There’s no place like home.
Such sentiment rang true for the Winnisquam boys’ basketball team after snapping a three-game losing streak, all on the road, with a convincing 67-45 win over Sanborn in the Bears’ home gym Tuesday.
After starting the season 4-0, Winnisquam slipped off course – going 0-3 with games at Somersworth, Hopkinton and Monadnock, the top three teams in Division III.
The Bears righted the ship Tuesday, taking a 13-point lead into halftime and adding more insurance points in the third and fourth quarters.
“We play pretty well at home and we wanted to continue to do that,” Winnisqaum Coach Kevin Dame said. “We did a lot of good things tonight and shared the ball well.”
Winnisquam led 17-16 after the first quarter, but the Bears tightened up on defense and held Sanborn to five points in the second quarter.
“Our defense in the first quarter needed to get better,” Dame said. “So defensively we clamped down and played some good basketball from there.”
Senior Logan Morrison and junior Kyle Mann poured in 17 points each to pace the Bears. Thomas Marchese added 14 points, and Isaiah Singleton helped with 11.
The win saved Winnisquam from dropping to .500 for the first time this season. Dame doesn’t think the 0-3 run hurt his the confidence of his players.
“The way they played tonight, I didn’t see it,” he said. “I explained to them that when we were 4-0, we still weren’t playing our best. Just because we went to 4-3 doesn’t mean we were playing our worst.”
The Bears improved to 5-3 and are back on the road Friday to face Stevens as 7 p.m. The teams are jockeying for position in the middle of the standings. Stevens is a couple rungs up the ladder at 5-2 with a game in hand. Stevens hasn’t played since last Friday after its Tuesday matchup with Fall Mountain was postponed as a winter storm crept into the region.
Sanborn dropped to 3-5 and took its fourth loss in its last five games.
John Stark 63, Plymouth 39
Key players: Stark – Drew McQuarrie (16 points, 18 rebounds), Isaiah Lovering (10 points), Troy Gamache (11 points), Cooper Gorski (9 points), Parker McQuarrie (8 points, 7 rebounds in second half)
Highlights/key moments: Lovering ran the offense from the point and Gamache came off the bench for his best performance of the season to help the Generals win their second straight game. Stark didn’t waste anytime getting ahead and led, 29-12, at halftime. The General found scoring up and down the bench with three players reaching double digits.
Coach’s quote: “This was definitely a team win. We were great defensively and that carried us through tonight.” – John Stark’s Mike Smith
Records: John Stark 4-3; Plymouth 1-5
Goffstown 54, Bishop Brady 38
Key players: Brady – Eero Myllymaki (6 points, 6 rebounds), Bryce Johnson (9 points), Kaleb Hibbard (7 points)
Highlights/key moments: The Giants took their first loss since Dec. 22 and Goffstown won its third straight.
Records: Bishop Brady 3-2; Goffstown 4-2
Gilford 42, Franklin 40
Key players: Franklin – Jayden Torres (17 points), Corey Nelson (7 points), Brian Sweet (6 points)
Highlights/key moments: Gilford erased a 10-point deficit after halftime and defense kept Franklin from getting a good look at the basket over the final 28 seconds.
Coach’s quote: “Give credit to the boys of Gilford who came back strong. … Our boys played the game we wanted them to play and we fell short.” – Franklin’s Michael Donnell
Records: Gilford 6-2; Franklin 3-5
John Stark 52, Plymouth 25
Key players: Stark – Jillian Douzianis (17 points), Autumn Nelson (7 points), Ari Maxwell (7 points), Sarah Clark (defensive standout)
Highlights/key moments: Douzanis and Maxwell scored consecutive baskets to open the gates for the Generals’ scoring attack.
Coach’s quote: “A great team effort led by the stingy defense, which now needs the offense to catch up.” – John Stark’s Don Poitras
Records: John Stark 3-5; Plymouth 0-8
Bishop Brady 43, Goffstown 35
Key players: Brady – Sarah Doherty (12 points), Sam Will (11 points), Riley Bennett (8 points), Cait Mallahan (7 blocks)
Highlights/key moments: Doherty and Will paced the Giants in their seventh win of the season. Lauren Roy stole the ball as the third quarter began and dished it to Lily Rivera for a layup, establishing the game in Brady’s control.
Coach’s quote: “Although it was an off shooting night, the confidence never wavered and the fight was there. Well-rounded scoring and solid team energy earned us the win.” – Brady’s Annie Alosa
Records: Bishop Brady 7-1; Goffstown 5-3
Gilford 53, Franklin 21
Key players: Gilford – Stevie Orton (16 points, 17 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks) Kaitlyn VanBennekum (12 points), Emily Bell (9 points); Franklin – Brianna Judkins (12 points)
Highlights/key moments: Gilford didn’t have much trouble and led 31-12 at halftime.
Records: Gilford 4-5; Franklin 3-8
Newfound 62, Mascoma 20
Key players: Newfound – Ashlee Dukette (19 points, 20 rebounds, 10 steals, 4 assists), Amanda Johnston (13 points, 18 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals), Savanna Bony (9 points), Madi Dalphonse (6 points), Alexis Vantil (6 points, 9 rebounds)
Highlights/key moments: Newfound came out strong offensively and defensively outscoring Mascoma, 20-4, in the first quarter.
Coach’s quote: “The girls did well adapting to different sets in the beginning of the game as Mascoma kept changing presses and defenses. I am proud of the fact that the changes did not affect them after the start and settled down.” – Newfound’s Karri Peterson
Records: Newfound 10-0
Bow 12, Alvirne 5
Key players: Ryan Tobeler (2 goals, 3 assists), Dominique Biron (2 goals), Doug Champagne, (2 goals)
Highlights/key moments: Bow took a 7-1 lead after one period against the Broncos with quick puck movement and strong puck support in the offensive zone. Tobeler led the charge as the Falcons scored in double digits for the second time this season. Through eight games, Bow has outscored opponents, 52-21.
Coach’s quote: “This was a game that we got to play everyone and really give the guys a chance to get a lot of ice that don’t normally get to. We started strong, which is something that we have been stressing; good first periods.” – Bow’s Tim Walsh
Records: Bow 7-1; Alvirne 2-5