Author: KJ Cardinal

Trinity escapes Memorial with 2-point win

The Trinity Pioneers went on the road and escaped Manchester Memorial with a 66-64 victory on Tuesday night.

With the game tied at 61-61 with 30 seconds on the clock, Trinity’s Shawn O’Neil and Memorial’s Jack Brooks traded three pointers on back-to-back possessions just 10 seconds apart to tie the game again at 64-64. Trinity’s Jordan Torres then drove to the basket and was fouled with 10 seconds left. He went 1-for-2 from the line and that proved to be the difference.

The Pioneers (3-2) handed the Crusaders (3-1) their first loss on the young season.

Leading the way for Trinity was O’Neil with 20 points, while Evan Dunker (16) and Kevin Doherty (11) both added double digits. Memorial was paced by 16 points from Bory Bory, 13 from Brooks and 12 from Christian Bilolo.

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

Strong second quarter lifts Cavs past ConVal

Hollis-Brookline used a 22-10 second quarter to propel the Cavaliers to a 64-56 road win over ConVal on Tuesday night in Peterborough.

The Cavs were led by 14 points apiece from Will McCoy and Alton Williams, while James Arthur added 13. The Cougars were paced by a game-high 24 points from Ryan Close.

With the win, H-B improves to 2-3, while ConVal falls to 0-5 on the season.

Check out photos of the action by Betsy Hansen…

Red-hot Spartans roll past Falcons

Pembroke came out the gates scorching hot and didn’t let off on the gas pedal as the Spartans came away with a 93-69 victory over visiting Bow on Tuesday night.

The Spartans pumped in 34 points and doubled up the Falcons in the first quarter, 34-17. Pembroke too a 52-30 lead to the break and cruised to the victory.

Joe Fitzgerald led a trio of double-figure scorers with a game-high 33 points for Pembroke, while Devin Riel (20) and Evan Berkeley (19) made big contributions as well. Bow was paced by 18 points from Jack Reardon, 14 from Colby Smith, 13 from Sean Guerrette and 11 from Peyton Larrabee.

With the win, the Spartans improve to 3-0 on the season, while Bow falls to 2-2.

Check out photos of the action by Jeff Criss of Perfect Photos…

Salem hands Goffstown first loss of season

Behind a game-high 33 points from Ryan Morse, the Salem Blue Devils went on the road and gave host Goffstown their first loss of the season, 55-49, on Tuesday night.

Brock James also added 11 points for Salem. Isaiah Santos was the lone Grizzly in double figures with 13 points.

With the win, the Blue Devils improve to 4-0 on the season, while Goffstown falls to 3-1.

Check out photos of the action by Dave Beliveau…

Merrimack hands North first loss of season

The Merrimack Tomahawks went on the road and came away with a hard-fought 51-47 victory at previously unbeaten Nashua North on Tuesday night.

Jenson Monroe led the way for the Tomahawks with a game-high 18 points, while Andrew McCarthy (15) and Jackson Rosa both added double-digits as well. The Titans were paced by Parth Miglani’s 17.

With the win, Merrimack improves to 3-2 on the season, while Nashua North drops their first game of the season and falls to 4-1.

Andy Romike was in Nashua to bring you the latest Romike Report…

Check out photos of the action by our Jill Stevens…

Holiday leftovers

Even though we covered an impressive 50 games between Christmas and the New Year, we actually still have some holiday leftovers to share. We’ve got eight more games that our contributors captured images of during the break. Check out the full galleries at the links below…

• SOUHEGAN BOYS VS. MILFORD (DEC. 28, 2023) – BETSY HANSEN
• PITTSBURG-CANAAN BOYS VS. MASCOMA (DEC. 27, 2023) – GREG ALNWICK
• NASHUA NORTH BOYS VS. NASHUA SOUTH (DEC. 29, 2023) – BETSY HANSEN
• MILFORD GIRLS VS. SOUHEGAN (DEC. 29, 2023) – BETSY HANSEN
• GROVETON GIRLS AT MOULTONBORO (DEC. 22, 2023) – SHIRLEY NICKLES
• GROVETON BOYS AT MOULTONBORO (DEC. 22, 2023) – SHIRLEY NICKLES
• BERLIN GIRLS AT GORHAM (DEC. 27, 2023) – GREG ALNWICK
• BERLIN BOYS AT GORHAM (DEC. 27, 2023) – GREG ALNWICK

The Bash: Day 5 recap

It was something old and something new with day five of the 44th Annual Mike Lee Holiday Basketball Bash. The day started with the Kennett girls winning their eighth women’s title, while the Profile boys captured their first crown to put a bow on The Bash. Photo galleries from all games can be seen right here. You can also download high resolution images for free here.

Check out the recap from both games along with the All-Tourney teams and tournament awards…

GAME 42: FULL STORY
GIRLS: Kennett 28, Farmington 27
Kennett: Kaley Goodhart 14, Sam Sidoti 7
Farmington: Zoey Johnson 10, Shaylee DiPrizio 6

GAME 43: FULL STORY
BOYS: Profile 79, Sanborn 54
Profile: Josh Robie 30, Alex Leslie 26, Karsen Robie 14
Sanborn: Chase Frizzell 23, Dylan Rego 10

GIRLS ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Mollee Messenger, Raymond
Mya Brown, Profile
Kourtney Kaplan, Franklin
Sam Sidoti, Kennett
Ava Buchanan, Portsmouth Christian Academy
Kaley Goodhart, Kennett (MVP)
Shaylee DiPrizio, Farmington
Zoey Johnson, Farmington

Bill & Betty BILL & BETTY VACHON SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
Ava Buchanan, Portsmouth Christian Academy

TEAM SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
Portsmouth Christian Academy

BOYS ALL-TOURNEY
Jack Krasnof, Derryfield
Shawn Murphy, Farmington
Dre Duffaut, Raymond
Cai Summers, Portsmouth Christian Academy
Alex Leslie, Profile
Josh Robie, Profile (MVP)
Chase Frizzell, Sanborn
Dylan Rego, Sanborn

BILL & BETTY VACHON SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
Jack Krasnof, Derryfield

TEAM SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
Raymond High School

Profile cruises to victory in championship

By Nathaniel Ford

FARMINGTON – One year ago, the Profile Patriots were in the same place they were today: Farmington High School playing in the championship of The Bash. Last year, they fell to Belmont in a 10-point loss.

This year was not a repeat of last. Profile blew out the Sanborn Indians 79-54 to claim their first-ever Bash championship.

This was Sanborn’s fifth appearance in the Bash championship game, and their first since 1985. Their only Bash trophy was the first ever tournament, all the way back in 1979.

Profile jumped on them early to start the game, with two big plays from their two studs. Alex Leslie had an and-one bucket to open it, and Josh Robie hit a deep three pointer, giving them a quick 6-0 lead. 

They extended their lead in the quarter, but Sanborn did not roll over. They answered with a 6-0 of their own late in the quarter, which kept the game competitive. Profile’s Cayden Wakeham got a bucket at the buzzer, which gave them an 18-11 lead entering the second quarter.

There were fireworks early in the quarter, as both teams were hot from beyond the arc. Josh Robie knocked down two three-pointers from way out, but Sanborn’s Evan Butler made two of his own. 

Sanborn then switched from their man-to-man defense to a zone for the last four minutes of the quarter. “We don’t see too much zone, but we are ready for it when we do,” said Profile coach Mitchell Roy. And ready for it they were, as this opened up a barrage of threes from the Patriots. 

Profile is a high volume shooting team, and when you have Josh and Karsen Robie, you’re going to make a lot of them. In the last four minutes of the quarter, Josh Robie connected on two more triples, which brought him to four on the quarter. 

Despite a huge 14 point quarter from him, Sanborn did not let the Patriots extend their lead by a lot. Profile won the quarter by just four points, and the game remained in reach, with the score being 37-26 going into the second half.

The third quarter is when the game got blown open. Everything that could go well for Profile did. The Indians stayed in a zone defense, but they threw a different look at them. “They went diamond and one on Josh, and Karsen stepped up and hit some shots,” said Roy.

Karsen Robie did in fact hit some shots, connecting on three triples in a row. This led a 9-2 Profile run, and forced a Sanborn timeout and defensive switch. Shortly after the timeout, Alex Leslie threw down a massive dunk on a baseline drive, and the Profile supporters were loving it.

Profile stayed hot on the offensive end, with Josh Robie and Leslie connecting on some baskets inside. The Patriots recorded 20 points in the quarter, and their lead was extended to 57-39 going into the fourth.

While they had a big lead, the game was not over going into the fourth. “Once we got a lead, we slowed it down and played at that tempo,” said Roy. They were committed to keeping this lead, and they were able to limit Sanborn’s possessions by the tempo they played at.

Profile brought their momentum into the fourth quarter, and they continued to dominate. They started to run away with the game, never letting Sanborn string together any sort of run. When the final buzzer sounded, it was a resounding 25 point victory for the Division IV squad. 

The Patriots capped off their impressive run at the Bash with this win. They did not face another Division IV team in their route to the championship. The small school in Bethlehem took down D-I Windham, two D-II schools in Sanborn and Coe-Brown, and D-III Raymond. 

Profile was led by an impressive 30 points from Josh Robie, who took home the Tournament MVP award. He also broke the individual scoring record for the tournament, pouring in 131 points this year.

“Josh set the record last year, and he’s reaching new levels. He puts in a lot of work, and it’s awesome to see it paying off,” said Roy.

Alex Leslie scored 26 points in the title game for the Patriots. Following the game, he received an All-Tournament selection, which was voted on by the coaches. 

Sanborn was led by 23 points from Chase Frizzel, and Dylan Rego added 10 as well. Both players were recognized with All-Tournament selections. 

As well as All-Tournament selections, sportsmanship awards were also awarded following the trophy presentation. The Raymond Rams won the team award, while Derryfield’s Jack Krasnof received the Bill and Betty Vachon Award for individual sportsmanship.

The players recognized with All-Tournament selections were Derryfield’s Jack Krasnof, Windham’s Jack Begley, Noble’s Jamier Rose, Raymond’s Drezell Duffaut, Portsmouth Christian’s Cai Summers, and Farmington’s Shawn Murphy, as well as the players mentioned on Sanborn and Profile. 

Check out the photo gallery by Jill Stevens…

Kennett beats Farmington in Bash championship

By Nathaniel Ford

FARMINGTON – In a defensive battle, the Kennett Eagles took home their 8th Bash Championship in a 28-27 victory over Farmington on Saturday afternoon.

With this title, Kennett matched the host Farmington for the most wins in the tournament’s 44 year history. They have had lots of success at The Bash recently, with this being their sixth-straight appearance in the title game. In that stretch, they have now taken home three trophies. 

The Eagles came in looking to bounce back after their defeat last year against the Tennessee juggernaut, Coffee County. Today, they got it done, but unlike some victories in the past, it did not come easy.

It was a defensive battle in the first half. Farmington played very aggressively, getting physical with the Eagles. It was clear that this was getting to them, and you could see Kennett getting frustrated. 

The Tigers were able to limit Kaley Goodhart, Kennett’s top scorer who the offense runs through. It was difficult for her to score, as she could not find a lot of space to get easy shots up. Combined with two first-half fouls, she was held to just five points in the first half. 

Both quarters were low scoring, as neither team was able to find footing offensively. The first quarter ended in a 10-7 lead in Farmington’s favor, and both teams hoped to have more success in the second quarter.

This was very much not the case, with just 15 points total being scored. Farmington continued to hold their lead, causing all sorts of problems for the Eagles on the offensive end. Going into the break, the Tigers had the advantage, leading 18-14.

Zoey Johnson was leading the way for the Tigers, pouring in a game-high 10 first half points. For the Eagles, Goodhart (5) and Sam Sidoti (7) combine for 12 of the Eagles’ 14 points. 

The second half got no easier for either team, as stout defense from both sides continued. This time, it was Kennett who found the most success, as they contained Farmington for most of the half. 

In the third quarter, the Eagles were propelled by an 8-0 run early in the quarter. This gave them a 25-20 lead, which was their first lead since midway through the first. When the quarter ended, it was 25-22 in favor of Kennett, who held Farmington to just four points in the third. 

The fourth quarter embodied everything The Bash is about. The energy in the gymnasium was extremely high, with the Farmington crowd as loud as they had been the whole game. Both teams were as physical as they were the whole game, which only added to the intensity of the moment. 

These two teams were battling the whole quarter, and their intense defense led to a massive scoring drought for both teams. Neither team scored until 2:52 was left in the quarter, when Goodhart hit a three-pointer to extend the lead to six points.

Farmington finally broke their cold streak a minute later when 8th grader Shaylee DiPrizio knocked down two free-throws. Shortly following this, Madison Ricker made a massive shot from beyond the arc to cut the Kennett lead to just one point with about one minute left in the game.

The final minute was back-and-forth down the floor, with both teams having many possessions. Five straight possessions resulted in a turnover, and both teams were making mistakes on the offensive end. 

Farmington only had two fouls entering the final minute, which ended up hurting them at the end. They intentionally fouled Kennett players to try to get the ball back, but without Kennett in the bonus, time ran out on the Tigers, and they fell but just one point short on their home court. 

Both teams battled up until the end, and the Eagles were the team that came out on top. The bench ran out onto the court, and shortly after, they lifted their championship trophy. Farmington was left devastated after losing such a close game in front of their home crowd. 

Kaley Goodhart led Kennett today with 14 points. Following the game, she was awarded with the tournament’s MVP award, which was much deserved after leading them to the championship win. Sidoti scored seven points of her own, and she also received an All-Tournament Team selection.

Farmington was led by their two All-Tournament selections: Zoey Johnson, who scored 10 points, and Shaylee DiPrizio, who scored six points.

Following the game, the All-Tournament Team and the Sportsmanship Awards were given out. Raymond’s Mollee Messenger, Profile’s Mya Brown, Portsmouth Christian’s Ava Buchanon, and Franklin’s Kourtney Kaplan were selected to the team, as well as the mentioned players on Kennett and Farmington.

Portsmouth Christian Academy were awarded the Team Sportsmanship award, and their Ava Buchanon was awarded the Bill and Betty Vachon Award for individual sportsmanship.

Check out the full photo gallery by KJ Cardinal & Jill Stevens…