Two teams fighting for leverage in the middle of the Division II standings went punch for punch on Wednesday, spelling a tight game that came down to the final second of overtime.
The Bow girls’ basketball team put itself on the better side of a 1-point game as the Falcons beat Merrimack Valley, 52-51, in Penacook.
Bow (8-5) led by two with the clock winding down in overtime. Merrimack Valley’s Abby Grandmaison went to the line and scored the first of a one-and-one, but missed the second. Bow rebounded, but the Falcons’ possession ended in a turnover as the ball was thrown out of bounds.
The Pride couldn’t take advantage, however, as its last-chance shot for the win missed, sealing the victory for Bow.
MV (9-5) led 15-9 after the first quarter, but the Falcons responded with a 21-9 run in the second to lead by six points at halftime.
“I was glad to see after we played so poorly in the first, we came back in the second,” Bow Coach Bill Vermette said. “That was the answer for us. We didn’t lose any ground. You can’t ask much more of high school kids than what we got out of them tonight.”
Taylor Darrell led the Falcons with 24 points, including 14 points in the pivotal second quarter. She’s averaged between 13 and 14 points per game this season.
“I was proud of the way she responded to the stuff we told her,” Vermette said. “She reacted like we expect a senior to react. She had great leadership, she kept her head up throughout and really played with a lot of poise.”
Darrell was 5 of 7 from three-point range. She scored three of those in the second quarter as well.
“She had the open looks and we want her to shoot it,” Vermette said. “If the kid is hot, then hopefully we are looking for her down the court to at least get a touch.”
Bow’s Julia Landcastle went 5-for-7 for 10 points, and Lea Crompton scored 10 points with 10 rebounds and seven assists.
Merrimack Valley was led by Carly Huckins with 24 points. Grandmaison finished with 19.
Pembroke 60, Laconia 35
Key players: Pembroke – Olivia Langevin (19 points), Brooklyn Zanis (13 points), Ciera Clark (13 points)
Highlights/key moments: Pembroke was down 11-4 after the first quarter, but the Spartans pulled together a 19-8 run in the second and led from there.
Records: Pembroke 5-8; Laconia 3-11
Kearsarge 37, Hopkinton 34
Key players: Kearsarge – Meghan Roy (11 points), Macie Hansen (game-winning 3-pointer); Hopkinton – Taylor Signor (12 points, 4 assists), Abby Houston (6 points, 8 rebounds)
Highlights/key moments: Hansen knocked down a 3-pointer in overtime to break a tie and give Kearsarge its 12th win of the season.
Coach’s quote: “We had some great opportunities in regulation and OT. Just couldn’t get the ball to drop. Happy with our defense and our effort.” – Hopkinton’s Pat Roye
Records: Kearsarge 12-3; Hopkinton 3-12
Monadnock 52, H-D 10
Key players: H-D – Halie Hurd (5 points), Fayth Grimes (6 rebounds)
Highlights/key moments: The Hillcats had a hard time finding good shots and making them against one of the top teams in Division III.
Coach’s quote: “We struggled to move to our passes tonight, which led to a lot of turnovers and then easy baskets for Monadnock. We have three games left this season that we should be able to compete in if we can put everything together.” – H-D’s Tiffany Lewis
Records: H-D 1-14; Monadnock
13-2
Gilford 60, Winnisquam 27
Key players: Gilford – Stevie Orton (18 points, 14 rebounds, 2 blocks), Lexi Boisvert (12 points, 6 rebounds), Olivia Harris (9 points, 6 steals)
Highlights/key moments: Gilford jumped out to a 19-5 lead after the first quarter and never looked back in posting its eighth win of the season.
Records: Gilford 8-7; Winnisquam 1-13
Newmarket 40, Pittsfield 23
Key players: Pittsfield – Alyssa Sullivan (6 points, 5 rebounds); Newmarket – Regan Jordan (14 points)
Highlights/key moments: The Panthers created good looks, but they couldn’t get enough of them to fall.
Coach’s quote: “I was pleased with our effort on offense and the number of shots we were able to get up, we just couldn’t find the bottom of the net.” – Pittsfield’s Heidi Hall
Records: Pittsfield 2-14; Newmarket 10-6
Timberlane 65, Pembroke 54
Key players: Pembroke – Jake Sherman (24 points), Noah Cummings (12 points)
Highlights/key moments: Timberlane outscored Pembroke by 12 points in the second half to take the win.
Coach’s quote: “Timberlane’s defensive effort was outstanding.” – Pembroke’s Shannon Sciria
Records: Pembroke 5-6; Timberlane 7-3
Monadnock 76, H-D 34
Key players: H-D – Brandon Rodier (12 points), Kyle Merrill (8 points and solid defense)
Highlights/key moments: H-D trailed by six points after the first, but Monadnock erased any hope by outscoring H-D by 26 points in the second quarter.
Records: H-D – 0-13; Monadnock 8-6
Franklin 65, Laconia 60
Key players: Franklin – Jayden Torres (26 points), Matt Hennesy (12 points), T.J. Laramie (12 points), Corey Nelson (10 points)
Highlights/key moments: Franklin tore open the second quarter with a 20-8 run, fueled by Torres.
Coach’s quote: “Very aggressive, hard-fought game by both teams. That 20-8 run in the second quarter was huge for us. A lot of very tired boys tonight.” – Franklin’s Michael Donnell
Records: Franklin 5-8; Laconia 1-12
Pittsfield 60, Newmarket 59, OT
Key players: Pittsfield – Cam Darrah (26 points, 6 rebounds, 6 steals), Josh Whittier (11 points, 6 rebounds), Dylan Bocash (9 points, 6 rebounds)
Highlights/key moments: Pittsfield came out cold and missed nine lay ups, but still managed to hold a 28-16 point lead due to its defensive play in the first half. In the second half, Pittsfield continued to miss close range shots, and got into foul trouble. Clinging to a seven-point lead for most of the game, Newmarket managed to tie it up in regulation. In overtime, Pittsfield jumped to a six-point lead after big free throws by Bocash, Darrah and Casey Clark. Newmarket hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to make it a one-point win for Pittsfield.
Coach’s quote: “Matt St. George once again came off the bench and gave us the spark we needed. We didn’t do well finishing at the rim, but the defensive effort in the first half carried us. We may have tried to take the air out of the ball too soon, but hit our free throws and controlled the clock when we needed to in the overtime period.” – Pittsfield’s Jay Darrah
Records: Pittsfield 13-2; Newmarket 11-4
Concord 3, Hanover 2
Key players: Andy Cole (game-winning goal in overtime), Alex Marceau (goal), Trevor Bickford (goal), Colin Kastle (2 assists), Dan Lebell (assist), Cormick McGonigle (assist), Liam O’Brien (assist), Spencer Burgess (27 saves)
Highlights/key moments: Concord scored 1:47 into the game on goal by Bickford. Hanover answered early in the second to tie things and then took a lead 11:48 into the second period on a 5-on-3 power play. Marceau evened the score with 1:20 left in the game off an assist by Kastle. The Tide won it in overtime thanks to a rebound goal by Cole with 2:32 on the clock.
Coach’s quote: “Hanover is a very good team and both teams played hard. Our guys kept working until the end and found a way to come away with the win.” – Concord’s Dunc Walsh
Records: Concord 12-1; Hanover 9-5
Concord 6, Brady-Trinity-West 3
Key players: Concord – Lilly Vezina (2 goals), Emily Forward (goal), Olivia Brang (goal), Delana Erickson (goal), Maggie Connolly (assist), Maddy Farrelly (assist), Nicole Jones (assist), Allyson Poulin (assist), Jully Dusseault (assist), Maddy Audet (18 saves)
Highlights/key moments: With four games left on the schedule, the Tide won the seventh of their last eight to begin a two-game homestand.
Records: Concord 10-4; Brady 7-6
Bow 48, Mascoma 18
Key players: Bow – Michel York (113 pounds, win by fall), Zach Anderson (126, fall), Ben Boufford (145, forfeit), Aidan Hyslop (160, forfeit), Jack Olson (170, forfeit), Chris Wheeler (95, fall), Eli Baalouky (220, forfeit)