Month: February 2024

Farmington downs Pittsburg-Canaan

Behind 19 points from 8th grader Shaylee DiPrizio, #4 Farmington defeated #13 Pittsburg-Canaan, 56-50, in first round action of the NHIAA Division IV Girls Basketball State Tournament on Tuesday night.

The Tigers advance to the quarterfinals and will take on #5 Woodsville on Friday at 7:00 pm.

Farmington held the Yellow Jackets to just five 1st-quarter points and led 10-5 after one. Saidy Placey pumped in three 3-pointers and 11 total points in the second for Pittsburg-Canaan to cut the Tiger lead to two at the half, 27-25.

The 3rd quarter belonged to the Tigers and DiPrizio as she poured in nine points to help give FHS a 44-37 lead heading to the final stanza. The seven-point bulge proved to the difference.

For the game, Pittsburg-Canaan managed to get to the free throw line 26 times, but connected on just 15 of the freebies (57.7%).

Zoey Johnson (12) and Madi Ricker (10) also added double-digits for the Tigers, while Anna Cardinal chipped in with 8 points.

Placey led all scorers with 22 points for the Yellow Jackets and Alyvia Jaimes added 10.

Check out the full photo gallery of the action by Heidi Green of Heidi Green Photography…

Littleton cruises to quarterfinals past Moultonborough

No. 2 Littleton outscored #15 Moultonborough 25-6 in the 1st quarter and cruised to a 71-36 win in first round play of the 2024 NHIAA Division IV Boys Basketball State Tournament on Monday night.

The Crusaders advance to the quarterfinals and will host #10 Groveton on Thursday.

Littleton was led four dougle-figure scorers: Kayden Hoskins (15), Dre Akines (13), Mikey Rodriguez (11) and Sam Reagey (10). The Panthers were paced by 10 points from Brodie Bacon.

Check out the full gallery by John Scott Sherburne…

Woodsville downs Hinsdale, advances to quarterfinals

No. 6 Woodsville started slow, but finished strong, as the three-time defending state champions began their title defense with a 55-32 win over #11 Hinsdale in first round action of the NHIAA Division IV State Tournament on Monday night.

The Engineers advance to the quarterfinals where they will take on #3 Derryfield on Thursday.

Woodsville and the Pacers were knotted at 7-7 after the first quarter of play before the Jamie Walker’s squad turned up the heat.

Woodsville would outscore Hinsdale 14-5 in the 2nd quarter, 13-6 in the 3rd and 21-14 in the 4th to come away with the 23-point victory.

Leading the way for the Engineers was Landon Kingsbury with a game-high 15 points, while Ryan Walker (12), Mike Hogan (10) and Connor Newcomb (10) all contributed with double-digits. The Pacers were paced by 9 from Chris Colon. Brayden Eastman was held to just 2 points for Hinsdale.

Check out photos of the action by our newest contributor Arinn Roy…

Fourth-quarter flurry leads Farmington past Colebrook

No. 4 Farmington trailed by 10 entering the final frame, before unleashing a 22-6 4th-quarter run to end the game and come away with a 56-50 win over #13 Colebrook on Monday night.

Check out the highlights…

[🔥🎥 KJ Cardinal]

With the win, the Tigers advance to the quarterfinal round where they will take on #5 Holy Family on Thursday.

The Mohawks’ Jackson Weir connected on a three at the buzzer to end the first half and tie the game at 26-26. Colebrook rode that momentum into the second half as they outscored the Tigers, 18-8, in the third and took a 10-point lead to the 4th.

Farmington seemed to be on the ropes, but the Tigers responded with an 8-0 run to start the 4th. Noah Elwell connected on a three to get the rally started, followed by a Preston Berko three-point play.

Dylan Zappala put the Tigers ahead for good with a lay up to make it 49-48 with 1:42 left to play. Shawn Murphy netted 8 in the quarter, including making 3 of 4 free throws to put the game on ice.

Aiden Place and Murphy paced Farmington with 12 points apiece, while Zappala added 10. Colebrook was led by Kolten Dowse (16), Jackson Weir (15) and Keenan Hurlbert (14).

Check out the full photo gallery by Heidi Green of Heidi Green Photography…

Groveton upsets Gorham in first round

Tenth-seeded Groveton went on the road and won a defensive battle at Gorham, 35-27, on Monday night in first round action of the NHIAA Division IV Boys Basketball State Tournament.

With the win, the Eagles advance to the quarterfinals where they will take on #2 Littleton on Thursday.

Groveton held Gorham to just nine made field goals for the entire game, six of which were three-pointers.

The game was tied at 15 at the half and Groveton led by one after three, before outscoring Gorham 16-9 in the final frame to pull away.

Kaden Cloutier led all scorers with 13 points for the Eagles, while the Huskies were paced by 10 from Brendan Saladino.

Check out the full photo gallery by Greg Alnwick…

Holy Family survives versus Concord Christian

Fifth-seeded Holy Family poured in 28 points in the 4th quarter to erase a 3-point deficit and earn a 67-61 win over #12 Concord Christian on Monday night in first round action of the NHIAA Division IV Boys Basketball State Tournament in Manchester.

The Griffins advance to the quarterfinals where they will take on #4 Farmington on Thursday.

Holy Family took a 6-point lead to the break, 33-27, but the Kingsmen outscored the Griffins 19-6 in the 3rd to take a 3-point lead to the final quarter.

Leading the way for Holy Family was four double-digit scorers: Gabe Lacasse (19), Jeremiah Guererro (15), Patrick Gillis (13) and Enzo Yonkeu (10). CCA was paced by a game-high 21 points from Isaac Bowers, while TJ Charbono (13), Jaden Young (12) and Isaac Kirby (10) all netted double figures as well.

Check out photos of the action by Todd Grzywacz of Stonewall Photography…

Profile eases past Epping to quarterfinals

Top-seeded Profile put together a dominant performance in the first round of the NHIAA Division IV Boys Basketball State Tournament as the Patriots eased to a 79-21 victory over No. 16 Epping on Monday night.

With the win, Profile advances to the quarterfinals where the Patriots will play host to #8 Portsmouth Christian on Thursday.

Senior Josh Robie poured in a game-high 34 points, including 14 in the 3rd quarter alone to pace the Patriots. Alex Leslie (20) and Cayden Wakeham (14) also netted double-digits for Profile.

Blake Snyder scored 15 of the Blue Devils 21 points.

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

All 88 NHIAA schools & 173 varsity teams covered!

By: KJ Cardinal

Following this week’s coverage, we have now covered ALL 88 NHIAA SCHOOLS for the second season in a row and for the first time ever, we have covered ALL 173 NHIAA VARSITY TEAMS in the Granite State! This means we’ve had a photographer or videographer at one of your games to showcase your team through our unique visual storytelling. We’ve been at nearly 400 games already this season!

We’ve shared beautiful photos and video highlights and created graphics to celebrate memorable moments from all over the state. We’ve taken your fan submissions and provided bonus coverage of big moments like buzzer beaters, half-court shots and highlight dunks. We’ve thankfully been able to do this all at no cost to your school and without the requirement of sponsorships for our coverage. We’ve simply cranked out high-quality content that is FREE to you, the viewer, and the results have been mind-blowing.

Our coverage has been balanced and wide spread and the growth we’ve made in just our third season is a huge source of pride to us over at Ball 603, most especially our amazing contributors. These folks are volunteering their time to showcase YOU and they couldn’t be more excited to be a part of our team.

Just over 25 months ago, we burst onto the NH hoops scene and we’ve rapidly grown our online presence as we now boast over 14,000 followers across our social media platforms. Over the last 12 months, these social media accounts have made an unbelievable 5.8 million impressions to 1.7 million users! Those numbers are impressive to say the least for one-sport coverage from an outlet only 25 months in existence.

The only way we’ve been able to reach every nook and cranny in the Granite State is thanks to our amazing, passionate and extremely hardworking and dedicated staff and contributors. While we can’t make it to EVERY game, we have been able to cover EVERY team and it’s a goal that’s only been achieved thanks to these amazing folks…

CONTRIBUTORS
Andy Romike
Betsy Hansen
Chris Laclair, Chris Clicks Photography
Cindy Lavigne, Lavigne’s Live Shots
Danielle Cook, DC Sports Photos
Dave Beliveau
Ethan Kimball
Greg Alnwick
Hannah Smith
Heidi Green, Heidi Green Photography
Hyuntae Jee, Jee Visuals
Jeff Criss, Perfect Photos
John Scott Sherburne
Juliette Tarsa
Kaiden Melendez
Mike Munhall
Nate Ford
Rick Wilson, Rick Wilson Photos
Shirley Nickles
Todd Grzywacz, Stonewall Photography

STAFFERS
KJ Cardinal, Founder – Email
Jill Stevens, Photographer
Mike Whaley, Writer
Simon Scott, Videographer – Scott Mediaa
Tim Lee, Videographer
Angie Cardinal, Business Manager – Email
Leo Cardinal, Assistant

We know there’s a lot of basketball left to be played this season, but we just wanted to take a moment to recognize this goal that we’ve reached and thank our contributors and staff for their hard work and our fans for all their support.

With this achievement, we can officially say… We’re everywhere! Enjoy the show!

Stifling defense lifts Kearsarge past Gilford to semis

No. 4 Kearsarge allowed just two 1st-quarter points and raced to a 52-25 victory over #5 Gilford on Saturday night in North Sutton.

With the win, the Cougars advance to the semifinals of the NHIAA Division III Girls Basketball State Tournament and will take on top-seeded St. Thomas on Wednesday at 7:30 pm at Bow High School.

Ava Shapiro and Tessa Marinello netted 17 points apiece to pace Kearsarge, while Gilford was led by 10 points from Megan Hughes.

Check out the full photo gallery by Chris Laclair of Chris Clicks Photography…