Much like every team in the state, the Concord High girls’ basketball team is still trying to find its identity this early into the season. A blowout win in the opener turned into a blowout loss the following game against Division I powerhouse Bedford, but Concord is hoping Tuesday’s result will provide the blueprint for success moving forward.
“What we want to try and do is control the tempo,” Concord Coach Mike Achilles said moments after escaping with a 42-39 home win over Trinity. “We think we’ve got the size and the speed, the size in the post and the speed on the perimeter. We should be able to control the tempos of games … we can speed it up when it’s to our advantage and slow it down when we want to pound it in the post.”
The Crimson Tide (2-1) did plenty of both against the Pioneers (0-2).
In a contest that looked more like a track meet early on, Concord found itself trailing by three after the first quarter and by four at the half following a buzzer-beating 3-pointer for Trinity.
Continuing to use a fast-paced attack, the Tide found its groove in the third quarter, rattling off a 10-2 run spearheaded by points from four of its five starters to retake the lead for the first time since the opening quarter.
As the fourth quarter began, the style of the game changed. The two teams who were running each other ragged up and down the floor slowed down and combined for just 12 points in the frame. The biggest bucket of them all? That came from Concord junior captain Brighid Weeden, who let one fly from the baseline and into the net for the eventual game-winner with 18 seconds to play.
Trailing by three with 8.9 seconds on the clock, Trinity had a chance to tie it up, but were forced into a contested 3-pointer that never touched the rim.
“At first I was scared about that shot because coach had just told me not take the shot,” said Weeden, who finished with eight points and four assists. “Overall I thought the team just played very well … We knew what we had to do: switch on all screens, play tight defense and it ended up working out for us.”
Unlike past seasons where the Crimson Tide could rely on one or two key players to put the ball in the net each night, this year’s team doesn’t have one great player, rather a handful of very good ones.
“Our coach specified that from the beginning,” Concord center Emily Otto said. “It makes it easy to pass it around and share the ball.”
Otto didn’t score much, but worked hard inside to come up with 12 rebounds while teammate Jada Duvert delivered a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Also contributing on the stat sheet were juniors Ashley Kelley with seven points and Kasie Maloney with six.
More than anything, Achilles was proud of the way his girls performed down the stretch in the final minutes, flipping the switch from run-and-gun to poised and deliberate execution without a hiccup.
“We talked about it when it was close what we had to do to win it and the girls just dug down and did it,” Achilles said. “As you can see these girls like to run the floor, they like to stay high-energy, and what I was happy about was down the stretch, they could back and take their time. … They did everything we asked them to do in those last four minutes.”
Concord will look to continue its momentum on the road against Bishop Guertin on Friday in its final game before the holiday break.
(Jay McAree can be reached at 369-3340, jmcaree@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @JayMcAree.)
MV 69, Windham 48
Key players: Merrimack Valley – Abby Grandmaison (21 points), Carly Huckins (15 points), Megan Johnston (9 points), Sara Osborne (9 points)
Highlights/key moments: The Pride used its trademark pressure defense, and some solid outside shooting, top open up a 55-30 lead after three quarters on its way to a third straight win.
Coach’s quote: “Total team effort tonight and very proud of the girls. We have a tough game Thursday night (at Pembroke Academy) and then looking forward to the break to get the team healthy.” – Merrimack Valley’s David Huckins
Records: Merrimack Valley 3-0; Windham 0-2
Pembroke 57, Manchester West 32
Key players: Pembroke Academy – Ciera Clark (9 points, 7 rebounds), Brooklyn Zanis (17 points), Bri Connolly 10 points; West – Emily Keefe (10 points), Taylor Ricard (12 points)
Highlights/key moments: The Spartans got to .500 with this early-season win at home.
Records: Pembroke Academy 2-2; Manchester West 1-1
Conant 54, Hopkinton 33
Key players: Hopkinton – Abby Houston (8 points, 12 rebounds)
Highlights/key moments: After a close first quarter, Conant’s Meghan Wheeler ignited a huge second-quarter run that allowed the Orioles to lead by double-digits at halftime. Hopkinton did its best to stay in the game but couldn’t slow down Wheeler on the fast break.
Coach’s quote: “We played hard right to the end. Conant capitalized on our turnovers and we had no answer for Wheeler in transition.” – Hopkinton’s Pay Roye
Records: Hopkinton 1-4; Conant 3-2
John Stark 44, Milford 32
Key players: Stark – Jillian Douzanis (13 points), Chelsea Woodsum (11 points), Emily Patten (9 points), Autumn Nelson
Highlights/key moments: The Generals turned a two-point halftime deficit into a lopsided win with a 28-14 run in the second half. Stark’s comeback was fueled by its defense, allowing Milford to score just five points in the third quarter.
Coach’s quote: “After a strong Friday night basketball effort, John Stark followed that up with a solid team effort. A huge confidence-building win for a young and improving John Stark team.” – Stark’s Don Poitras
Records: Stark 1-2; Milford 0-3
Campbell 42, Hillsboro-Deering 18
Key players: H-D – Fayth Grimes (5 points), Melissa Veitch (4 points, 8 rebounds), Nicole Mooney (4 points), Hannah Grimes (4 points)
Highlights/key moments: The Hillcats did a much better job on Campbell defensively in the second half as they continue to search for their first win of the season.
Coach’s quote: “Going into break we have a lot to work on and we are hoping to start the beginning of 2017 strong.” – H-D’s Tiffany Lewis
Records: H-D 0-5; Campbell 2-4
Newfound 62, Franklin 18
Key players: Newfound – Savanna Bony (19 points), Amanda Johnston (15 points, 12 rebounds), Ashlee Dukette (14 points, 13 rebounds, 6 blocks); Franklin – Zoey Kaplan (10 points)
Highlights/key moments: Newfound came out of the gates a little slow but used its press defense to pick up a handful of steals and easy buckets in transition to get going.
Coach’s quote: “We still have things to improve upon and get better but we are heading in the right direction. Some younger players are coming along and will start to help out in the long run.” – Newfound’s Karri Peterson
Records: Newfound 5-0
White Mountains 32, Gilford 23
Key players: Gilford – Stevie Orton (10 points, 10 rebounds), Kaitlyn Van Bennekum (7 points)
Highlights/key moments: The Golden Eagles scored just eight second-half points in the loss at home.
Records: Gilford 2-3
Concord 64, Trinity 48
Key players: Matt Giroux (35 points, 7 rebounds), Tyler Bruns (9 points, 6 rebounds), Collin Maloney (6 rebounds), TeJun Celestin (4 points, 5 rebounds)
Highlights/key moments: The Crimson Tide outscored its opponent in all four quarters on its way to its first win under Coach Dave Chase. Giroux was lights out from beyond the arc, finishing 5-for-7 from the 3-point line to complement a 12-for-12 performance from the charity stripe.
Coach’s quote: “We played really well as a team defensively. Our bigs didn’t rebound very well against Bedford the other night, but they were really dominating the boards tonight,” – Concord’s Dave Chase
Records: Concord 1-1; Trinity 0-1
Bow 46, Kennett 25
Key players: Bow – Ryan Andrews (15 points), Ben Guertin (12 points, 3 steals), Nate Alford (6 points, 6 rebounds, 5 steals)
Highlights/key moments: The Falcons needed to show a bit of patience to pull out the victory, waiting until the final frame to pour in 21 points. After surrendering 10 points in the first quarter, Bow’s defense rounded into shape, holding Kennett to 15 points over the next three quarters.
Coach’s quote: “They knew we had to defend, defend, defend until we made shots. It was about patience and being patient until we could make some shots.” – Bow’s Chris Gaudreau
Records: Bow 2-0
Milford 59, John Stark 44
Key players: Stark – Isaiah Lovering (11 points), Cooper Gorski (10 points), Drew McQuarrie (9 points, 12 rebounds)
Highlights/key moments: The Generals gave up 18 points in each of the first two quarters before inching back in the game in the second half. Stark outscored Milford, 19-9, in the third quarter but couldn’t make up the ground for the win.
Coach’s quote: “I’m really proud of the way we played in the second half. If we had played like that all game, there might of been a different outcome.” – Stark’s Mike Smith
Records: Stark 1-1
Winnisquam 45, Prospect Mountain 37
Key players: Thomas Marchese (16 points), Logan Morrison (13 points, 12 rebounds), Isaiah Singleton (7 points, 8 rebounds), Avery Hutchinson (7 points)
Highlights/key moments: Hutchinson scored five big points in the fourth quarter to help the Bears thwart off a late Prospect Mountain comeback bid.
Coach’s quote: “This was a huge win going into the holiday tournament. We just need to keep improving and get some guys gelling who are coming back from injuries,” – Winnisquam’s Kevin Dame
Records: Winnisquam 4-0; Prospect Mountain 0-3
Belmont 55, Laconia 29
Key players: Belmont – Trevor Hunt (24 points, 9 rebounds), Derek Stevens (11 points), Tommy Pare (8 points); Laconia – Ryan Paiva (six points), Nick Drouin (six points)
Highlights/key moments: The Raiders followed the game plan by working the ball into the paint to Hunt and it paid off with a fourth straight win. Belmont also got fast-break points after breaking Laconia’s pressure and as the Sachems struggled to find the range from the outside.
Coach’s quote: “I’m happy with the record, but we still have tons of room for improvement, and we have a big one coming up at Inter-Lakes on Thursday.” – Belmont’s Jim Cilley
Records: Belmont 4-0; Laconia 0-3
Campbell 71, Hillsboro-Deering 40
Key players: H-D – Brandon Rodier (11 points, 9 rebounds), Ethan Blevins (8 points, 8 rebounds)
Highlights/key moments: In the second game of a tough stretch against some of Division III’s best, the Hillcats trailed by 21 at the half en route to their third straight loss.
Coach’s quote: “We need to learn to value possession of the ball or it’s going to be a long season.” – H-D’s Kevin Fowler
Records: H-D 0-3
Stevens 43, Franklin 38
Key players: Franklin – Jayden Torres (19 points), Matt Hennessy (10 points), T.J. Laramie (9 points)
Highlights/key moments: Torres’ scoring output wasn’t enough to get the victory as Stevens hit on 10 of 12 foul shots in the fourth quarter to seal the contest.
Coach’s quote: “We made key mistakes at crucial times with turnovers but the boys put in a great effort against a very strong Stevens team.” – Franklin’s Michael Donnell
Records: Franklin 1-2; Stevens 3-0
Pittsfield 63, Hinsdale 27
Key players: Pittsfield – Cam Darrah (29 points, 7 assists), Dylan Bocash (12 points), Josh Whittier (10 points, 10 rebounds)
Highlights/key moments: Pittsfield wasted no time grabbing a lead as it piled up the points en route to a 15-2 advantage after one quarter. The Panthers continued to pressure Hinsdale in the middle quarters and built up a 32-point lead.
Coach’s quote: “We came in focused on the defensive side of the ball. Gabe Anthony did a great job tonight defending their scorer.” – Pittsfield’s Jay Darrah
Records: Pittsfield 4-0; Hinsdale 2-2
Bishop Brady-Trinity West 11, Lebanon 6
Key players: Brady – Emma Windsor (17 saves), Sydney Herrington (5 goals, 3 assists), Maryanne Wiley (3 goals, 3 assists), Lauren Triptiedi (2 goals, 2 assists)
Highlights/key moments: In a wild back-and-forth affair, Brady scored six unanswered goals in the third period to put the game out of reach. Brady netted a pair of scores in the first before allowing Lebanon back in the game with a five-goal second period.
Coach’s quote: “The key to the game was Emma (Windsor). She made five unbelievable saves to start the third period and that really gave us a spark.” – Brady’s Dan Earley
Records: Brady-Trinity West 2-0
Pembroke Academy girls, fifth; Pembroke boys, sixth
Key players: Pembroke – Jessica Boyajian (20th overall), Samantha Boyajian (26th), Jack Thomas (15th), Jackson Frazier (30th)
Highlights/key moments: In a seven-team giant slalom Alpine race at Crotched Mountain, the Pembroke girls finished fifth with a total of 316 points. Jessica Boyajian recorded the fastest two-run total for the Spartans in a time of 1:16.97.
The Pembroke boys placed sixth out of nine teams with 313 points. Jack Thomas had a two-run total time of 1:07.74.