Tag: Bedford

McCarthy named Big Ten Freshman of the Week

Purdue’s Lana McCarthy (Bedford ’24) has been named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week for the first time in her career.

The 6’4 forward averaged 15 points and 7.5 rebounds in two games on the week, shooting a scorching 61% from the floor.

McCarthy has started all five games for the 4-1 Boilermakers, with their only loss coming to No. 6 Notre Dame. She is one of nine freshman in the country to average over 11 points and 7 rebounds per game.

Next up for Purdue is the Elevance Fort Myers Tip-Off this week as the Boilermakers start the event versus Middle Tennessee on Thursday at 4:30 pm and then take on No. 4 South Carolina on Saturday at 11:00 am.

Plymouth State blazes past Elms in season opener

By KJ Cardinal

PLYMOUTH, N.H. – The Plymouth State men’s basketball team opened the 2024-25 season with a convincing 81-58 victory over visiting Elms College on Monday afternoon at Foley Gymnasium.

The host Panthers raced out to a 15-4 lead with 9:44 left in the first half. The Blazers then scored seven unanswered points in just under 2 minutes to cut the lead to four, 15-11.

PSU poured it on with 14-straight points to blow the game open with a 31-13 lead with 3:32 left in the half. The Panthers never looked back.

Senior Kevin Henry (Exeter) led the way for Plymouth with a game-high 25 points. Sophomore Eli Pockette connected on 5-of-8 triples en route to 15 points and sophomore Ivan Yen (Concord/Busche Academy) added 12 of his own.

As a team, the Panthers pumped in 40 points in the paint, compared to just 14 by the Blazers, to shoot 50% from the field (34-68). PSU also connected on 11-of-30 from beyond the arc (36.7%).

The Panthers played 14 players, including a slew from the Granite State. Seniors Eli Swanson (Inter-Lakes/Holderness School) and Kevin Newton-Delgado (Hopkinton/NHTI), juniors Riley Marsh (Gilford) and Maxwell Galbraith (Hanover), sophomores Jayden Montgomery (Nashua North) and Caden Brown (Bedford), and freshman Jaden Pena (Nashua North) all saw action.

Check out the massive 240+ image photo gallery by our KJ Cardinal…

Courtesy: Purdue Athletics

Double-double collegiate debut for Bedford’s McCarthy

Lana McCarthy (Bedford ’24) became the first freshman in Purdue women’s basketball history to record a double-double in a season-opening game as the 6’4 forward poured in 18 points with 10 rebounds last night at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind. [📸 Purdue Athletics]

The 2024 Miss New Hampshire Basketball was 8-9 from the field in 22 minutes of action as Purdue downed Purdue Fort Wayne, 87-77.

Next up, the Boilermakers play host to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Sunday at 7:00 pm. You can watch the action live on FS1.

Check out the highlights from McCarthy’s big debut…

Bedford caps off undefeated season with championship

By Nathaniel Ford

DURHAM – The Bedford Bulldogs, in their seventh championship appearance in the last decade, defeated the Pinkerton Astros 60-41 for the Division-I title. 

After falling short of taking home the trophy in 2022 and 2023, the Bulldogs were able to get it done tonight. Their victory tonight caps off a perfect 21-0 season. 

Bedford got off to a slow start, scoring only 5 points in the first four minutes of the quarter. It was all Pinkerton, who, led by Brooke Benze, jumped out to an early 9-5 lead. 

Bedford fought and kept it close, mainly due to the play of Lana McCarthy, who scored an impressive 13 points in the first quarter. Despite this, the Astros held the lead 18-16 entering the second frame. 

Pinkerton was led by sophomore Brooke Benz, who scored 8 points for the Astros, including two three pointers.

The second quarter was slow for both teams offensively, with each side being held scoreless for a multi-minute drought in the middle of the frame. 

Pinkerton held a 4 point lead for a portion of the quarter, and they brought lots of defensive intensity to hold Bedford scoreless. The Bulldogs seemed rattled by the increased energy from both the players and the fans. 

McCarthy picked up her third foul and came out of the game, so it looked as if Bedford’s scoring woes would continue. However, they were able to find a groove. Due to a 7-0 run to end the quarter, they entered the second half leading 26-23.

Only three players scored for the Bulldogs. McCarthy led the way with a game-high 13 first-half points, while Sarah Muir added 8 and Kate Allard scored 5 of her own.

Pinkerton was led by Benz’s 11 points. Kaylee Dupuis carried the rest of the load, scoring 7 points as well. Alexandria White contributed greatly on the glass, grabbing a game-high 7 rebounds. 

To start the third quarter, everything was going in the favor of the Astros. Shortly into the period, McCarthy picked up her fourth foul and was taken out of the game. 

Amidst this, Pinkerton went on an 11-2 led by Elizabeth Lavoie, who knocked down a three and got a pair of baskets in the paint. Her 7 points propelled them to a 4 point lead over the Bulldogs. 

Despite their leading scorer being out of the game, Bedford rallied and put together a huge end to the quarter, finishing on an 11-2 run coming out of a timeout. Four out of five players on the floor during the run scored, and they entered the fourth up 43-36. 

Baskets in transition were what propelled Bedford during the third quarter. Nearly all of their field goals were on the fast break, and they continuously wore down Pinkerton and were able to find success beating them down the floor. 

In the fourth quarter, Bedford ran away with it like they had in most games this season. The lead stayed around a 10 point lead for the first part of the quarter. 

Down by double figures, Pinkerton had to start fouling. Between Bedford knocking down free throws and Pinkerton not being able to connect on outside shots, the lead grew even more. Bedford ended up with a 60-41 victory in the title game.

The Bulldogs were led by standout senior Lana McCarthy, who, despite dealing with foul trouble all game, finished with a game-high 20 points. Kate Allard (14) and Sarah Muir (12) added double figures of their own, with Allard grabbing a game-high 11 rebounds.

The Astros were paced by 14 points from Brooke Benz and 13 points from Kaylee Dupuis. Alexandria White, despite scoring 0 points, made a big impact on the glass, grabbing a team-high 9 rebounds. 

Pinkerton had a fantastic season, with a 17-1 regular season record, earning the second seed in the division. While they came up short tonight, they played with lots of energy and passion, and they received unbelievable support from their fans tonight. 

This marked Bedford’s fourth consecutive appearance in the title game. While they have some key contributors graduating, they return a lot of their core, and they will look to add to their continued success over the last decade.


Check out the full photo gallery by Dave Beliveau…

North knocks off Bedford, advances to title game

Third-seeded Nashua North upset No. 2 Bedford, 84-68, in the semifinal round of the NHIAA Division I Boys Basketball State Tournament on Wednesday night at Exeter High School.

With the win, the Titans advance to the title game where they will take on No. 1 Pinkerton on Sunday at UNH. The game time is still to be determined.

North jumped out to a quick 9-2 lead in a fast-paced first quarter before Bedford rallied to take a one-point lead, 21-20, after one. The Titans kept the pedal to the metal in the 2nd quarter with 20 points again, while holding the Bulldogs to 12 points. North led 40-33 at the break.

The second-half was once again a frantic pace. The Titans balanced offense outscored Bedford, 25-20 in the quarter. North closed things out in the 4th to come away with the convincing 16-point win.

A quartet of Titans netted double-digits: Robinson Rodriguez (26 points), Parth Miglani (24), Jaden Pena (18) and Luke Peters (10).

The Bulldogs struggled to put the ball in the basket all night, but were led by 14 points apiece from Niko Badoian and Austin Kasyjanski. Leading scorer Luke Soden (26 PPG) managed just 13 points for Bedford.

Check out the full photo gallery 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…

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…

Bedford blows past Exeter to semifinals

Top-seeded Bedford held No. 9 Exeter to just 14 first-half point en route to a 74-32 victory in quarterfinal action of the NHIAA Division I State Tournament on Friday night.

The Bulldogs advance to the semifinals where they will take on No. 4 Portsmouth on Tuesday at 7:30 pm. The site for these semifinals is still to be determined.

Bedford was paced a game-high 20 points from Kate Allard and three other Bulldogs in double-digits: Lana McCarthy (13), Mel McCarthy (10) and Megan Muir (10). The Blue Hawks were led by 8 points from Jessica Melick.

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

Bedford cruises past Central to quarterfinals

Behind a game-high 29 points from Luke Soden, #2 Bedford cruised to an 88-55 win over visiting #15 Manchester Central on Wednesday night in first round action of the NHIAA Division I State Tournament.

The Bulldogs advance to the quarterfinals where they will take on #10 Alvirne at Saturday at 7:00 pm.

Bedford came out firing as Soden (10) and Brady O’Connell (9) combined for 19 1st-quarter points to give the Bulldogs a 24-14 lead after one. Suffocating defense in the 2nd quarter limited the Little Green to just 7 points and Bedford took a commanding 44-21 lead to the break.

The Bulldogs were led by Soden, while O’Connell added 19 and Austin Kasyjanski had 15. Pacing Central was Izaya Diaz with 13 points.

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

Bedford blows past Salem

Bedford put a bow on its undefeated regular season with an 82-32 win over visiting Salem on Thursday night.

The Bulldogs clinch the #1 seed for the upcoming Division I state tournament which gets underway on Tuesday.

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