By: Logan Paronto
NORTH SUTTON, NH – No. 3 Kearsarge booked a trip to the Division III semifinals for the second-straight season after a thrilling double overtime victory over No. 6 Gilford, 48-45, on Friday night.
The host Cougars would start hot, finishing the first quarter up 22-10. Senior Noah Whipple would be huge in the quarter, scoring eight points while knocking down two threes.
Noah would leave in the second quarter with an apparent injury, which is when the momentum would shift in favor of the Golden Eagles. After outscoring the Cougars 19-6 in the quarter, Gilford took a 29-28 advantage going into halftime.
After a low scoring second half, an Eli Whipple three in the final minutes would send the two sides into an extra period tied at 43 apiece.
Eli would continue to make big plays for the Cougars, forcing a turnover late in the second overtime that would seal the win for Kearsarge.
Austin Needham would tally a game-high 23 points, while Eli Whipple (9) and Noah Whipple (8) would combine for 17.
Copper Perkins paced the Golden Eagles scoring with 13 points, while Henry Sleeper added 11.
Kearsarge advances to the semifinals to take on No. 2 Mascoma on Wednesday at 6:00 pm at Bow High School
Gilford ends their season with a 14-6 record.
Check out the full photo gallery by Haven Deschenes…
