Author: KJ Cardinal

Four unbeatens remain

By KJ Cardinal

We’re past the midway point of the 2022-23 season in all four divisions of NHIAA basketball and there are just four undefeated boys teams remaining around the state.

Let’s take a glimpse at this quartet of flawless teams…

Anthony Chinn directs the offense against Portsmouth back on Jan. 10.

PINKERTON BOYS (9-0)
It should come as no surprise that head coach Dave Chase’s Astros are sitting atop the Division I standings with a perfect 9-0 mark to start the season. Pinkerton made it to the state semifinals last year and with their big three of Jackson Marshall and the Chinn brothers (Anthony and Tyrone) clicking on all cylinders, the Astros are rolling through the division.

Pinkerton is holding teams to just over 44 points per game (PPG) and winning by an average of 20 PPG. The only single-digit victory that the Astros have earned was at Keene, 48-40, back on Jan. 13. Looking at Pinkerton’s remaining slate, it’s hard not to circle the Feb. 10 tilt at Bedford (8-1) as the biggest test that remains in the Astros quest for perfection.

Jalen Reese goes up for two against Somersworth on Dec. 13.

GILFORD BOYS (9-0)
The three-time defending champion Golden Eagles are a perfect 9-0 and sit perched atop the D-III standings. Another pair of brothers, Jalen and Isaiah Reese, are both averaging nearly 20 PPG to lead the way for Gilford.

While head coach Rick Acquilano’s squad has yet to lose, they have been tested in three tough battles of late and came out on top in each one. The Golden Eagles started the new year with a four-point win at St. Thomas on Jan. 3. A week later, Gilford staved off a hungry Belmont squad, 61-58. And, just yesterday the Golden Eagles survived an overtime scare at Conant, 52-48.

Kayden Hoskins and the Crusaders held on for a big win at Woodsville back on Dec. 21.

LITTLETON BOYS (12-0)
Trevor Howard’s Littleton Crusaders are a state-best 12-0 and are coming off perhaps the game of the year in D-IV on Friday night, a thrilling 86-81 victory at Profile. Littleton’s front-man Kayden Hoskins is pumping in over 21 PPG, but the Crusaders boast a line-up loaded with potential double-digit scorers and their balanced attack is very potent.

The Crusaders have proven they can win on the road as they earned hard-fought victories at Portsmouth Christian, at Woodsville, at Lin-Wood, at Colebrook, at D-III White Mountains and most recently at Profile. With five of their remaining six games at home, if Littleton can take care of business on its turf, the Crusaders may be sitting atop the D-IV heap when the dust settles.

Brode Frink with the unorthodox finish at PCA on Jan. 9.

CONCORD CHRISTIAN BOYS (9-0)
The Concord Christian Kingsmen are rolling through their D-IV slate. With big road wins at Derryfield, at Portsmouth Christian and at Holy Family, the Kingsmen look poised to make another deep run in the playoffs.

Sophomore sensation Brode Frink is the straw that stirs the drink for head coach Eric Heizer’s squad. Frink is averaging over 25 PPG and can score in anyway imaginable. The Kingsmen have some obstacles on their schedule as they host Derryfield (7-2), Farmington (10-1) and head to D-III Conant.

Pembroke knocks off unbeaten Souhegan

In a battle between Division II heavyweights, the host Pembroke Spartans (8-1) handed undefeated Souhegan (7-1) its first loss of the season, 63-50, on Saturday afternoon.

Check out the full photo gallery of the action with double-barrel coverage by Jeff Criss of Perfect Photos and John-Scott Sherburne…

Soden’s 32 leads Bedford past Goffstown

Behind a game-high 32 points from Luke Soden, Bedford cruised to a 73-38 victory over visiting Goffstown on Friday night. Austin Kasyjanski (10) and Aiden O’Connell (11) netted double figures as well for the Bulldogs. The Grizzlies were paced by 10 points apiece from Cam Hujsak and Noah Durham

Bedford improves to 8-1 on the season, while Goffstown falls to 3-5.

Check out the full gallery of the action by Dave Beliveau…

Bedford comes from behind, remains perfect

Goffstown used a 19-point second quarter to take a 10-point lead to the locker room, 35-25, but the undefeated Bedford Bulldogs held the Grizzlies to just 16 second-half points and earned a 64-51 come-from-behind road win on Friday night. 

Bedford improves to a perfect 9-0 on the season, while Goffstown falls to 7-2. The Bulldogs were paced by a game-high 26 points from Kate Allard, 19 from Lana McCarthy and 10 from Sydney Grogan. Ava Winterburn led Goffstown with 18, while Maggie Sasso added 12.

Check out the full gallery of the action by Dave Beliveau…

Sanborn girls down Kingswood

Behind a game-high 29 points from Emma Gillis, the Sanborn girls cruised past visiting Kingswood, 58-41, on Wednesday night in Kingston. 

Jolena Flanagan added 11 for the Indians, while the Knights were paced by 17 from Kamdyn Hobbs and 10 from Caelynn Blattenberger.

Sanborn snaps a three-game skid and improves to 2-6 on the season, as Kingswood falls to 0-8.

Check out the full gallery by Rick Wilson of Rick Wilson Photography…

Saint Anselm downs SNHU in Queen City clash

The Queen City rivalry was renewed as the Saint Anselm College men erased a 16-point first-half deficit to come back and earn a hard fought 79-67 road victory over Southern New Hampshire at a packed Stan Spirou Field House in Manchester on Wednesday night.

SNHU came out the gates firing and used a 14-2 run to open up an 18-6 lead just 3:30 into the ball game. Matt Becht connected on three-straight triples to pace the Penmen during that run. 

The Hawks cut the SNHU led to eight before Becht buried another one from deep to spur an 8-0 run for the Penmen and give them their biggest lead of the night, 33-17 with 7:56 left in the half. 

Saint Anselm came out of the locker room energized and opened the second frame on a 5-0 run. SNHU then struggled to make a field goal as the Penmen shot just 25.8% (8-31) from the floor in the second half.

The Hawks capitalized as they unleashed a 22-6 spurt later in the half to take a 10-point lead with just under six minutes on the clock. The Penmen then used a 6-0 run of their own to cut the lead to four with 4:28 left, but the Hawks closed things out to come away with the 12-point win.

Tyler Arbuckle led Saint Anselm with a game-high 24 points, while fellow Hawks Owen McGlashan (18) and Miles Tention (15) also netted double figures. SNHU was paced by a quartet of double-digit scorers: Matt Becht (17), Sam Kodi (15), Ethan Okwuosa (11) and Evan Guillory (10).

With the win, Saint Anselm improves to 13-4 (9-2 NE10) on the season, while SNHU had its six-game win streak snapped and falls to 10-7 (7-4 NE10).

The Hawks now led the all-time series over the Penmen, 40-36, and have won nine of the last 11 meetings, including seven of eight. Saint Anselm has also been victorious in five of the last six meets at SNHU, dating back to the 2017 NE10 Championship title game March 4, 2017.

Check out full highlights of the action by our Tim Lee… 

BG handles Portsmouth

Two Division I squads near the top of the heap met on Wednesday night and Bishop Guertin came away with a 59-42 victory over visiting Portsmouth in Nashua.

Matt Santosuosso led all scorers with 19 points for the Cardinals, while Javari Ellison added 14. The Clippers were paced by Matt Minckler’s team-high 18 points. 

BG improves to 5-2 on the season, while Portsmouth falls to 4-3.

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

[Portsmouth coverage is brought to you by Tropical Smoothie Cafe]