point quarter from McCoy, the Golden Tornadoes trailed 52-26 entering the fourth.

This massive lead was too much for Franklin to overcome, and the game ended in a 61-38 victory for Portsmouth Christian.

PCA was paced by 20 points from Cai Summers, while Connor Hickey (16) and Wade Michaud (11) added double-digits. Franklin’s Zeke McCoy carried the load with a game-high 30 points.

The Eagles advance to the quarterfinal round, where they will face Windham tomorrow at 12:45. Franklin falls out of the bracket and will play Kennett at 10:15 tomorrow morning.

Check out the full gallery of the action by KJ Cardinal…

Windham advances with win over Noble

By Nathaniel Ford

FARMINGTON – The Windham Jaguars battled to a 68-54 victory over the Noble Knights in the first round of bracket play at The Bash.

These two schools are the biggest at the Bash this year, both with over 1,000 students enrolled. This was also a battle between Maine and New Hampshire. 

“They average about 73 points a game, so we knew they could really score the ball,” Windham head coach Carson Desrosiers said. Scouting a team from another state is tough, but Desrosiers knew that the Knights could score the ball.

It looked like it would be all Noble early. “They got up 8-2 to start the game. No timeout by our coaching staff, trying to let our guys play through a bit of adversity, and they responded well,” said Desrosiers. The Knights hit two early three-pointers, but Windham stayed composed and did not panic.

Desrosiers’ squad answered quickly with a 9-0 run of their own, which brought them into the lead, and the quarter concluded with the Jaguars leading 19-16. Noble’s Jamier Rose had a game-high 10 points in the first quarter.

The Jaguars started the second quarter with an 8-0 run in the first 1:30, forcing a Noble timeout. Windham’s defense was on full display, holding the Knights to just two points through nearly five minutes of play, and only 7 points in the quarter, giving them a 33-23 lead into the break.

“They’re not used to the type of defense that we like to play. We knew we could overwhelm them with our physicality and quickness,” said Desrosiers. Shutting down Noble’s explosive offense was the key to winning this game, and Windham did just that.

The Jaguars hit big shot after big shot in the second half. Noble strung together a 7-0 run in the third quarter, and Windham’s Caden Bouchard responded with a massive three-pointer. The Knights started to build momentum to end the quarter, and it looked like they could carry it to the fourth and mount a comeback. Instead, Jack Koutrobis hit a buzzer-beater floater for the Jaguars, which extended their lead to 55-38 entering the fourth. 

This lead proved to be too large to overcome. Windham carried momentum in the quarter behind a huge dunk from Jack Murphy. Despite four Noble three-pointers late, the Jaguars stayed composed and finished with a 14 point victory. 

“They were ranked 5th in Division II in Maine last year, and that was a great test for us,” said Desrosiers. After two big wins to open their Bash debut, Windham looks to carry this momentum into the rest of the tournament.

Leading the way for Windham was Caden Bouchard, who finished with 16 points and four three-pointers. Jack Koutrobis (12) and Jack Begley (10) also added double figures. Noble was paced by a game-high 21 points by Jamier Rose and 15 from Bryce Guitard. 

The Jaguars advance to the quarterfinals and face the winner of Portsmouth Christian and Franklin tomorrow at 12:45. Noble is eliminated from contention and faces Nute tomorrow morning at 9:00.

Check out the full photo gallery of the action by KJ Cardinal…

Sanborn cruises past Nute in opening round of The Bash

By Nathaniel Ford

FARMINGTON – A late bus had no effect on Sanborn, as they rolled to a 76-30 victory over Nute this morning at The Bash.

“We were sitting at the school for two hours,” said Sanborn sophomore Ricky Caillouette. The team bus, which was supposed to arrive at 6:30, did not make it to the school until 7:45. This inconvenience did not seem to affect their performance one bit in this big win.

The Indians fell to Windham yesterday in their friendly game on opening day 80-57. “I felt we were a little flat and didn’t play our game yesterday,” said head coach Wayne Souther, who is in his first year as the varsity coach.

Souther’s squad was not flat today, as they opened the game flying on a 7-0 run in the first minute of the game. They continued this momentum, recording another 8-0 scoring run in the middle of the quarter. They were ahead 23-8 going into the second behind eight points from Chase Frizzell.

A big reason for their big lead was stout defense by Sanborn. Transition baskets off of steals and Nute turnovers were pouring in. This trend continued in the second quarter, as the Rams scored just five points, and the Indians entered halftime leading 36-13.

Going into the second half, the game was out-of-reach for Nute, and they could never gain enough momentum for a comeback. The Rams strung together an 8-3 run to end the third quarter, but this only cut the score to 56-26 going into the fourth.

The fourth quarter went the same as the rest of the game, with Sanborn controlling both ends of the floor. The Indians’ offensive attack was highlighted by a Chase Frizzell dunk in transition. Sanborn ended up winning by a commanding 36 points in this statement game.

Nute was paced by 12 points from Silas Picard and 10 points from Collin Hathorn. Sanborn’s 76 points were distributed between nine different scorers. Chase Frizzell led the way with 14 points, while Brandon Sarette (11), Cole Chapman (10), and Brian Nadeau (12) all contributed double figures.

“This tournament has the most games out of every tournament. We are trying to get our guys that weren’t there over the fall and summer more playing time so they can help us later in the regular season,” said Souther. Getting experience for a lot of guys is something a tournament like The Bash provides for a team, and that was in full effect today.

This contest was the opening game in bracket play for the Bash. Sanborn’s win advances them to the quarterfinals, where they will play Belmont tomorrow at 5:45 p.m.

With their loss, Nute has been eliminated from contention and will play a consolation game against the loser of Windham vs. Noble tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m.

Check out the full photo gallery of the action by KJ Cardinal…

Windham soars past Sanborn

By Nathaniel Ford

FARMINGTON – The Windham Jaguars handed the Sanborn Indians a 23-point loss, 80-57, on the opening day of the 44th Annual Mike Lee Holiday Basketball Bash in Farmington.

This game was a friendly matchup between Division I Windham and Division II Sanborn. This is Windham’s first year competing in the Bash.

“We didn’t know much about Sanborn. Finding film was tough, and they’re a Division II team,” said Windham head coach Carson Desrosiers. The Bash provides matchups across divisions, and this is a prime example of that.

The Jaguars controlled the game from the start. The first few minutes were back-and-forth, with Sanborn leading for the only time at 5-4. Windham proceeded to take charge, ending the quarter on a 17-7 run and finishing up 21-12 going into the break.

A big reason for this early lead was Windham’s offensive rebounding. “Sam Roidoulis, a freshman, was huge for us today with 4 offensive rebounds in the first quarter. We could get into a timeout and say that the freshman is providing energy,” Desrosiers said. Second-chance points were pouring in for the Jaguars.

The second quarter was close, with both teams trading baskets and the game remaining a nine-point difference, with Windham leading 34-25 heading into the break. Sanborn was paced by their two highest scorers combining for all but one point. Chase Frizzell had a game-high 15 points at halftime, and Dylan Rego added 9 at the break.

Rego is averaging 26 points a game, which is the third highest mark across Division II. “We treated him as a no-help player with all guys ready to help,” Desrosiers said. The Jaguars committed to shutting him down, as he is a big part of what makes Sanborn’s offense so dynamic.

The third quarter opened with a bang, as Windham threw down a transition dunk for the first basket of the half. Sanborn bounced back after the dunk, led by a 10-point quarter by Rego, but they could not pull closer than six points at any time. Windham went on a run towards the end of the quarter, and they entered the fourth up 56-44.

The Jaguars were finally able to blow the game open in the fourth, scoring seven points in just fifteen seconds early to thwart any chance of a Sanborn comeback. Windham carried momentum throughout the quarter, and finished with an 80-57 victory.

Windham was led by a balanced scoring attack led by four double digit scorers: Jack Begley (18), Caden Bouchard (16), Jack Murphy (12), and Tyler Jordan (10). Sanborn was paced by 20 from Chase Frizzell and 19 from Dylan Rego.

Windham looks to make waves in their Bash debut in their first bracket game against Noble on Wednesday at 12:15 pm. Sanborn looks to bounce back in their opener against Nute at 9:45 am Wednesday.

Check out the full photo gallery from the action by KJ Cardinal…