Hopkinton won its sixth straight Division IV girls' cross-country ski championship ... in an upset.

It wasn't the start they wanted. Nor was it the start they expected, after an undefeated season that came capped by another state championship. Though perhaps losing last month's Capital Cup was just the start they needed.

In an upset, the Panthers (11-4) were able to hold second-ranked Derryfield to single digits in three of the quarters, handing the Cougars (13-2) their second loss of the season.

Brendon Norton posted a double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds, but the Hillcats suffered against the Lakers' 3-pointing shooting and tough zone defense. H-D fought to within four points with four minutes left, but the Lakers were able to take advantage of the long ball.

MV jumped all over Plymouth early and took a 28-14 by the half on its way to improving to 7-6.

The Bears got off to a sluggish start and trailed 17-5 after the first quarter, but behind a big night by Danny Lang, who went off for a game high 24 points, Coe-Brown managed to improve to 5-7.

The Generals (7-5) unleashed a harassing defense early, taking a 21-6 lead after the first quarter on the way to a rout of the road. Stark forced 27 turnovers in the game.

The Falcons (6-6) had a few chances to tie the game in the final seconds but couldn't knock down a 3-pointer, and the Cougars (7-6) held on after rallying from a first-half deficit.

Coleton Neely knocked down a 3-pointer with just over two minutes left to put the Spartans ahead, and Pembroke (10-2) lifted its lead to as much as nine points down the stretch to hold off the Raiders (9-2). The Spartans were also able to take advantage of getting some easy baskets against Lebanon's press in the second half.

The Tide (0-11) trailed by just four points after the first quarter but struggled to generate enough offense to stay close with the Green Wave (8-4) through the rest of the game.

Nick Saball netted the game-winner and his second goal of the game with 3:08 left to lift the Generals to 9-3-1. Saball also added three assists to knock off the Sabers (7-5). Cam Stewart also had a big scoring game with two goals and two assists.

The Cougars outscored the Panthers 19-3 in the second quarter to take a decisive lead and improve to 14-3.

The Hillcats were unable to recover from a six-point first quarter and fell to 10-5..

Hannah Richard had her biggest night as a Hawk, exploding for 37 points, including seven 3-pointers, as the Hawks improved to 10-5. Richard is just 21 points away from 1,000 for her career and will look to accomplish that feet tomorrow as the Hawks take on Raymond on senior night.

A great defensive effort kept the Generals (8-5) ahead despite their own offensive struggles in the first half.

The Bears prevailed in a defensive struggle to improve to 9-4 and drop the Green Giants to 2-12.

Meg Hardiman finished with 14 points and seven assists, including four free throws down the stretch to seal game. Bekka Donovan (eight points, five rebounds) also added a crucial basket down the stretch to seal the win for the Pride (8-6).

The Cougars used a balanced scoring attach to pick up a big road win. "It was a great effort by us to knock them off at their place," said Kearsarge Coach Rob Bennett, whose team improves to 9-4.

The Green Wave (6-6) held the Tide scoreless in the middle two quarters to drop Concord to 1-12.

The call on the radio went from head coach at the finish area to assistant coach at the top of the course. Bow High's No. 5 skier had just lost a ski and crashed, a mishap that occurred not too long after the Falcons' No. 2 skier had also lost a ski and finished far back in the field. We need a quality and complete run from our final skier, was the gist of the call.

The call on the radio went from head coach at the finish area to assistant coach at the top of the course. Bow High's No. 5 skier had just lost a ski and crashed, a mishap that occurred not too long after the Falcons' No. 2 skier had also lost a ski and finished far back in the field. We need a quality and complete run from our final skier, was the gist of the call.