Author: KJ Cardinal

Defense leads Conant past Belmont

Conant held Belmont to just 17 first half points as the #8 Orioles downed the #9 Red Raiders, 56-44, in first round action of the NHIAA Boys Basketball Division III State Tournament on Tuesday night.

Manny Hodgson (18), Jared Nagle (17) and Jordan Nagle (12) all netted double-digits for the Orioles.

Freshman Treshawn Ray led Belmont with 14 points, while Carroll added 12 points on four threes. The Red Raiders season comes to a close at 12-7.

The win moves the Orioles to 13-6 and will take on three-time defending champion and top-seeded Gilford, in the quarterfinals on Friday.

Check out the full gallery by Melissa Gloddy…

Big second half leads Winnisquam over Monadnock

Forty-one second-half points propelled #7 Winnisquam to a 69-41 win over #10 Monadnock in first round action of the NHIAA Boys Basketball Division III State Tournament on Tuesday night. 

Anthony Boomer led all scorers with 22 points, while Alex Nichols and Caleb Robdau added 11 and 10 points, respectively, for the Bears. 

Ben Dean and Evan Dumaine scored 13 points apiece for the Huskies who end their season at 8-11. 

Winnisquam moved to 12-5 and will face #2 St. Thomas in quarterfinal play on Friday.

Check out the full gallery by our Jill Stevens…

Standefer leads Hopkinton past Inter-Lakes

Behind a game-high 25 points from Abram Standefer, #4 Hopkinton defeated #49 Inter-Lakes, 65-49, in first round action of the NHIAA Boys Basketball Division III State Tournament on Tuesday night. 

Will Tanuvasa (13), Gavin Davies (12) and Noah Aframe (10) also made double-digit contributions for the Hawks in the win. 

The Lakers were paced by 15 points from Owen Brown and 14 from Addie Kernen. Inter-Lakes season comes to a close with a 6-11 record.

The Hawks improve to 13-4 and will take on #5 Campbell on Friday in the quarterfinals.

Check out the highlights by our own Tim Lee…

Check out the full gallery by Dave Beliveau…

D-III Boys First Round Preview

By: KJ Cardinal

The 2023 NHIAA Boys Basketball Division III State Tournament gets underway tonight with a six-pack of first round games around the state. Let’s take a look at all six match-ups as we get ready for the action…

#9 Belmont at #8 Conant

The ninth-seeded Belmont Red Raiders hit the road to take on #8 Conant at 6:00 pm. The Orioles defeated the Red Raiders, 48-32, back on January 24th in the only meeting between the two this season. 

Conant’s Jared Nagle leads the way for Eric Saucier’s squad with 12.8 ppg. The Red Raiders, under first-year head coach Tony Martinez, are paced by Keegan Martinez’s 15.7 ppg.

Belmont’s looking to advance to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2021, while Conant last made a trip to the quarters in 2020.

#13 Inter-Lakes at #4 Hopkinton

Inter-Lakes and Hopkinton will meet for the first time this season tonight as the #13 Lakers hit the road to take on the #4 Hawks at 7:00 pm. 

Hopkinton, the 2021 Division III runner-up, started off the season with eight straight wins, but has dropped three of their final four games and enter the tournament with a 12-4 mark. The Hawks are paced by Marek Joppa (14.8 ppg) and Will Tanuvasa (12.8).

The Lakers come into the tourney with a 6-10 mark and are led Owen Brown’s 14.1 ppg. 

#12 Newport at #5 Campbell

The 12th-ranked Tigers make the trip to Litchfield to take on #5 Campbell tonight at 6:30 pm in the first meeting between the two this season. 

The Cougars enter the tourney with a 12-4 mark and are riding a six-game win streak. With wins over #4 Hopkinton and at #8 Conant during that stretch, head coach Justin DiBenedetto’s squad appears to be playing their best basketball at the right time.

With seven wins on the season, Newport has equaled their win total from the previous five seasons combined. Do-it-all senior Kayden LaClair is the straw that stirs the drink for Rob Clark’s squad as he averages 19.8 ppg and can change the game on the defensive end of the floor.

#10 Monadnock at #7 Winnisquam

The seventh-ranked Winnisquam Bears welcome #10 Monadnock to Tilton tonight at 7:00 pm. The two have not met yet this season. 

The Bears, led by the divisions top scorer Anthony Boomer (21.5 ppg), dropped their season finale at Stevens, but have won 10 of their last 13 games and enter the tourney with an 11-5 mark.

The Huskies are riding a season-long, four-game win streak as they enter the tourney with a 8-10 record. Evan Dumaine leads the way for Monadnock with 19.6 ppg.

#14 Berlin at #3 Mascoma

While the scheduling snafu that disqualified White Mountains from tournament play was unfortunate, it made way for #14 Berlin to sneak into the tourney’s final spot and will head to third-ranked Mascoma Valley at 7:00 pm. 

The Royals are currently on a nine-game win streak with big wins during that stretch over #4 Hopkinton and #6 Stevens. Silas Ayres’ squad is led by Zach Thompson (18.6 ppg) and looks to get the quarterfinal round for the fourth-straight season. Just five days ago, the Royals cruised to a 68-35 win at Berlin.

The Mountaineers (5-12) started the season with two victories and ended the season with a win over #11 Somersworth, but in between they were just 2-12. Jeremiah Dow (15.2) and Haden Poulin (11.7) both average double digits for head coach Jesse Arsenault’s team.

#11 Somersworth at #6 Stevens

Sixth-ranked Stevens plays host to #11 Somersworth tonight at 7:00 pm.

The Cardinals enter the tourney with a 12-4 record and have won six of their last seven, including three straight. Hunter LaRocque paces Stevens with 14.3 ppg.

The Hilltoppers are currently on a four-game skid and have dropped seven of their last nine. But, head coach Leon Shaw’s squad has some weapons in the backcourt with Aiden Heffron (15.7 ppg) and Dominic Starr (13.0).

Merrimack downs Central in OT

Merrimack trailed by eight points after three quarters, but pumped in 20 points in the fourth to force overtime before coming away with a 66-60 victory at Manchester Central on Monday night.

The Tomahawks were led by a game-high 22 points from David Roy, while Jackson Rosa (16), Isaac Infante (11) and Michael Flerra (10) also contributed with double figures. Wesley Olmeda (14 points), Asher Zegno (12) and Sean Venator (11) paced the Little Green.

With the win, Merrimack snaps a four-game skid to improve to 6-8 on the season. Central has now dropped four in a row and falls to 2-11.

Check out the full gallery by Cindy Lavigne of Lavigne’s Live Shots…

Grizzlies sink Green Wave

Behind a game-high 24 points from Ryan Strand, Goffstown cruised to a 64-38 victory over visiting Dover on Monday night.

Colin Buckley chipped in with 13 points for the Grizzlies, while Dover was paced by Stephen Gitau’s 15 points.

Goffstown improves to 6-8 on the season and Dover falls to 5-10.

Check out the full gallery by Todd Grzywacz of Stonewall Photography…

Laconia survives Pelham in D-II showdown

Two of the top teams in Division II locked horns on Monday night and Laconia (14-1) hung on to earn a hard-fought 57-56 over visiting Pelham (14-3).

The Sachems took a nine-point lead to the break, 35-26, but the Pythons responded with an 18-point third quarter to cut the lead to one. Laconia held on in the final stanza to come away with the win.

Kayden Roberts led all scorers with a game-high 26 points for the Sachems, while Keaton Beck (12) and Carson Tucker (11) both added double digits.

Pelham was paced by 24 points from Dom Herrling and 19 from Zach James.

Check out the full gallery by our very own Jill Stevens…

Bracket is set for Division III Girls

The 15-team field is set for the 2023 NHIAA Girls Basketball Division III State Tournament.

Conant (17-1) has earned the top seed in the bracket and receives a first round bye for their efforts.

First round action of the D-III tourney tips off on Wednesday with seven games at 7:00 pm. Check out the bracket and stay tuned for our coverage announcement later this week…

Division III Boys Bracket Set

The field is set for the 2023 NHIAA Boys Basketball Division III State Tournament.

Three-time defending champion Gilford (18-0) has once again garnered the top seed in the 15-team bracket and receives a bye for the first round of play. St. Thomas Aquinas (16-1), the second seed, garners the other opening round bye.

The D-III tourney tips off tomorrow with a six-pack of games at 7:00 pm. Check out the bracket and stay tuned for our coverage announcement tomorrow…