Raymond defeated Hillboro-Deering, 59-43, on Friday night in the regular-season finale for both squads.
The Rams improved to 5-12 with the victory, while the Hillcats were winless on the season.
Check out the full photo gallery of the action by Jeff Criss of Perfect Photos…
Cohen Claytor’s three-pointer as time expired gave Raymond a dramatic come-from-behind 57-54 victory over visiting Epping on Wednesday night.
The Rams were led by the Claytor brothers who each netted five threes en route to 17 points for Cohen and 15 for Caden. Dylan Cummings paced the Blue Devils with a game-high 18 points, while Jacob Purrington (12) and Brady Dwyer (10) both netted double-figures as well.
The first half was a battle as the Rams took a one-point edge, 30-29, to the locker room. The Blue Devils owned the third quarter and took a 47-39 lead to the final stanza, which belonged to the Rams. Raymond buckled down on defense in the fourth, holding Epping to just one field goal, and outscored the Blue Devils 18-7 to come away with the win.
The Rams improve to 3-9 on the season, while Epping falls to 4-9.
Check out the full photo gallery by Jeff Criss of Perfect Photos…
The Raymond boys snapped a six-game losing streak with a big victory over visiting Somersworth, 62-58, on Friday night. The Rams improve to 2-5 on the season, while the Hilltoppers had their five-game win streak snapped and drop to 5-3.
Check out the full photo gallery of the action by Jeff Criss of Perfect Photos…
The Division IV Epping girls improved to 7-2 on the season with a 42-37 victory at Division III Raymond on Tuesday night. It was back-and-forth all game with the Blue Devils taking a one-point lead to the fourth and they outscored the Rams by 11-7 in the final stanza to come away with the victory.
Epping was paced by 13 points from Mackenzie Milbury and 10 points from Laney McAniff. Kylie Potter led Raymond with 16 points, while Mollee Messenger added 13.
Check out the full photo gallery by Jeff Criss of Perfect Photos…
The Conant boys went on the road and defeated Raymond, 42-31, on Thursday night.
The Orioles were paced by a game-high 16 points from Ben Sawyer, while Jared Nagle chipped in with 13. The Rams were led by Drezell Dufaut’s 13 points.
Conant improves to 4-2 on the season, while Raymond drops to 1-5.
Check out the full photo gallery of the action by Jeff Criss of Perfect Photos…
By: KJ Cardinal
Day four of the 43rd Annual Mike Lee Holiday Basketball Bash is in the books and the finals match-ups are set. Coffee County (TN) and Kennett will meet for the girls crown on Friday at 5:30 pm, while Belmont and Profile will square off at 7:00 pm.
GIRLS SEMI #1: COFFEE COUNTY 97, BELMONT 26
• PHOTOS | VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
The Lady Raiders from Tennessee continued to roll as they defeated Belmont, 97-26, in the first semifinal on Thursday. Coffee County’s balanced attack was on display as they placed five players in double-digits, led by 15 points from Emaleigh Tarpley. The Red Raiders were paced by 15 as well by Lena Rodrigues, who connected on five triples versus the Lady Raiders tough 2-3 zone.
GIRLS SEMI #2: KENNETT 75, FARMINGTON 30
• PHOTOS | VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
In the second semifinal of the day, Division II Kennett defeated the D-IV host Farmington, 75-30, en route to their fifth-straight title game appearance at The Bash. The Tigers came out of the gates and challenged the Eagles for the first 10-minutes of play before Kennett pulled away and blew the game wide open. The Eagles were led by a trio of double-figure scorers: Kaley Goodhart (16 points), Sydnie Chin (15) and Catherine Chick (13). Farmington freshman Anna Cardinal paced the Tigers with 10.
BOYS SEMI #1: BELMONT 56, DERRYFIELD 45
• PHOTOS | VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS | ROMIKE REPORT
On the boys side, D-III Belmont looked a little tired from the onset, which could be attributed to the Red Raiders dramatic one-point win over Coe-Brown the night before, and found themselves tied with D-IV Derryfield at 22-22 at the half. The Red Raiders came out rejuvenated for the second half and pulled away for the 56-45 win. Belmont was led by Keegan Martinez (17 points), Sam Reposa (16) and Anakin Underhill (15), while the Cougars were paced by Jack Krasnof (18) and John McDevitt (11).
BOYS SEMI #2: PROFILE 70, FARMINGTON 41
• PHOTOS | VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
It was a packed house for the second semifinal, which pitted host Farmington versus Profile. The two battled closely for the first quarter with the Patriots taking a two-point lead, 13-11. Profile then dominated the Tigers in the second stanza as they outscored Farmington 20-0 to blow the game wide open and cruised to a 70-41 victory. Junior Josh Robie connected on six threes en route to a game-high 26 points, while classmate Alex Leslie added 20 and sophomore Cayden Wakeham had 12. Farmington was led by 16 points from senior Jordan Berko.
If you missed any of day four action, you can re-watch all games here.
DAY 4 SCORES, LINKS & DOUBLE-DIGIT SCORERS
BOYS: RAYMOND 57, NUTE 40 – PHOTOS
Raymond Rams: Drezell Duffaut (19 points), Logen Brian (13)
Nute Rams: Gavin Forcier (14 points)
BOYS: PORTSMOUTH CHRISTIAN 51, FRANKLIN 35 – PHOTOS
Eagles: Connor Hickey (20 points)
Golden Tornadoes: Zeke McCoy (13 points)
BOYS: KENNETT 64, LIN-WOOD 41 – PHOTOS
Eagles: Bo Noury (14 points), Alex Clark (11) Ben Dougherty (11)
Lumberjacks: Jake Avery (21 points), Cam Clermont (14)
BOYS: COE-BROWN 75, SOMERSWORTH 34 – PHOTOS
Bears: Quinn Salter (19 points), Hugh Hamilton (12)
Hilltoppers: Dominic Starr (24 points)
GIRLS SEMI #1: COFFEE COUNTY (TN) 97, BELMONT 26 – PHOTOS | VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
Lady Raiders: Emaleigh Tarpley (15), Julie Ruehling (14), Olivia Vinson (13), Channah Gannon (11), Chloe Gannon (10)
Red Raiders: Lena Rodrigues (15)
BOYS SEMI #1: BELMONT 56, DERRYFIELD 45 – PHOTOS | VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS | ROMIKE REPORT
Red Raiders: Keegan Martinez (17 points), Sam Reposa (16), Anakin Underhill (15)
Cougars: Jack Krasnof (18 points), John McDevitt (11)
GIRLS SEMI #2: KENNETT 75, FARMINGTON 30 – PHOTOS | VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
Eagles: Kaley Goodhart (16 points), Sydnie Chin (15), Catherine Chick (13)
Tigers: Anna Cardinal (10 points)
BOYS SEMI #2: PROFILE 70, FARMINGTON 41 – PHOTOS | VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
Patriots: Josh Robie (26 points), Alex Leslie (20), Cayden Wakeham (12)
Tigers: Jordan Berko (16 points)
Day three of the 43rd Annual Mike Lee Holiday Basketball Bash was one to remember, particularly on the boy’s side as all four match-ups saw the lower division team come away with the victory.
In the first boys game of the day, Division IV Derryfield started like they were shot out of a cannon versus D-II Kennett, the two-time defending Bash champions. The Cougars used impeccable ball movement and hot shooting to build a big first-half lead and had to fight for every inch in the second half to come away with a 16-point win, 62-46.
Senior Jake Avery attacked the paint all game long on his way to a career-high 42 points as D-IV Lin-Wood knocked off D-II Raymond, 75-71. Ram sophomore Drezell Duffaut also dazzled as he poured in 33 points of his own and nearly led Jim Gallagher’s young Raymond squad to a come-from-behind victory.
Alex Leslie (30) and Josh Robie (28) combined for 58 points to lead D-IV Profile past D-III Somersworth, 84-60. The high-octane Patriot offense has scored 187 points in their first two games of the tourney.
The night cap, however, was the one that we’ll never forget. The Dean vs. The Rookie. Dave Smith, the dean of New Hampshire basketball coaches and his Coe-Brown Bears took on first-year NHIAA head coach Tony Martinez and his Belmont Red Raiders. Belmont’s 2-3 zone stifled the Bears from the onset as Coe-Brown was held without a field goal for the first 6:48. There was no chance Coach Smith’s squad was going to go away quietly, however, as the Bears battled all the way back and had the ball on the final possession of the game with a chance to win. The Red Raiders survived, 52-51, to advance to the semifinals.
If you missed any of day three action, you can watch back archives of all games.
GIRLS: FRANKLIN 40, NOBLE 20 – PHOTOS
Golden Tornadoes: Lily Cornell (10 points)
Knights: Grace Roberts (7 points)
GIRLS: PROFILE 36, SOMERSWORTH 24 – PHOTOS
Patriots: Mya Brown (13 points), Maddie Koehler (12)
Hilltoppers: Ella Parr (8 points)
BOYS: DERRYFIELD 62, KENNETT 46 – PHOTOS
Cougars: Alex Comire (22 points), Ethan Flanagan (11), John McDevitt (10)
Eagles: Ben Dougherty (16 points), Daven Bailey (13)
GIRLS: KENNETT 70, SANBORN 15 – PHOTOS
Eagles: Kaley Goodhart (17 points), Kaylee McLellan (14)
Indians: Emma Gillis (11 points)
BOYS: LIN-WOOD 75, RAYMOND 71 – PHOTOS – VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
Lumberjacks: Jake Avery (42 points), Liam Manning (18)
Rams: Drezell Duffaut (33 points), Logen Brien (21), Caden Claytor (11)
BOYS: PROFILE 84, SOMERSWORTH 60 – PHOTOS – VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
Patriots: Alex Leslie (30 points), Josh Robie (28)
Hilltoppers: Aiden Heffron (18 points), Dominic Starr (14)
GIRLS: COFFEE COUNTY (TN) 110, COE-BROWN 33 – PHOTOS
Lady Raiders: Chloe Gannon (18 points), Emaleigh Tarpley (16), Channah Gannon (15), Olivia Vinson (14), Natalie Barnes (14)
Bears: Hannah Meehan (11 points)
BOYS: BELMONT 52, COE-BROWN 51 – PHOTOS – VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
Red Raiders: Sam Reposa (13 points), Treshawn Ray (12), Anakin Underhill (10)
Bears: Hugh Hamilton (14 points), Quinn Salter (10)
By: KJ Cardinal
Day one of the 43rd Annual Mike Lee Holiday Basketball Bash is in the books and it was a day that featured inter-division match-ups, lop-sided scores and two “upsets” so-to-speak. The average margin of victory on the day was nearly 33 points, which was somewhat anticipated with the lack of parity on the schedule. While the girls games were just warm-up contests for bracket play that begins tomorrow, the boys games were part of pool play.
If you missed any of today’s action, you can watch back archives of all nine games. We also have a notebook below, followed by a list of the day’s results that features double-digit scorers and links to photo galleries and video highlights for select games.
TOURNEY NOTES
• The closest game of the day was a hard-fought battle between the Coe-Brown and Belmont girls. The Bears came out flat and managed just three points in the first quarter, but head coach Joe Vachon’s squad increased their productivity each quarter and closed out the fourth to come away with a 37-34 victory.
• The only other single-digit deficit on the day was also one of the “upsets” we saw as the D-IV Profile girls downed D-II Sanborn, 44-35. The other “upset” was the D-IV Farmington boys cruising past D-III Raymond, 78-51.
• The Coffee County squad that hails from Manchester, TN is no joke. The Red Raiders came in with an impressive resume and they wasted no time showing the field that they meant business as they jumped out to a 43-3 halftime lead over host Farmington. It should really come as no surprise as Coffee County Central High School boasts an enrollment of over 1,200, while Farmington has just 249 students. Regardless, the Red Raiders size, depth and revolving defensive schemes will be a tough match for anyone in the tournament.
• The top individual performers on the day were Somersworth’s Aiden Heffron and Farmington’s Brian Boisvert. They each netted 22 points and led their team to opening day victories.
DAY ONE BREAKDOWN & LINKS
BOYS: SOMERSWORTH 91, NUTE 71 – PHOTOS | VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
Hilltoppers: Aiden Heffron (22), Dominic Starr (19), Evan Talley (19)
Rams: Gavin Forcier (19), Jackson Lafogg (14), Anthony Tracia (14)
GIRLS: FRANKLIN 51, SOMERSWORTH 36 – PHOTOS | VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
Golden Tornadoes: Kourtney Kaplan (19 points), Elisabet Porras Mateu (10)
Hilltoppers: Aby Lambert (12 points), Gabby Lensky (10)
BOYS: KENNETT 80, FRANKLIN 24 – PHOTOS | VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
Eagles: Bo Noung (15 points), Daven Bailey (10), Alex Clark (10)
Golden Tornadoes: Zeke McCoy (9 points)
GIRLS: KENNETT 72, NOBLE 12 – PHOTOS
Eagles: Kaley Goodhart (15 points), Sam Sidoti (11), Kaylee McClellan (10)
Knights: Natalia Rothwell (7 points)
GIRLS: COE-BROWN 37, BELMONT 34 – PHOTOS
Bears: Ava Telehala (10 points)
Red Raiders: Lena Rodrigues (13 points)
BOYS: COE-BROWN 63, PORTSMOUTH CHRISTIAN 32 – PHOTOS
Bears: Hugh Hamilton (21 points), Connor Bagnell (14)
Eagles: Cai Summers (11 points)
GIRLS: PROFILE 44, SANBORN 35 – PHOTOS
Patriots: Kyah Knight (16 points), Mya Brown (10)
Indians: Allie Bezanson (12 points)
GIRLS: COFFEE COUNTY (TN) 84, FARMINGTON 10 – PHOTOS
Raiders: Chloe Gannon (20 points), Channah Gannon (16), Alivia Reel (11)
Tigers: Madi Ricker (7 points)
BOYS: FARMINGTON 78, RAYMOND 51 – PHOTOS
Tigers: Brian Boisvert (22 points), Jordan Berko (17), Cody Brazee (13), Matthew Savoy (11)
Rams: Drezzell Duffaut (20 points)
Jeff Criss of Perfect Photos has joined us as a contributing photographer. Based out of Raymond, Jeff will be sending us photos from select Rams games throughout the season. Thanks for coming aboard, Jeff!
If you’re a photographer or videographer and interested in contributing to Ball603, please reach out today!
Learn more about Perfect Photos
GAME-WINNER: Trailing by two in the waining moments on the road, Raymond senior Nate McGrath buries this game-winner with nine seconds on the clock to beat Epping, 50-49, on Monday night and keep the Rams playoff hopes alive.
