Tag: Bedford

Perfect Again: Consistency & improvement lead Bedford to another crown

By John Doyle

The Bedford High School girls basketball team had a perfect 2025 season — its second in a row as undefeated Division I champions.

But Kevin Gibbs doesn’t measure perfection only in wins and losses. For the Bulldogs’ six-year veteran coach, it goes deeper than that.

“We have in-game goals,” Gibbs said. “And those goals are not related to winning and losing.”

Every night Bedford took the court, there was a checklist of goals — which could include keeping turnovers under 12, make 12 or more assists, holding opponents to single-digit scoring per quarter, or out-rebounding opponents by five or more.

Coach Gibbs noted that only twice this season did the team achieve all of its in-game goals, so in that way, perfection was not the main focus.

“It’s all the little components that, when added up, if you get the majority of them, you’ll win the game,” he said.

And win they did. After going 25-0 in 2024, the Bulldogs did it again this year en route to a second straight D-I crown.

Bedford’s run to the title — which was made official with a 50-44 win over rival Londonderry — was its third in five seasons and fifth straight trip to the D-I final.

While the Bulldogs’ natural inclination was to win every night, the prospect of a second-straight unbeaten season was never explicitly discussed.

“We never said we’re going to go undefeated this season or we’re going to come out with a championship,” said forward Mel McCarthy, a rising junior. “Obviously, everyone thought that in the back of their mind, but we focused more on little end-game goals to win that specific game, focus on the next play, get back on defense. Then the wins will come with that. We never really looked at the ‘big’ big picture.”

As is to be expected in the world of high school sports, Bedford’s 2025 season featured blowouts — 67-14 over Manchester Memorial, 70-21 over Merrimack and 68-20 over Keene to name a few. But there were plenty of close games too. The Bulldogs twice defeated Pinkerton in championship-game rematches, 65-52 at home and 48-43 in Derry. In that second game, the teams were tied entering the fourth quarter and neither led by more than 3 until Bedford forward Kate Allard put the win on ice with a pair of late free throws.

A February showdown against then-undefeated Londonderry in the final game of the regular season saw the Bulldogs trail by 9 in the fourth quarter — their biggest deficit of the season — before finishing the contest on a 16-0 run.

Even then, with the playoffs up next and another championship just four wins away, the word “undefeated” was still implicitly taboo in the Bulldogs’ locker room.

“This is going to blow your mind, but it was never discussed,” Gibbs said. “They truly embraced playing the game that was right ahead of them.”

The seeds of Bedford’s success were planted around the time the school opened in 2007 — when members of the current squad were babies or, in some cases, not even born. That’s because the school has always integrated the entire Bedford community into its development process, by doing such things as inviting youth programs to games, hosting camps for young basketball players in town and holding joint practices with the middle school teams.

“We would always go to the high school games, so we all thought they were celebrities,” said Allard, who will take her game to the next level at Boston University this fall. “So it’s really fun having that — seeing both sides, being that little kid and talking with the little kids now.”

Such early exposure to Bedford basketball not only immerses young players to the Bulldogs’ style of play, but also instills a sense of town pride and a strong desire to someday represent Bedford on the big stage as a member of the varsity basketball squad.

“We’re not making robots,” Gibbs said. “We’re trying to build kids who can succeed both on and off the court. 
And that, I think, is one of the reasons why we’ve achieved success — we have kids who buy into the fact that they’re being given responsibility and they don’t abuse it, they embrace it.”

Of course, playing any sport at Bedford means having a target on your back. The Bulldogs also won titles this year in boys basketball, boys tennis, and volleyball this season, and had a number of deep playoff runs in other sports.

Rising senior Annie Zink said that when you play for Bedford, being “the hunted” just comes with the territory. But she and her teammates took the challenge in stride.

“Any sport you play at Bedford, that’s usually what happens,” said Zink, a point guard. “They want to beat Bedford, so you always have it in the back of your mind. But I think we faced it as a challenge, and just something that made us work even harder in practice because we wanted to keep that undefeated streak so much. I think it was good motivation. It was hard to do, but it pushed us to want more.”

A high school basketball team will naturally turn over its entire roster in five years, so sustained success over that span points to one constant — strong, dedicated coaching. Still, Gibbs considers himself blessed to have at his disposal a seemingly never-ending flow of talented and dedicated players.

“Coaches sometimes take way too much of the credit when, in fact, it’s the kids that are doing the work,” Gibbs said. “If you have good team leadership, if you have athletes that really get it and create a model that kids see as being successful, then the kids want to emulate that model, and it just kind of builds on itself.”

Can Bedford make it three titles in a row, and maybe a third undefeated season to boot? The players might not talk about it among themselves, but the thought is already there.

“We’ll continue to reach for that standard because that’s what we want and that’s what we can achieve,” said Sarah Muir, a rising senior guard. “So our goal is to be at UNH again with the same record. Some people may crumble, but I feel like it kind of gives us that motivation to kind of do it again.”

Mike Whaley’s 2025 All-Tournament Teams announced

For the fourth-straight season, our Mike Whaley has selected All-Tournament Teams from all eight divisions of NHIAA postseason play. These All-Tourney squads are chosen from final four participants in each division.

Congratulations to all on a great postseason run…

DIVISION I BOYS ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Logan O’Connell, Bedford
Connor O’Rourke, Bedford
Javon Massiah, Keene
Kasen Abbott, Keene
Derek Swartz, Portsmouth
Nate McNeff, Exeter

DIVISION I GIRLS ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Kate Allard, Bedford
Mel McCarthy, Bedford
Sammie Sullivan, Londonderry
Brooke Eacrett, Londonderry
Rileigh Finneran, Windham
Emma Smith, Concord Christian

DIVISION II BOYS ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Evan Berkeley, Pembroke
Andrew Fitzgerald, Pembroke
Chase Frizzell, Sanborn
Dylan Rego, Sanborn
Matthew Jernigan, Oyster River
Brady Hegan, Pelham

DIVISION II GIRLS ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Alexa Bausha, Milford
Avery Fuller, Milford
Vivian O’Quinn, Oyster River
Olivia Andersen, Oyster River
Macy Swormstedt, Laconia
Anna Fazelat, Derryfield

DIVISION III BOYS ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Keegan Martinez, Belmont
Treshawn Ray, Belmont
Eli Whipple, Kearsarge
Austin Needham, Kearsarge
Cole McClure, Saint Thomas Aquinas
Tanner Moulton, Mascoma

DIVISION III GIRLS ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Emma Toriello, Saint Thomas Aquinas
Genna Bolduc, Saint Thomas Aquinas
Emilie von der Linden, Saint Thomas Aquinas
Clara Stewart, Fall Mountain
Abby Jarvis, Fall Mountain
Bailee Soucia, Monadnock

DIVISION IV BOYS ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Ryan Walker, Woodsville
Landon Kingsbury, Woodsville
Sam Reagey, Littleton
Connor Roy, Littleton
Isaac Langlois, Gorham
Luke Farland, Concord Christian

DIVISION IV GIRLS ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Delaney Whiting, Groveton
Mylee Kenison, Groveton
Addison Pilgrim, Littleton
Leah Poulton, Littleton
Amaya Beckles, Newmarket
Ryenn Pedone, Holy Family

Bedford comes from behind to down Keene for the D-I title

By: KJ Cardinal

DURHAM, NH – Trailing by seven points with under three minutes remaining, top-seeded Bedford closed the game on a 12-4 run to earn a come-from-behind, 51-50, victory over No. 6 Keene to capture the 2025 NHIAA Division I Boys Basketball State Championship on Sunday night at Lundholm Gymnasium.

While the Bulldogs struggled shooting the ball all night, they were dominant on the glass and that proved to be the difference. Bedford shot just 30 percent from the field (18-60), 48.3 percent from the line (14-29) and 4.5 percent from three (1-22). However, the Bulldogs won the battle on the boards 53-32, including 27 offensive rebounds and 29 second-chance points.

Wiji Dak pulled down 14 boards, while Connor O’Rourke and Landon Ellsmore both grabbed 11 rebounds to lead the Bulldogs efforts on the glass. O’Rourke also paced the Bedford offense with 18 points and Ellsmore added 10.

Keene was led by a game-high 19 points from Javon Massiah.

The game was close throughout as the two squads played evenly in the opening quarter, 14-14. Keene would later take a five-point lead to the break, 25-20.

Bedford came out strong in the second half as they cut the Keene lead to two after three quarters of play, 34-32. The Blackbirds appeared to take control of the game in the beginning of the final stanza as they led 46-39 with less than three minutes on the clock.

With 2:55 left in the game, a three-point play by Ellsmore, off an offensive rebound nonetheless, started the final run for the Bulldogs.

A half court heave by Keene’s Kasen Abbott came up short as it grazed the front of the rim as time expired to give Bedford the win.

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

Perfection: Undefeated Bedford wins back-to-back D-I titles

By: Logan Paronto & KJ Cardinal

DURHAM, NH – Top-seeded Bedford completed its 22-0 perfect season and earned back-to-back NHIAA Division I state championships with a 50-44 victory over No. 2 Londonderry on Saturday evening at Lundholm Gymnasium.

The Bulldogs, who led wire-to-wire, pushed their advantage to as many as 12 points, 34-22, with 3:36 to go in the third quarter. The Lancers responded with a 15-6 run trim the Bedford cushion to three, 40-37, with 5:21 left, but Londonderry would get no closer. The Bulldogs buried eight free throws in the final 4:15 to seal the deal.

To start the game, the two teams traded buckets with Bedford leading 12-10 after the first eight minutes. Kate Allard scored seven second-quarter points to give the Bulldogs a 25-18 lead going into half.

Samantha Sullivan scored 16 of her game-high 20 points in the second-half. Allard finished with a team-high 12 while Annie Zink added 11. Brooke Eacrett scored 11 of her own to go with Sullivan’s 20.

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

Bedford closes out Exeter to advance to D-I title game

By: Logan Paronto

ROCHESTER, NH – Top-seeded Bedford scored 18 points in the fourth quarter en route to a 58-55 win over No. 5 Exeter in Division I semifinal action on Wednesday night at the Rochester Recreation Center.

The two sides traded buckets throughout the first half before the Bulldogs took a 30-27 lead into the locker room.

The Blue Hawks would bring the momentum into the fourth after a 16-point third quarter that gave them a 43-40 lead.

Logan O’Connell and Landon Ellsmore would break out in the fourth, combining to score 13 of Bedford’s 18 points in the quarter.

O’Connell would finish with a game-high 21 while Ellsmore finished with eight. Freshman Wiji Dak also added double-digit scoring with 12.

Exeter was paced by 17 from Nikolas Greco, while Nate McNeff (16) and Jack Thibodeau (11) rounded out the double-digit scoring.

Bedford will take on No. 6 Keene in the championship on Sunday at UNH at 4:00 p.m.

Exeter finishes its season with a 16-5 record.

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

Unbeaten Bedford ends CCA’s postseason run, advances to D-I final

By: KJ Cardinal

EXETER, NH – Unbeaten, top-seed Bedford used a 29-14 first half to cruise to a 58-34 victory over No. 4 Concord Christian in Division I semifinal action on Monday night at Exeter High School.

The Kingsmen loss snaps their 13-game postseason win streak and ends their quest at four-straight state championships, one in each of the four divisions. CCA had won the 2022 Division IV crown, the 2023 D-III title and the 2024 D-II championship.

Bedford, who moves to a perfect 21-0 on the season, was led by a trio of double-digit scorers: Mel McCarthy (13 points) and 10 apiece from Sarah Muir and Juliet Laws. CCA was paced by a game-high 14 points from Lilli Carlisle and 11 from Emma Smith.

Bedford will take on No. 2 Londonderry in the finals at 4:00 PM on Saturday at UNH.

Check out the full photo gallery by Michael Griffin…

Strong start sends Bedford past Windham to D-I semis

By: KJ Cardinal

BEDFORD, NH – Top-seeded Bedford raced out to a 33-22 lead at the break and hung on to defeat No. 9 Windham, 66-59, on Saturday in quarterfinal action of the Division I state tournament.

The Bulldogs advance to the semifinal round to take on No. 5 Exeter on Wednesday at the Rochester Recreation Center at 7:30 p.m.

Logan O’Connell led Bedford with 23 points, while Landon Ellsmore and Connor O’Rourke netted 17 points apiece. The Jaguars were paced by a game-high 27 points from Jack Koutrobis and 13 from Jack Murphy.

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

Bedford blows past Exeter to Division I semifinals

By: KJ Cardinal

BEDFORD, NH – Top-seeded Bedford raced out to a 47-22 lead at the half and never looked back as the Bulldogs downed No. 9 Exeter, 85-39, in quarterfinal action of the Division I state tourney on Thursday night.

Led by a game-high 23 points from Kate Allard, Bedford put eight players in the scoring column. Annie Zink (17), Mel McCarthy (16) and Sara Muir (13) all netted double-digits for the Bulldogs as well.

The Blue Hawks were led by 10 points from Karli Scherpf.

Bedford advances to the semifinals to take on No. 4 Concord Christian Academy on Monday at Exeter High School at 8:00 p.m.

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

Bedford eases past Manchester Central-West in first round

By: KJ Cardinal

BEDFORD, NH – Top-seeded Bedford made short work of No. 16 Manchester Central-West, 79-21, in Division I first round action on Monday night.

The Bulldogs advance to the quarterfinals to take on No. 9 Exeter on Thursday night.

Kate Allard led all scorers with a game-high 20 points for Beford, while Mel McCarthy and Ella Allard added 19 and 11 points, respectively.

Tianna Mann netted 14 points for Central-West.

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

Bedford blows past Spaulding

By: KJ Cardinal

BEDFORD, NH – Bedford closed out the regular season with an 84-60 win over visiting Spaulding on Tuesday night, clinching the top seed for the upcoming Division I tournament in the process.

The Bulldogs were paced by five players in double figures: Jack Hinton (20), Logan O’Connell (15), Luke O’Connell (10), Connor O’Rourke (16) and Wiji Dak (14).

Spaulding was paced by 17 points apiece from Marcel Rose and Nate Sanchez Martinez and 10 from Kyran Jean Pierre

With the win, Bedford improves to 15-3, while Spaulding’s season comes to a close at 6-12.

Check out the full photo gallery by Dave Beliveau…