Author: KJ Cardinal

PCA dominates in 23-point victory over Franklin

By Nathaniel Ford

FARMINGTON – The Portsmouth Christian Eagles cruised to a 61-38 victory over Franklin Golden Tornadoes and advanced to the quarterfinals of The Bash.

This was a battle between two Division IV teams. The Eagles are 5-1 on the season, while the Golden Tornadoes are sitting at 2-3.

PCA never trailed in this dominant showing on both ends of the floor. The Eagles went on an impressive 10-0 run in the first three minutes of the first quarter. They held Franklin scoreless until 4:48 left in the quarter, when Zeke McCoy made a free throw.

It took until 40 seconds left in the quarter for the Golden Tornadoes to record a field goal. This superb defense by Portsmouth Christian helped give them a massive lead. They finished the quarter leading 19-3.

Franklin showed some life on the offensive end in the second quarter, mostly through the play of Zeke McCoy. He scored 10 of Franklin’s 11 points in the quarter, all on consecutive possessions.

Despite this, PCA stayed composed on the offensive end and kept their large lead. They finished the half up 37-14, led by 13 points from Cai Summers, and 3 three-pointers from Wade Michaud.

The Eagles continued to dominate into the second half, extending their lead even more in the fourth quarter. Connor Hickey scored 10 points in the third quarter and was a large part of this PCA attack. Despite a 9-point quarter from McCoy, the Golden Tornadoes trailed 52-26 entering the fourth.

This massive lead was too much for Franklin to overcome, and the game ended in a 61-38 victory for Portsmouth Christian.

PCA was paced by 20 points from Cai Summers, while Connor Hickey (16) and Wade Michaud (11) added double-digits. Franklin’s Zeke McCoy carried the load with a game-high 30 points.

The Eagles advance to the quarterfinal round, where they will face Windham tomorrow at 12:45. Franklin falls out of the bracket and will play Kennett at 10:15 tomorrow morning.

Check out the full gallery of the action by KJ Cardinal…

Windham advances with win over Noble

By Nathaniel Ford

FARMINGTON – The Windham Jaguars battled to a 68-54 victory over the Noble Knights in the first round of bracket play at The Bash.

These two schools are the biggest at the Bash this year, both with over 1,000 students enrolled. This was also a battle between Maine and New Hampshire. 

“They average about 73 points a game, so we knew they could really score the ball,” Windham head coach Carson Desrosiers said. Scouting a team from another state is tough, but Desrosiers knew that the Knights could score the ball.

It looked like it would be all Noble early. “They got up 8-2 to start the game. No timeout by our coaching staff, trying to let our guys play through a bit of adversity, and they responded well,” said Desrosiers. The Knights hit two early three-pointers, but Windham stayed composed and did not panic.

Desrosiers’ squad answered quickly with a 9-0 run of their own, which brought them into the lead, and the quarter concluded with the Jaguars leading 19-16. Noble’s Jamier Rose had a game-high 10 points in the first quarter.

The Jaguars started the second quarter with an 8-0 run in the first 1:30, forcing a Noble timeout. Windham’s defense was on full display, holding the Knights to just two points through nearly five minutes of play, and only 7 points in the quarter, giving them a 33-23 lead into the break.

“They’re not used to the type of defense that we like to play. We knew we could overwhelm them with our physicality and quickness,” said Desrosiers. Shutting down Noble’s explosive offense was the key to winning this game, and Windham did just that.

The Jaguars hit big shot after big shot in the second half. Noble strung together a 7-0 run in the third quarter, and Windham’s Caden Bouchard responded with a massive three-pointer. The Knights started to build momentum to end the quarter, and it looked like they could carry it to the fourth and mount a comeback. Instead, Jack Koutrobis hit a buzzer-beater floater for the Jaguars, which extended their lead to 55-38 entering the fourth. 

This lead proved to be too large to overcome. Windham carried momentum in the quarter behind a huge dunk from Jack Murphy. Despite four Noble three-pointers late, the Jaguars stayed composed and finished with a 14 point victory. 

“They were ranked 5th in Division II in Maine last year, and that was a great test for us,” said Desrosiers. After two big wins to open their Bash debut, Windham looks to carry this momentum into the rest of the tournament.

Leading the way for Windham was Caden Bouchard, who finished with 16 points and four three-pointers. Jack Koutrobis (12) and Jack Begley (10) also added double figures. Noble was paced by a game-high 21 points by Jamier Rose and 15 from Bryce Guitard. 

The Jaguars advance to the quarterfinals and face the winner of Portsmouth Christian and Franklin tomorrow at 12:45. Noble is eliminated from contention and faces Nute tomorrow morning at 9:00.

Check out the full photo gallery of the action by KJ Cardinal…

Sanborn cruises past Nute in opening round of The Bash

By Nathaniel Ford

FARMINGTON – A late bus had no effect on Sanborn, as they rolled to a 76-30 victory over Nute this morning at The Bash.

“We were sitting at the school for two hours,” said Sanborn sophomore Ricky Caillouette. The team bus, which was supposed to arrive at 6:30, did not make it to the school until 7:45. This inconvenience did not seem to affect their performance one bit in this big win.

The Indians fell to Windham yesterday in their friendly game on opening day 80-57. “I felt we were a little flat and didn’t play our game yesterday,” said head coach Wayne Souther, who is in his first year as the varsity coach.

Souther’s squad was not flat today, as they opened the game flying on a 7-0 run in the first minute of the game. They continued this momentum, recording another 8-0 scoring run in the middle of the quarter. They were ahead 23-8 going into the second behind eight points from Chase Frizzell.

A big reason for their big lead was stout defense by Sanborn. Transition baskets off of steals and Nute turnovers were pouring in. This trend continued in the second quarter, as the Rams scored just five points, and the Indians entered halftime leading 36-13.

Going into the second half, the game was out-of-reach for Nute, and they could never gain enough momentum for a comeback. The Rams strung together an 8-3 run to end the third quarter, but this only cut the score to 56-26 going into the fourth.

The fourth quarter went the same as the rest of the game, with Sanborn controlling both ends of the floor. The Indians’ offensive attack was highlighted by a Chase Frizzell dunk in transition. Sanborn ended up winning by a commanding 36 points in this statement game.

Nute was paced by 12 points from Silas Picard and 10 points from Collin Hathorn. Sanborn’s 76 points were distributed between nine different scorers. Chase Frizzell led the way with 14 points, while Brandon Sarette (11), Cole Chapman (10), and Brian Nadeau (12) all contributed double figures.

“This tournament has the most games out of every tournament. We are trying to get our guys that weren’t there over the fall and summer more playing time so they can help us later in the regular season,” said Souther. Getting experience for a lot of guys is something a tournament like The Bash provides for a team, and that was in full effect today.

This contest was the opening game in bracket play for the Bash. Sanborn’s win advances them to the quarterfinals, where they will play Belmont tomorrow at 5:45 p.m.

With their loss, Nute has been eliminated from contention and will play a consolation game against the loser of Windham vs. Noble tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m.

Check out the full photo gallery of the action by KJ Cardinal…

Windham soars past Sanborn

By Nathaniel Ford

FARMINGTON – The Windham Jaguars handed the Sanborn Indians a 23-point loss, 80-57, on the opening day of the 44th Annual Mike Lee Holiday Basketball Bash in Farmington.

This game was a friendly matchup between Division I Windham and Division II Sanborn. This is Windham’s first year competing in the Bash.

“We didn’t know much about Sanborn. Finding film was tough, and they’re a Division II team,” said Windham head coach Carson Desrosiers. The Bash provides matchups across divisions, and this is a prime example of that.

The Jaguars controlled the game from the start. The first few minutes were back-and-forth, with Sanborn leading for the only time at 5-4. Windham proceeded to take charge, ending the quarter on a 17-7 run and finishing up 21-12 going into the break.

A big reason for this early lead was Windham’s offensive rebounding. “Sam Roidoulis, a freshman, was huge for us today with 4 offensive rebounds in the first quarter. We could get into a timeout and say that the freshman is providing energy,” Desrosiers said. Second-chance points were pouring in for the Jaguars.

The second quarter was close, with both teams trading baskets and the game remaining a nine-point difference, with Windham leading 34-25 heading into the break. Sanborn was paced by their two highest scorers combining for all but one point. Chase Frizzell had a game-high 15 points at halftime, and Dylan Rego added 9 at the break.

Rego is averaging 26 points a game, which is the third highest mark across Division II. “We treated him as a no-help player with all guys ready to help,” Desrosiers said. The Jaguars committed to shutting him down, as he is a big part of what makes Sanborn’s offense so dynamic.

The third quarter opened with a bang, as Windham threw down a transition dunk for the first basket of the half. Sanborn bounced back after the dunk, led by a 10-point quarter by Rego, but they could not pull closer than six points at any time. Windham went on a run towards the end of the quarter, and they entered the fourth up 56-44.

The Jaguars were finally able to blow the game open in the fourth, scoring seven points in just fifteen seconds early to thwart any chance of a Sanborn comeback. Windham carried momentum throughout the quarter, and finished with an 80-57 victory.

Windham was led by a balanced scoring attack led by four double digit scorers: Jack Begley (18), Caden Bouchard (16), Jack Murphy (12), and Tyler Jordan (10). Sanborn was paced by 20 from Chase Frizzell and 19 from Dylan Rego.

Windham looks to make waves in their Bash debut in their first bracket game against Noble on Wednesday at 12:15 pm. Sanborn looks to bounce back in their opener against Nute at 9:45 am Wednesday.

Check out the full photo gallery from the action by KJ Cardinal…

The Bash: Day 1 recap

Opening day of the 44th Annual Mike Lee Holiday Basketball Bash is in the books. Day one featured a whopping 12 games. Photo galleries from all games played at Farmington High School can be seen right here. You can also download high resolution images for free here.

Below is final scores from all 12 games along with the high scorers in each…

GAME 1
BOYS: Raymond 68, Franklin 26
Raymond: Dre Duffaut 22, Aidan York 15
Franklin: Jack Van Polen 6

GAME 2
BOYS: Concord Christian 61, Nute 37
CCA: TJ Charbono 13, Logan Duffy 12
NUTE: Scott Milliken 11

GAME 3
BOYS: Windham 80, Sanborn 57
Windham: Jack Begley 18, Caden Bouchard 16, Jack Murphy 12, Tyler Jordan 10
Sanborn: Chase Frizzell 20, Dylan Rego 19

GAME 4
GIRLS: Franklin 53, Raymond 26
Franklin: Kourtney Kaplan 33
Raymond: Mollee Messenger 9

GAME 5
GIRLS: Profile 47, Sanborn 40
Profile: Mya Brown 15, Kyah Knight 10
Sanborn: Emma Gillis 7

GAME 6
BOYS: Profile 65, Derryfield 56
Profile: Josh Robie 34, Alex Leslie 13
Derryfield: Jack Krasnof 23, Billy Gardner 14, Alex Drake 12

GAME 7
GIRLS: Coe-Brown 60, Portsmouth Christian 42
CBNA: Jennifer Noni 15, Hannah Meehan 11
PCA: Ava Buchanan 25

GAME 8
BOYS: Coe-Brown 67, Belmont 56
CBNA: Connor Bagnell 21, Quinn Salter 16, Jack Matson 13, Matt Flanagan 13
Belmont: Keegan Martinez 20, Michael Collette 12, Anakin Underhill 10

GAME 9
GIRLS: Kennett 48, Belmont 22
Kennet: Kaley Goodhart 18, Sam Sidoti 16
Belmont: Darci Stone 12

GAME 10
BOYS: Kennett 54, Portsmouth Christian 46
Kennett: Tavon Porter 19, Daven Bailey 13, Allen Noung 11
PCA: Wade Michaud 17, Cai Summers 15

GAME 11
GIRLS: Farmington 65, Noble 30
FHS: Zoey Johnson 22, Madi Ricker 16, Ryleigh Hogan 11
Noble: Taylor Gnirk 16

GAME 12
BOYS: Noble 88, Farmington 70
Noble: Bryce Guitard 28, Jamier Rose 26, Brady Tucci 12
FHS: Aiden Place 17, Shawn Murphy 15, Demery Hadges 13

Holiday tourneys around the Granite State

While we will be bringing you the official coverage of The Bash in Farmington, there are also 15 other holiday basketball tournaments around the state. Below is a list of the NHIAA sanctioned events with locations, start dates, participating schools and schedules. 

We only have full schedules for a few events, so please send full schedules of tournaments to kj@ball603.com and we will add those to the list. Happy Holidays!

CLICK FOR SCHEDULE

The 44th Annual Mike Lee Holiday Basketball Bash
Dec. 26-30 at Farmington High School
Boys & Girls Divisions

SCHOOLS: Kennett, Coe Brown, Profile, Franklin, Somersworth, Raymond, Belmont, Nute, Derryfield, Portsmouth Christian, Sanborn, Noble, Concord Christian

 

CLICK FOR SCHEDULE

Mark Tilton Basketball Tournament
Dec. 27 & 28 at Gorham
Boys & Girls Divisions

SCHOOLS: Boys: Berlin, Pittsburg-Caanan, Gorham, Mascoma JV, Girls: Gorham, Berlin, Mascoma, Pittsburg-Canaan

 

CLICK FOR SCHEDULE

Queen City Invitational
Begins Dec. 27 at Manchester Memorial
Boys Division

SCHOOLS: Manchester Central, Manchester West, Bedford, Exeter, Bow, Salem, Trinity

 

CLICK FOR SCHEDULE

Lakes Region Holiday Tournament
Begins Dec. 27 at Gilford
Boys & Girls Divisions

SCHOOLS: Gilford, Laconia, Woodsville, Kingswood, Winnisquam, Newfound, Prospect Mountain, Plymouth

 

CLICK FOR SCHEDULE

Bobcat Holiday Classic
Begins Dec. 26 at Oyster River
Boys & Girls Divisions

SCHOOLS: Dover, Oyster River, Winnacunnet, Spaulding, York, Newmarket, Keene, Timberlane, St. Thomas

 

Hollis-Brookline Holiday Classic
Begins Dec. 27 at Hollis-Brookline
Girls Division

SCHOOLS: Windham, Goffstown, Bishop Guertin, Salem, Alvirne, Hollis-Brookline

Crusader Holiday Classic
Begins Dec. 27 at Lowell Catholic
Boys Division

SCHOOLS: Alvirne, Hollis-Brookline, Londonderry

Capital Area Basketball Classic
Begins Dec. 27 at Concord

SCHOOLS: Concord, Pembroke, John Stark, Hopkinton, Merrimack Valley, Bishop Brady

Nashua Holiday Tournament
Begins Dec. 27 at Nashua North/South

SCHOOLS: Nashua South, Nashua North, Milford, Souhegan

Londonderry Girls Holiday Basketball Tournament
Begins Dec. 27 at Londonderry
Girls Division

SCHOOLS: Bedford, Pinkerton, Bishop Feehan, Barrington, LaSalle Academy, Hall-Dale High, Concord Christian

Stevens Christmas Tournament
Begins Dec. 27 at Stevens
Boys Division

SCHOOLS: Stevens, Fall Mt., Windsor, Rivenddell Academy

Lake Sunapee Region Holiday Classic
Begins Dec. 27 at Newport
Boys Division

SCHOOLS: Mount Royal Newport, Sunapee, Hillsborough-Deering

Lake Sunapee Region Holiday Classic
Begins Dec. 27 at Mount Royal
Girls Division

SCHOOLS: Mount Royal, Newport, Sunapee, Moultonborough

Doug Chandler Christmas Tournament
Begins Dec. 27 at Manchester Central
Girls Division

SCHOOLS: Central-West, Memorial, Trinity, Derryfield, Merrimack, Monadnock, Lebanon, Bow

West Side Christmas Classic
Begins Dec. 28 at Holy Family Academy
Boys & Girls Divisions

SCHOOLS: Moultonboro, Lin Wood, Mascenic, Lisbon, Hinsdale, Nute

Upper Valley Holiday Classic
Begins Dec. 28 at Hanover
Boys Division

SCHOOLS: Lebanon, Mascoma, Kearsarge, Hanover

Pinkerton flies past Exeter in statement road win

Introducing our 2023-24 intern Nathaniel Ford. A 2023 graduate of Coe-Brown Northwood Academy and starting point guard for the Bears, Ford currently attends Endicott College in Beverly, Mass.

By Nathaniel Ford

EXETER – If you like offense, then this was the game for you. A combined 174 points were poured in during the Astros’ 22-point victory, 98-76.

Pinkerton scored their season high, nearly reaching the century mark behind 16 three-point field goals.

This was a Friday night battle between two top programs in Division I. Pinkerton entered the night 3-0, and Exeter was 2-1 coming in, with their one loss coming by just three points against Alvirne.

“The program at Exeter is obviously very, very good. Coming into tonight, this was a big test for us,” said Pinkerton head coach Mike Dunham. Pinkerton is regarded as one of the top teams in Division I, and they want to prove that they really are contenders.

The Astros blew it open early. After starting the game down 4-7, their largest deficit of the game, they went on a 25-3 run and ended up finishing the first quarter up 29-15. Senior forward Jackson Marshall scored a game-high 12 in the 1st quarter.

Pinkerton did not look back, extending their lead to 24 points going into the break. They hit four threes in the second quarter, with three of them coming from Christian Brander. Brander made five threes in the first half, helping to lead them into the half up 52-28.

Pinkerton’s offense showed no signs of slowing down in the second half, pouring in 23 points in the third quarter.

“I wanted to find my shooting again. I wasn’t able to shoot well in the first half,” said Pinkerton’s Charlie Ludden. He is Pinkerton’s third highest scorer on the season, and he was held to just five points in the first half.

Ludden stood by his word, as he found his shot early. He scored eight-straight points for Pinkerton to open the third quarter. He scored 14 in the third and was a big reason Pinkerton was able to keep a large lead.

The fourth quarter went the same as the rest of the game, as Pinkerton controlled the momentum once again and cruised to a 98-76 final score. Marshall led the team with 30 points, with Brander finishing with 23 and Ludden 19.

Exeter was paced by 22 points from Brady Rogers, with Nate McNiff (15), Nik Greco (14), and Dylan Whelan (11) all scoring double figures.

Pinkerton improves to 4-0 on the season and looks to continue this strong season following their runner-up campaign last season. “We want to get to Durham and win this time,” said Ludden. The Astros are not satisfied after their loss against Bedford in the state championship.

“We’ve gotta play a little better defense that’s for sure. Our shots were falling though, which obviously helps” said Dunham. Pinkerton has given up 70, 60, and 76 in their last three games, which they look to clean up.

Pinkerton looks to continue their unbeaten season as they go on the road against Spaulding on January 2nd. Exeter looks to correct their two game skid as they go on the road against Dover on the same day.

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

John Stark rolls past Plymouth

John Stark unleashed a 27-1 first quarter to roll past short-handed Plymouth on Friday night, 68-26, in Plymouth.

The Generals had 11 of 12 players score and they were led by Haley Stafford (12). The Bobcats, who were without KK Merrifield and Addy Elfstrom, were lead by freshman Lily Palombo with 9 points.

Check out photos of the action by John Scott Sherburne…

Yellow Jackets earn come-from-behind overtime win

Pittsburg-Canaan erased a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to force overtime and come away with a 78-73 victory at Gorham on Friday night.

The Yellow Jackets boasted a quartet in double figures with Damon Jaimes (28), Caleb Umlah (17), Drew Petit (13) and Griffin Hurlbert (11). The Huskies were paced by Isaac Langlois (28), Brendan Saladino (18) and Max Grondin (10).

With the win, Pittsburg-Canaan improves to 2-3 on the season, while Gorham falls to 3-3.

Check out photos of the action by Greg Alnwick…

Milford improves to 4-0 with win at Timberlane

The Milford Spartans pushed their perfect record to 4-0 on the season with a close victory at Timberlane, 46-41, on Friday night in Plaistow.

Lulu Maguire netted a game-high 15 points for the Spartans, while Avery Fuller and Shea Hansen chipped in with 12 and 11, respectively. Maia Parker led the Owls with 11.

Timberlane has now dropped two straight to even its record at 2-2.

Check out photos of the action by Betsy Hansen…