Tag: Franklin

NHIAA preseason heats up

By: KJ Cardinal

Just like the unseasonably warm weather, the 2024-25 NHIAA season is beginning to heat up as well.

Yesterday marked the first practice date for Division IV squads with many holding tryouts around the state. D-III follows suit next week (Nov. 25) with D-I & D-II just seven days later as well (Dec. 2).

The D-IV season official tips off with 2024-25 opening night being held on Friday, Dec. 6, while Divisions I, II & III throw it up on Dec. 13.

Before we get to the regular-season slate, however, there are six official NHIAA sanctioned preseason jamborees on the docket. Check out the events below as this will be your first chance to see these squads in action…

DATEGENDEREVENTHOSTPARTICIPANTS
December 1GirlsPreseason Basketball JamboreeLin-WoodHoly Family, Concord Christian, Franklin, Lin-Wood
December 3BoysNewfound InvitationalNewfoundInter-Lakes, Winnisquam, Laconia, Plymouth, White Mountains, Newfound
December 7BoysBelmont Boys Basketball Preseason JamboreeBelmontMascoma, Monadnock, Newport, Belmont
December 7BoysPinkerton Basketball JamboreePinkertonCentral Catholic, Malden Catholic, Salem, Greater Lawrence Tech, Pinkerton
December 7GirlsPreseason JamboreeKennettWhite Mountains, Inter-Lakes, Berlin, Fryeburg, Kingswood, Plymouth, Gilford, Laconia, Prospect Mountain, Moultonborough, Littleton, Kennett
December 7BoysNH Sports Page Basketball JamboreeLondonderryNashua South, Kearsarge, Pelham, St. Thomas, Pinkerton, Windham, Trinity, Bow, Portsmouth, Pembroke, Londonderry

Wilton-Lyndeborough closes out Franklin in first round

Sixth-seeded Wilton-Lyndeborough led by just three points entering the final frame in Tuesday night’s first round game versus #11 Franklin, but the Warriors outscored the Golden Tornadoes 18-11 over the final eight minutes to advance to the quarterfinals of the NHIAA Division IV state tournament, 55-45.

Wilton will take on #3 Newmarket in quarterfinal play on Friday night.

Adri Bausha poured in a game-high 28 points for the Warriors to lead all scorers, while Franklin was led by 16 points from Kourtney Kaplan and 14 from Lilly Cornell.

Check out the full photo gallery by Betsy Hansen…

Farmington downs Franklin, ends regular season 15-3

Farmington held Franklin to just two 2nd-quarter points and then poured in 23 points in the 3rd to roll to a 57-38 victory on Friday night.

The Tigers were led by 14 points from Shawn Murphy and 11 from Demery Hadges. Zeke McCoy led all scorers with 19 points for the Golden Tornadoes.

Farmington finishes the regular-season with a 15-3 record and currently sits 4th in the Division IV standings. Franklin snaps its three-game win streak and falls to 11-6.

Check out the full photo gallery by KJ Cardinal…

Fast start fuels Farmington past Franklin

Farmington poured in 22 first-quarter points and ran past Franklin, 53-32, on Friday night.

The Tigers led 33-22 at the break and then held the Golden Tornadoes to just two 3rd-quarter points to blow the game open.

Farmington was led by a game-high 19 points from Madi Ricker, while Kourtney Kaplan paced Franklin with 18.

With the win, the Tigers close out the regular season with a 13-5 mark and currently sits in fifth place in the Division IV standings. The Golden Tornadoes fall to 10-7 and end their regular season on Tuesday versus Holy Family.

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

Meet the 2023-24 Franklin Golden Tornado Boys

While at The Bash, we were able to get the Franklin Golden Tornadoes into our studio for a fun photo shoot. Check out the 2023-24 Golden Tornadoes roster and the full photo gallery from the shoot…

#NAMEPOS.
1Zeke McCoyG
2Nathan HolmesG
5Cody WilliamsG
11Grayson McLaughlinG/F
12Vinnie TiltonG
13Zandyr LeclercC/F
15Thomas NasonF
20Matt CarlsenG/F
31Cole JohnsonF
33Jack Van PolenF/C
34Harrison KaplanG
44Matt NasonC
45Jordan CarterF
Head Coach: David Bedard

High resolution images of this gallery are available here.

Meet the 2023-24 Franklin Golden Tornado Girls

While at The Bash, we were able to get the Franklin Golden Tornadoes into our studio for a fun photo shoot. Check out the 2023-24 Golden Tornadoes roster and the full photo gallery from the shoot below…

#NAMECL.POS.
1Sage SlocumSOG
2Layleah WellsFRG
12Kourtney KaplanFRG
15Payton CloutierSOG
21Maddie DohertySOG
23Lily CornellFRC
33Savaughna SlocumJRG
44Keira MichaelsJRG
Head Coach: Mark Dionne, Asst. Coach: Maddie Trefethen

High resolution images of this gallery can be downloaded here.

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

Kennett advances to championship in blowout win

By Nathaniel Ford

FARMINGTON – The Kennett girls cruised past Franklin 51-24 in the semifinals of The Bash. 

It was stout defense played by the Eagles that propelled them to a victory. “We knew they had some kids that could score, and our focus was putting our top two defenders on #12 [Kourtney Kaplan] and trying to limit her,” said head coach Larry Meader. 

The Eagles came out hot to open, going on a 10-0 run in the first two minutes of the game. They carried this momentum out of a Franklin timeout and continued their dominance. Stellar defense and transition offense were the keys in the quarter, and Kennett led 24-4 going into the second.

“Offensively we just wanted to get out and run. That was the best job we’ve done just getting out on the break and having kids release down the floor,” said Meader. 

Meader’s squad was led by two players. Kaley Goodhart poured in 12 points in the quarter, and Samantha Sidoti added 10 of her own. 

The second quarter started much differently than the first. The Eagles were held scoreless until 4:30 was on the clock, when Sidoti got a bucket inside. During that time, Franklin went on a nice 6-0 run, which cut the lead to 14. 

Kennett pulled away once again at the end of the quarter, holding Franklin scoreless for the last five minutes. Behind two three-pointers from Goodhart, they entered the break up 35-10. They were paced by her game-high 18 points. 

With such a big lead, some teams get complacent and allow a comeback. The Eagles showed no sign of that happening. “We’ve had big leads before and watched them disappear. They’ve learned that they’ve got to keep the gas going and to stay on them” said Meader. 

The Eagles only extended their lead in the third quarter. They continued to play great defense on the Golden Tornadoes and continued to run the break exceptionally well. Behind a 7-point quarter from Sidoti, they entered the break with a 49-20 lead. 

The game was out-of-reach entering the fourth quarter, with Kennett up nearly 30 points going in. Both teams were held scoreless through the first three minutes of the quarter, with Franklin’s Kourtney Kaplan stopping the drought. 

When the final buzzer sounded, it was a resounding 51-24 victory for the Eagles.

Leading the way for Kennett was Kaley Goodhart and Samantha Sidoti, who both recorded a game-high 20 points. Franklin was paced by 12 points from Kourtney Kaplan, and Lily Cornell added 6 points of her own. 

Kennett will advance to the championship game tomorrow at 1:00 against the winner of Farmington vs. Profile. This is familiar territory for them, as last year, they fell to Coffee County in the title game. This year, they look to flip the script and come away with the trophy themselves.

Check out the photo gallery by KJ Cardinal…

The Bash: Day 2 recap

That’s a wrap on day two of the 44th Annual Mike Lee Holiday Basketball Bash. 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 10 games along with the high scorers in each…

GAME 13
GIRLS: Sanborn 56, Portsmouth Christian 48
Sanborn: Emma Gillis 23
PCA: Ava Buchanan 24, Jaela Stockbower 11

GAME 14: FULL STORY
BOYS: Sanborn 76, Nute 30
Sanborn: Chase Frizzell 14, Brandon Sarette 11
Nute: Collin Hathorn 12, Picard 10

GAME 15
BOYS: Derryfield 43, Kennett 33
Derryfield: Jack Krasnof 14, Alex Comire 11, Alex Drake 10
Kennett: Tavon Porter 11, Daven Bailey 14

GAME 16: FULL STORY
BOYS: Windham 68, Noble 54
Windham: Caden Bouchard 16, Jack Begley 10,
Noble: Jamier Rose 21, Bryce Guitard 18

GAME 17
GIRLS: Franklin 60, Noble 40
Franklin: Lily Cornell 21, Kourtney Kaplan 18
Noble: Aubrey Brennan 20, Taylor Gnirk 16

GAME 18: FULL STORY
BOYS: Portsmouth Christian 61, Franklin 38
PCA: Cai Summers 20, Connor Hickey 18
Franklin: Zeke McCoy 28

GAME 19
GIRLS: Profile 56, Coe-Brown 50
Profile: Morgan Presby 13, Mya Brown 22
CBNA: Emma Lapierre 15, Hannah Meehan 14

GAME 20: FULL STORY
BOYS: Profile 71, Raymond 42
Profile: Josh Robie 35, Alex Leslie 15
Raymond: Dre Duffaut 10

GAME 21
GIRLS: Farmington 57, Raymond 35
FHS: Zoey Johnson 15, Shaylee DiPrizio 13, Jaelyn Prosper 10
Raymond: Sophie Huynh 15

GAME 22
BOYS: Farmington 78, Concord Christian 56
FHS: Demery Hadges 27, Shawn Murphy 16, Dylan Zappala 11, Aiden Place 10
CCA: Jaden Young 20

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…