Author: KJ Cardinal

Pinkerton tops Londonderry, advances to final

Behind a combined 47 points from Sydney Gerossie (25) and Kaylee Dupuis (22), No. 2 Pinkerton defeated No. 3 Londonderry, 78-54, in semifinal action of the NHIAA Division I Girls Basketball State Tournament on Tuesday night at Exeter High School.

The Astros advance to the title game to take on No. 1 Bedford on Saturday at UNH. The game time is still to be determined.

Pinkerton jumped out to a 22-13 lead after the 1st quarter and took a 32-26 lead to halftime. They pushed their lead to 12 after the 3rd quarter, 53-41 and poured it on in the final frame to roll to the 24-point lead.

Sammie Sullivan pumped in a game-high 26 points to lead Londonderry, while Kate Sloper added 11.

Check out the full photo gallery of the action by Betsy Hansen…

Pelham downs Coe-Brown in a semifinal overtime thriller

By: KJ Cardinal

DURHAM – In a game you didn’t want to see end and one that you hated to see either team lose, top-seeded Pelham needed overtime to defeat No. 4 Coe-Brown, 59-56, in semifinal action of the NHIAA Division II Boys Basketball State Tournament on Tuesday night at Oyster River High School in Durham.

The Pythons advance to the title game where they will take on No. 2 Hanover on Sunday at UNH. The game time is still to be determined.

The Bears were ready to play as head coach Dave Smith saw his squad come out the gates quickly with 17 1st-quarter points and take a two-point lead after the opening eight minutes of action. The Pythons responded in the 2nd and took a one-point lead to the break.

Neither team could get separation from the other throughout this one as the largest lead either team held was a mere six points.

CBNA won the 3rd quarter by two points to take one-point lead to the final frame, 41-40.

The 4th wasn’t for the faint of heart. Pelham’s Zach James connected on a three-pointer with 2:48 left to give the Pythons a 51-47 lead. Coe-Brown wasted no time in responding as James McKane’s only basket of the game came just 26 seconds later to cut the lead to two, 51-49, with 2:22 left in regulation.

CBNA’s Connor Bagnell stole an inbounds pass with 38 seconds to go to give the Bears the ball with a chance to tie the game. After nearly turning the ball over to start the possession and getting an offensive rebound off a Quinn Salter miss, Coe-Brown called a timeout with 10 ticks remaining.

The Bears’ Ryan Kouchoukos drove the lane, beating James off the dribble, and was fouled from behind as his layup banked in to tie the game at 51-51 with 4.7 seconds left to play. Kouchoukos would miss the ensuing free throw and a Peter Hemmerdinger’s desperation three at the buzzer came up short for Pelham and this game was headed to overtime.

The extra session belonged to Hemmerdinger as he netted six points in overtime and opened up the scoring with a three-pointer in front of the Pelham bench with 3:09 left to play. He connected on a floater on the following possession to push Pelham’s lead to four, 56-52.

A pair of Bagnell free throws with just over two minutes to play cut the Pelham lead to two, 56-54. The Python offense would kill more than a minute off the clock before Adrian Villanueva was fouled with 50.7 seconds remaining. Villanueva made the first of two free throws to push Pelham’s lead to three, 57-54.

James and Hemmerdinger would each make a free throw down the stretch to put the game out of reach for the Bears.

The Pythons were paced by 17 points from James, while Hemmerdinger (14), Dom Herrling (13) and Connor Travis (10) all tallied double-digits as well. The Bears were led by 17 points apiece from Salter and Jack Matson and 16 from Bagnell.

Check out the full highlights by Tim Lee…

Oyster River was painted red and black last night as Coe-Brown showed up and showed out to support the Bears down the road in Durham. CBNA may not have come away with the victory, but it certainly wasn’t because of a lack of support or school spirit…

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

Bedford finishes strong to down Portsmouth

Top-seeded Bedford trailed by as many as nine points in the 1st quarter before putting the clamps on Portsmouth and rolling to a 62-35 win in semifinal round action of the NHIAA Division I Girls Basketball State Tournament on Tuesday night at Exeter High School

The Bulldogs advance to the title game where they will they will take on No. 2 Pinkerton on Sunday at UNH. The game time is still to be determined.

The Clippers scored 16 points in the 1st quarter and took a 16-9 lead, but Bedford held Portsmouth to just 19 points the rest of the way to roll to the win.

Lana McCarthy led all scorers with 18 points for the Bulldogs, while Lyla Stein and Sarah Muir added 12 points apiece. Portsmouth was paced by 13 points from Avery Romps and 11 from Margaret Montplaisir.

Check out the full photo gallery by Betsy Hansen…

Hanover wins defensive battle versus Pembroke in semifinals

By: KJ Cardinal

DURHAM – No. 2 Hanover held No. 3 Pembroke to just 24 points through three quarters of play and went on to win a defensive battle, 49-43, in the semifinals of the NHIAA Division II Boys Basketball State Tournament on Tuesday night at Oyster River High School in Durham.

The Bears advance to the title game where they will take on top-seeded Pelham on Sunday at UNH. The game time is still to be determined.

Hanover set the tone early on the defensive end of the floor, limited the Spartans to just four 1st-quarter points. The Bears led 11-4 at the end of one.

Pembroke found its groove a little in the 2nd quarter, behind seven points from Evan Berkley, and cut the Hanover lead to three at the half, 21-18.

The Bears defense was once again stifling in the 3rd quarter, giving up just 6 points to take a 31-24 lead to the final frame.

In the 4th, the tempo picked up, but the two played nearly even as Hanover went on to win by six, 49-43.

Pembroke had no answer all night long for Hanover big man Jaysen Oriel who finished with a game-high 18 points, while Roy Lucas added 12. Pembroke was paced by 16 points from Joe Fitzgerald and 12 from Berkley.

Check out the full game highlights by Tim Lee…

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

UNH men set to host America East quarterfinals

The UNH men (15-13, 7-8 AE) have clinched the No. 4 seed for the upcoming America East Playoffs and will host a quarterfinal contest on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. at Lundholm Gymnasium.

The Wildcats opponent for that quarterfinal is still to-be-determined as tonight marks the final night of America East regular season action. UNH hosts league-leading Vermont (24-6, 14-1 AE) tonight at 7:00 p.m.

It’s been an up-and-down season for the Wildcats. Under first-year head coach Nate Ford, UNH boasts some quality non-conference victories over Rhode Island Marist, but have dropped three-straight and four of their last five.

The Wildcats are led by senior forward Clarence Daniels who currently leads America East in scoring at 19.5 PPG and ranks second in rebounding (9.3 RPG).

College hoop roundup: NCAA D-III tourney update

By: Mike Whaley

Hinsdale junior Angelina Nardolillo and the No. 3 Rhode Island College women’s team remain unbeaten after winning their first- and second-round NCAA Division III tournament games in their home gym. They’ll have more home cooking this weekend in the sectional as they host three teams Friday and Saturday.

The Anchorwomen (29-0) beat St. Joseph’s (Maine), 56-37, and St. John Fisher, 66-43, to advance to the Sweet 16. They meet No. 19 Washington & Lee (28-2) Friday night at 8 p.m., after the 5:30 p.m. game between Bates College (24-5) and No. 7 Wartburg (27-2). The two winners play Saturday in the Elite Eight game at 7:30 p.m. with the winner earning a berth to the NCAA Final Four in Columbus, Ohio, March 14-16. RIC is looking to return to the final four for the second year in a row.

Nardolillo had strong games in both wins. In the St. Joe’s victory, she had 11 points and 11 rebounds, while vs. St. John Fisher she totaled a team-high 19 points and pulled down nine boards. 

The final score of both games were deceptive. Against St. Joe’s, RIC jumped out to a 24-7 lead after the first quarter, but that lead evaporated. The Monks closed the gap to 32-28 in the second half before the Anchorwomen were able to pull away.

Versus St. John Fisher, RIC led by just 27-24 at the half, but used a 17-7 run in the third quarter to build a 44-31 lead and were not challenged from there.

The other N.H. connected game of interest involves the Keene State College men, the only N.H. team to qualify for either tournament. The Owls (26-3) hosted and won their first two games over Marymount (Va.), 82-76, and Eastern, 109-85. In the Marymount win, KSC got big games from Jeff Hunter (22 points, 16 rebounds) and Octavio Brito (22 points, 8 boards), while Spencer Aronsonand Nate Siow added 15 and 14 points, respectively.

In the second round, the Owls were led by Brito’s career-high 40 points, and 20 points and 14 boards from Hunter.

No. 5 KSC will play in the Sweet 16 in Greensboro, N.C., vs. No. 7 Guilford (24-4) Friday at 7:15 p.m. The first game is between No. 21 Williams and No. 23 Christopher Newport at 4:15 p.m. The two winners play Saturday at 7:15 p.m. for the right to advance to the final four in Fort Wayne, Indiana, March 14-16.

NHTI claims YSCC crown, No. 2 seed for national tourney

By Mike Whaley

CONCORD – The NHTI men’s basketball team swept through the Yankee Small College Conference (YSCC) tournament with three wins, all on their home court, to claim the automatic berth in the USCAA Division II national tournament, March 9-13, in Richmond, Va.

The Lynx (20-4) were the YSCC’s top seed and they did not disappoint with wins over No. 8 Paul Smith, 109-71; No. 4 Great Bay CC, 95-78, and No. 6 Central Maine CC, 80-78. In the championship on Sunday vs. Central Maine, NHTI trailed 43-33 at the half, but rallied in the second half to pull off the win. Tournament Offensive MVP Sterling Blakely led five players in double figures with 17 points on 6 of 9 shooting. Also reaching double digits were Joseph Cantey (14) and Dahsan King, Richard Hartley and Rahsheen Caulk Jr. with 11 apiece. Tournament MVP Dontaveous Elder added eight points, seven boards and five steals, while Terrian Wester had eight points and 12 rebounds. CM’s Logan Myers scored a game-high 20 points. 

Central Maine had a 13-point lead (66-53) with 10:30 to play, but NHTI went on a 15-0 run as part of a bigger 27-12 surge to come from behind to win the game. CM upset No. 3 VTSU-Randolph and No. 2 SMCC to gain the championship game.

The Lynx will be the No. 2 seed at the national tournament, which opens Sunday. NHTI earns a bye and will play Monday against the Sunday first-round winner of the Southern Maine CC/Penn State Wilkes Barre game at 1 p.m.

In the semifinal win Saturday over Great Bay, King and Cantey scored 28 and 25 points, respectively, to pace the Lynx. Wester added 14 points and seven rebounds. Mpore Semuhoza led the Herons (18-8) with 25 points,  while Dover’s Kingley Breen added 21 and Theo Wolfe chipped in with 14. Great Bay was a borderline pick to the national tourney, needing to get to the conference final to likely punch a ticket there, which they were unable to do.

NHTI rolled over Paul Smith in the first round on Feb. 24 behind 23 and 22 points each from Cantey and King. Elder added 13 points and Wester had 10 points and 17 rebounds.

Check out the full photo gallery from NHTI’s big win on Sunday by Cindy Lavigne of Lavigne’s Live Shots below.

On the women’s side, YSCC champion Central Maine CC, UMaine-Augusta and SMCC all made it to the national tournament.

The all-conference teams were selected, and several NHTI and GBCC players were honored. On the men’s side, NHTI’s Wester and GBCC’s Breen made the first team, while NHTI’s Cantey and GBCC’s Wolfe were picked to the second team. Earning honorable mention was NHTI’s King.

For the women, GBCC’s Mary Paradis (Rochester) was named to the first team and teammate Madison Lovely (Fremont) was selected to the second team. NHTI’s Emma Broadstone was honorable mention.

📸 Cindy Lavigne, Lavigne’s Live Shots…

Trinity knocks off Exeter, advances to semis

No. 5 Trinity upset No. 4 Exeter, 78-65, on Saturday afternoon in quarterfinal round action of the NHIAA Division I Boys Basketball State Tournament.

The Pioneers advance to the semifinals where they will take on top-seeded Pinkerton on Wednesday at 7:30 pm at Exeter High School

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

Marshall nets 2,000th point as Astros roll past South

Pinkerton’s Jackson Marshall became just the 13th boys player in New Hampshire basketball history to eclipse the 2,000-point plateau as the top-seeded Astros defeated No. 8 Nashua South 101-83 in quarterfinal round action of the Division I state tournament on Saturday.

With the win, Pinkerton advances to the semifinal round where they will take on No. 5 Trinity on Wednesday at 7:30 pm. The location of the semis is still to be determined.

Check out the full photo gallery by Betsy Hansen…

Bedford tops Alvirne, advances to D-I semifinals

No. 2 Bedford punched its ticket to the semifinals with a 69-51 victory over No. 10 Alvirne in quarterfinal round action of the NHIAA Division I State Tournament on Saturday.

The Bulldogs advance to the semis where they will take on No. 3 Nashua North on Wednesday at 5:30 pm. The site is still to be determined.

Luke Soden led all scorers with a game-high 23 points for Bedford, while Niko Badoian (16 points), Brady O’Connell (14) and Austin Kasyjanski (11) all netted double-digits as well. Alvirne was led by 16 points from Garrett Hall and 13 from Evan Bettencourt.

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