PEMBROKE – Pembroke Academy Coach Shannon Sciria feverishly paced up and down the sideline a few dozen times, shouted at the top of his lungs near his vacant seat on the bench a few less and did anything but stand still during the 32 minutes the Spartans and Bow boys’ basketball team were on the hardwood Friday night.
For a fired up Sciria, it was just another day at the office. That’s how he coaches and he doesn’t know any other way.
“I really challenged these guys to make defense an effort thing as much as it can be because sometimes its just about buckling down and having that heart. That’s how I was as a player and I don’t know any other way to coach to be honest with you,” Sciria said.
His passion and energetic style of coaching certainly rubbed off on the Spartans in the second half. Pembroke turned a seven-point halftime deficit into a six-point lead midway through the third quarter thanks to a 15-2 run and fended off the Falcons down the stretch for a 56-49 victory.
“We were down in the second half so what that means is you have to try and speed up the game and create turnovers,” Sciria said. “We needed more possessions and I was obviously going crazy and I think they fed off of it.”
Following a first-half shootout where the two teams combined for 11 3-pointers, including six alone in the second quarter, Pembroke (5-5) opened the second half on a mission. Before a minute had even ticked off the clock, Jake Sherman (17 points) buried a pair of 3-pointers to put the Falcons (2-8) on their heels and teammate Sean Menard did the rest.
Menard, who hit a pair of buzzer beaters – one at the end of the second and third quarters – finished with a team-high 20 points and five 3-pointers. Menard connected on a triple at the 4:14 mark of the third that put Pembroke on top for good, and his buzzer beater at the end of the frame gave the Spartans a 10-point cushion.
“If he wanted to pull up from Manchester I would probably think about it the way he’s shooting the ball right now,” Sciria said. “That’s a kid that is locked in.”
“Whenever I’m open, he tells me to shoot,” Menard added. “I’m glad the coaches have confidence in me too.”
Despite Menard’s lights-out shooting performance, he was quick to admit the effort on the defensive end of the floor is what led the Spartans to the win and carried them back to .500.
“We really came into practice this week focused on defense because we’ve been giving up the most points in our division,” Menard said. “Our offense isn’t really a problem because we’ve been pouring in the points, but it was really our defense so that was the mindset tonight.”
Bow looked like an unstoppable force in the first half, matching Pembroke shot for shot from behind the arc and executing its inside-outside game with Nate Alford (9 points) and Ryan Andrews (22 points, six 3-pointers) on the way to a 30-23 advantage at the break.
After slipping in the third, the Falcons slowly chipped away at the lead in the final frame, getting a layup from Matt Scanlon (10 points) to make it a six-point game, and then later receiving back-to-back 3-pointers from Andrews to cut it to three with less than two minutes to play. But Pembroke converted on its free throws down the stretch to hang on.
“They shot the ball very well … it’s tricky to get into a game like that with those guys,” Bow Coach Chris Gaudreau said. “It’s hard for high school kids to not get wrapped up in the tempo of things and that’s kind of what happened. … I’m proud of the boys for fighting back and getting it to one possession there in the fourth quarter. We’re in a bit of a rut right now but they continue to fight and the boys continue to fight and dig and so I’m proud of that.”
(Jay McAree can be reached at 369-3340, jmcaree@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @JayMcAree.)
Coe-Brown 61, Timberlane 39
Key players: Coe-Brown – Sam Lupinacci (17 points, 10 rebounds, 4 steals), Scott Spenard (16 points, 4 assists), Brody Ashley (11 points, 3 assists), Dylan Andrews (8 points, 4 rebounds), Jacob Snow (4 points, 4 blocks), Sean Spenard (defense, 4 assists)
Highlights/key moments: Sean Spenard led an outstanding defensive effort from the Bears, who led 28-19 at halftime and have won 11 straight.
Records: Coe-Brown 11-1; Timberlane 6-5
MV 57, Plymouth 46
Key players: Merrimack Valley – Caleb Laclair (17 points), Jake Hebert (12 points), Ryan Defina (8 points), Ben Davis (6 points), James Shattuck (5 points)
Highlights/key moments: The Pride took a 31-26 lead into halftime and expanded it to 46-34 with an excellent third quarter.
Coach’s quote: “We had some nice balanced scoring, and that was the first time that’s happened, so that was nice.” – MV’s Tim Mucher
Records: Merrimack Valley 3-9; Plymouth 2-10
John Stark 57, Goffstown 48
Key players: John Stark – Cooper Gorski (20 points), Drew McQuarrie (12 points), Isaiah Lovering (12 points), Parker McQuarrie (10 rebounds)
Highlights/key moments: With a slim 24-19 lead coming out of halftime, the Generals held tough in the second half and hit the shots they needed to snap a two-game losing streak.
Coach’s quote: “I thought we played pretty well situationally, better than we have played situationally all year, which is a testament to our kids. Down the stretch, we took care of business and hit some big shots.” – Stark’s Mike Smith
Records: Stark 6-5; Goffstown 6-4
Lebanon 63, Bishop Brady 47
Key players: Brady – Bryce Johnson (20 points, 10 rebounds), Matt Quirk (9 points)
Highlights/key moments: The loss snapped a three-game win streak for the Green Giants.
Coach’s quote: “I have to be able to put us in a better position to succeed.” – Brady’s Cole Etten
Records: Brady 6-3; Lebanon 8-1
Kearsarge 65, Monadnock 49
Key players: Kearsarge – Tayler Mattos (41 points, 19 rebounds), Tommy Johnson (7 points, 5 assists, 3 steals), Ray Critch (6 points, 3 rebounds), Noah Tremblay (5 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists), Kyle Hernon (4 points, 10 rebounds)
Highlights/key moments: Mattos, who collected his second 40-point game of the season, threw down a monster dunk at the beginning of the fourth quarter that brought the house down and swung momentum to Kearsarge’s favor for good. Critch also hit a pair of clutch 3-pointers to stop a scrappy Monadnock team from making any overpowering runs.
Coach’s quote: “It was a huge win. It puts us at 10-2 heading into Tuesday night versus Hopkinton. That’s obviously one of the biggest games of the season for us.” – Kearsarge’s Nate Camp
Records: Kearsarge 10-2; Monadnock 7-6
Mascoma 58, Belmont 52
Key players: Belmont – Trevor Hunt (12 points, 8 rebounds), Doug Price (8 points), Matt Pluskis (8 points, 5 rebounds), Dylan Gansert (8 points), Derek Stevens (10 points); Mascoma – Alex Schwartz (21 points)
Highlights/key moments: Belmont trailed by just one at halftime, 23-22, but scored just five points in the third. the Raiders clawed back into it in the fourth as Stevens scored nine of his 10, but they couldn’t finish the job and lost for the first time since Dec. 22.
Records: Belmont 10-2; Mascoma 7-5
Winnisquam 58, Fall Mountain 48
Key players: Winnisquam – Thomas Marchese (22 points), Kyle Mann (15 points), Logan Morrison (14 points), Isaiah Singleton (7 points)
Highlights/key moments: Winnisquam held a 31-20 lead at halftime before the Wildcats made a run in the third, but the Bears responded and upped the lead back to nine gong into the fourth.
Coach’s quote: “We did a nice job weathering the storm every time they made a push.” – Winnisquam’s Kevin Dame
Records: Winnisquam 8-5; Fall Mountain 4-8
Hopkinton 71, Newfound 33
Key players: Hopkinton – Henry Yianakopolos (13 points), Kevin Newton-Delgado (10 points), Cam Cyr (9 points); Newfound – A.J. Muse (13 points), Mason Dalphonse (8 points), Devon Kramer-Roberts (6 points)
Highlights/key moments: Behind a well-balanced scoring effort, the Hawks had little trouble getting past the Bears, taking a commanding 24-9 lead in the first quarter to remain undefeated.
Coach’s quote: “Great distribution of scoring by Hopkinton with all 11 players contributing.” – Hopkinton’s Stephen Signor
Records: Hopkinton 12-0; Newfound 1-12
Coe-Brown 61, Timberlane 30
Key players: Coe-Brown – Chelsea McCallion (13 points, 4 rebounds), Kerry Riley (11 points, 6 rebounds), Catie Langdon (8 points, 7 rebounds)
Highlights/key moments: It was the third straight win for the Bears, who jumped out to a 36-18 halftime lead against the winless Owls.
Coach’s quote: “The girls executed on offense and everyone did their job.” – Coe-Brown’s Joe Vachon
Records: Coe-Brown 8-5; Timberlane 0-13
Lebanon 47, Bishop Brady 31
Key players: Brady – Cait Mallahan (8 rebounds, 5 blocks)
Highlights/key moments: It was the first loss for the Giants since Dec. 13 and the second loss to Lebanon this season, and it snapped a 10-game win streak.
Coach’s quote: “The girls came out slow and couldn’t get into the flow of the game tonight. It was a tough game at this point in the season but we move on and continue on our story.” – Brady’s Annie Alosa
Records: Lebanon 11-0; Bow 10-2
John Stark 49, Goffstown 43
Key players: John Stark – Autumn Nelson (21 points), Jillian Douzanis (14 points), Emily Patten (9 points, solid defensive effort)
Highlights/key moments: The Generals picked up their third win in four games after outscoring Goffstown, 25-13, in the second and third quarters.
Coach’s quote: “The team played it’s most consistent basketball of the season. We were strong with the ball and executed offensively in the half court.” – John Stark’s Don Poitras
Records: John Stark 6-7; Goffstown 6-6
MV 67, Plymouth 27
Key players: Merrimack Valley – Sara Osborne (17 points), Abby Grandmaison (16 points), Lauren Pettingill (8 points), Megan Johnston (6 points), Miah Boucher (6 points)
Highlights/key moments: The Pride snapped a two-game losing streak with a win on its home court.
Coach’s quote: “We set the tone defensively in the first quarter. Everyone was able to score in the game also. Sara Osborne played a great all around game in just two quarters.” – MV’s David Huckins
Records: MV 9-4; Plymouth 0-16
Hanover 46, Bow 39
Key players: Bow – Lea Crompton (15 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals), Taylor Darrell (11 points), Patti Nordin (7 points), Megan Remick
Highlights/key moments: Bow lost for the third time in its last four games while Hanover extended its winning streak to eight games.
Records: Bow 6-6; Hanover 10-2
Belmont 47, Mascoma 25
Key players: Belmont – Julianna Estremera (22 points, 6 assists), Sarah Chase (8 points, 8 assists), Nicole Antonucci (6 points), Chloe Sottak (4 points), Mariah Watson (defense), Jordan Sargent (defense), Lizzie Fleming (defense), Taylor Yelle (defense)
Highlights/key moments: It was the third win in four games for the Raiders, who led 27-7 at halftime
Coach’s quote: “We made some adjustments during the Christmas break and the girls are executing them. We’re playing well.” – Belmont’s Mark Dawalga
Records: Belmont 8-6; Mascoma 4-11
Newfound 56, Hopkinton 26
Key players: Hopkinton – Amelia Thomas (6 points, 6 rebounds), Taylor Clark (4 points, 2 steals); Newfound – Savanna Bony (18 points), Ashley Dukette (16 points)
Highlights/key moments: Dukette scored eight points in the first quarter and helped the Bears to a 21-6 run to open the game. Hopkinton never got back in it.
Coach’s quote: “We learned a lot tonight and continue to play hard right to the last whistle.” – Hopkinton’s Pat Roye
Records: Newfound 14-0; Hopkinton 13-3
Monadnock 46, Kearsarge 31
Key players: Kearsarge – Madi Brayshaw (9 points), Meg Roy (8 points), Madison Courser (6 points), Maicy Hansen (6 points)
Highlights/key moments: The Cougars struggled out of the gates with turnovers in the first half in dropping their first road game of the season. Kearsarge trailed by double digits at halftime and could never make a run to get back in it.
Coach’s quote: “They pressured us a little and we weren’t quite ready for it.” – Kearsarge’s Keith Roberts
Records: Kearsarge 11-3; Monadnock 12-2
Stevens 44, H-D 21
Key players: Hillsboro-Deering – Morgan Racine (13 points), Kiersten Clough (5 points), Fayth Grimes (7 rebounds, 4 blocks)
Highlights/key moments: Clough hit a 3-pointer to open the game but that’s all the Hillcats would get in the first quarter. A handful of little mistakes helped Stevens pull away in the second half.
Coach’s quote: “We got a lot of shots off tonight and fought until the end of the game. But that wasn’t enough to help us earn our second win of the season.” – H-D’s Tiffany Lewis
Records: Stevens 5-9; H-D 1-13
Pittsfield 67, Farmington 55
Key players: Pittsfield – Cam Darrah (28 points, 8 assists, 6 steals), Garrett Guerrero-Hadley (12 points), Josh Whittier (10 points, 10 rebounds), Dylan Bocash (9 points)
Highlights/key moments: In a competitive rivalry game, the two teams played even through the first half at 29-29. It wasn’t until the closing minutes of the third and beginning of the fourth that Pittsfield strung together a momentum-swinging 16-0 run.
Coach’s quote: “The run that we went on was due to the energy that Matt St. George brought to the defensive end. His tenacity really turned the momentum in our favor.” Pittsfield’s Jay Darrah
Records: Pittsfield 11-2; Farmington 5-6
Kearsarge 1st, Belmont 3rd
Key players: Kearsarge – Brie Von Beren (2nd slalom, 2nd GS), Izabella Von Beren (5th slalom), Lara Stokes (6th slalom, 8th GS); Belmont – Katie Gagnon (1st slalom, 3rd GS), Becca Camire (18th GS), Abby Camire (16th GS); Laconia – Nicole Turpin (17th slalom, 14th GS); Gilford – Bailey Hildreth (4th slalom, 4th GS), Jenny Hancock (7th GS)
Highlights/key moments: The Cougars piled up first-place team finishes in both races for 756 points, edging Kingswood (734) at Gunstock Mountain Resort. Laconia (495) also competed, finishing eighth in the nine-team meet, while Newfound (431) finished ninth.
Kearsarge 1st, Belmont 2nd,
Gilford 4th
Key players: Kearsarge – Justin Norris (1st slalom, 21st GS), Isaac Braun (6th slalom, 4th GS), Alexander Hauk (8th slalom, 5th GS); Belmont – Nolan Gagnon (3rd slalom, 1st GS), Lars Major (4th slalom, 3rd GS), Jake Deware (11th slalom); Gilford – Tyler Hanf (5th slalom, 2nd GS), Christian Workman (6th slalom, 9th GS); Laconia – Thomas Turpin (2nd slalom), Brad Weeks (15th slalom, 11th GS)
Highlights/key moments: The Cougars took five on the top-10 spots in the slalom and four of the top-10 spots in the giant slalom, which was good for 754.5 points and a first-place team finish. Belmont (721.5), Kingswood (711.5), Gilford (682.5) and St. Thomas (652) rounded out the top five. Newfound (510, eighth) and Laconia (498, ninth) also competed. Turpin’s disqualification in the giant slalom hurt the Sachems’ scoring chances at Gunstock.
Mascoma 36, John Stark 18
Key players: John Stark – Anthony L’Heurux, Sean Boisvert, Jacob Mitchell
Highlights/key moments: On Thursday, L’Heurux, Boisvert and Mitchell all won by pin as the Generals took three of the four contested matches.
Coach’s quote: “We are getting better each week in preparation for the Division III championships.” – John Stark’s Tim Capen