Month: February 2024

Kearsarge upsets St. Thomas, advances to D-III final

Fourth-seeded Kearsarge upset top-ranked St. Thomas, 52-44, in the semifinal round of the NHIAA Division III Girls Basketball State Tournament on Wednesday night at Bow High School.

With the win, the Cougars advance to Saturday’s championship game versus No. 2 Hopkinton at Keene State College at 5:00 pm.

Kearsarge held the Saints to just six 1st-quarter points and took a 4-point lead to the 2nd quarter. The two squads played to a 14-14 draw in the second frame, giving the Cougars a 24-20 lead at the break. Kearsarge outscored the Saints 12-7 in the 3rd to push their lead to nine, 36-27, and they held on for the eight-point win.

Tessa Marinello led all scorers with 19 points for Kearsarge, while Ava Shapiro and Adara Boucher added 13 and 12, respectively. St. Thomas was paced by 12 points from Emma Toriello, 11 from Genevieve Bolduc and 10 from Emilie Von Der Linden.

The Cougars advance to their first state title game since 2012, when Kearsarge lost in the D-II finals to Souhegan, 53-27. On Saturday, the Cougars will be making their sixth state championship game appearance in school history and will be in search of their third title in school history, the first since 2002 when they took home the Class I crown.

Check out the full photo gallery of the action by Jill Stevens…

Kennett downs Plymouth in regular-season finale

The defending Division II state champion Kennett Eagles finished the 2023-24 regular season with a 42-37 win at Plymouth on Tuesday night.

The Eagles’ regular-season slate comes to a close with an 8-10 mark and currently sit in 13th place in the D-II standings, while the Bobcats fall to 4-13 on senior night.

Sam Sidoti led all scorers with a game-high 25 points for Kennett, while Georgia Coleman added 10. Plymouth was paced by 14 points from Kiara Brown. The Eagles were without Kaley Goodhart.

Check out the full photo gallery by John Scott Sherburne…

Marshall’s 40 points leads Pinkerton at Goffstown

Jackson Marshall poured in 40 points as Pinkerton survived at Goffstown on Tuesday night, 86-80.

The Astros led 43-27 at the half and appeared to be in control, but the host Grizzlies poured in 30 third-quarter points to cut the lead to five, 62-57, entering the final frame. Marshall scored 11 and Drew Brander added nine in the 4th quarter as Pinkerton held on for the win.

Brander finished with 16 points, while Charlie Ludden added 18 for the Astros. Goffstown was paced by 20 points from Tyler Dionne, 18 from Cam Hujsak, 16 from Isaiah Santos and 11 from Noah Durham.

With the win, Pinkerton improves to 16-1 on the season, while the Grizzlies fall to 7-10.

Check out the full photo gallery by Dave Beliveau…

Profile upsets Hinsdale, advances to quarterfinals

No. 10 Profile went on the road and upset No. 7 Hinsdale, 50-42, on Tuesday night in first round action of the 2024 NHIAA Division IV Girls Basketball State Tournament.

The Patriots advance to the quarterfinals where they will take on to seed Groveton on Friday.

Check out the full photo gallery of the action by our newest contributor Jess Bonnette of Jess Marie Photography…

Wilton-Lyndeborough closes out Franklin in first round

Sixth-seeded Wilton-Lyndeborough led by just three points entering the final frame in Tuesday night’s first round game versus #11 Franklin, but the Warriors outscored the Golden Tornadoes 18-11 over the final eight minutes to advance to the quarterfinals of the NHIAA Division IV state tournament, 55-45.

Wilton will take on #3 Newmarket in quarterfinal play on Friday night.

Adri Bausha poured in a game-high 28 points for the Warriors to lead all scorers, while Franklin was led by 16 points from Kourtney Kaplan and 14 from Lilly Cornell.

Check out the full photo gallery by Betsy Hansen…

Conant wins defensive affair, advances to state final

Top-seeded Conant avenged its only loss of the season by defeating No. 4 Kearsarge, 35-30, in a defensive battle on Tuesday night and punched its ticket to the title game of the Division III NHIAA state tournament.

The Orioles advance to take on #2 St. Thomas for the championship at Keene State College on Saturday at 8:00 pm.

Conant put the clamps on Kearsarge through three quarters of play, allowed just 18 points and took a 30-18 lead to the final frame. The Cougars tried to mount a comeback in the 4th, but came up just short.

Jared Nagle led Conant with 13 points, while the Cougars were paced by a game-high 20 points from Noah Whipple.

Check out the full photo gallery by Jeff Criss of Perfect Photos…

St. Thomas downs Mascoma, advances to final

No. 2 St. Thomas punched its ticket to the Division III championship game with a 57-38 win over #3 Mascoma Valley on Tuesday night in semifinal round action of the NHIAA state tournament at Bow High School.

The Saints will take on top-seeded Conant for all the marbles at Keene State College on Saturday at 8:00 pm.

St. Thomas found itself trailing 17-14 after the 1st quarter of play, but a 16-5 second quarter gave the Saints a 30-22 lead at the break and they never looked back. St. Thomas cranked up the defense in the second half as Dave Morissette’s squad allowed just 16 points and soared to a 19-point win.

James Allen led all scorers with 15 points for the Saints, while Carson Couperthwait (12), Cole McClure (11) and Will Mollica (10) all chipped in for St. Thomas’ balanced offense. The Royals were paced by 13 points from TJ Mardin and 10 from Brayden Pierce.

Check out the full photo gallery by Jeff Criss of Perfect Photos…