A 39-point game against one of Division III’s toughest defenses is a tall order. Tayler Mattos, though, is about as tall an order as they come, and he was up to the task on Thursday night as Kearsarge hosted Conant in a rematch of last year’s semifinal matchup.
The 6-foot-7 junior center is capable of big scoring outbursts – he’d already put up 41 and 49 points in games earlier this season – and he’d have another big night against the Orioles. This time, it was on his way to reaching the 1,000-point milestone.
Conant doesn’t have a player taller than 6-foot-, so it was clear they’d have to double Mattos in the paint. The big man was ready.
“I was just trying to work and when I get the ball, just go as hard as I can, and wear them down, and that was a big factor tonight,” Mattos said.
The Cougars came charging out of the gate, with Mattos scoring 17 points in the first quarter, leading a 17-2 run that had the Orioles reeling in the opening minutes. Kearsarge would go up 46-15, at which point Conant Coach Eric Saucier pulled his entire starting lineup and sent his JV players onto the floor.
“If you don’t play hard – and you can quote me – if you don’t play hard, if you don’t show up, if you disrespect the game? You don’t deserve to be on the floor,” Saucier said. “And that’s what happened in the first half. We didn’t play hard, we disrespected the game, so I pulled all the guys.”
Conant’s backups actually cut into the lead, outrunning the Cougars down the floor and getting the Orioles to an attainable 48-24 halftime deficit.
After the break, Conant’s starters got the message Saucier was trying to send. After Mattos picked up his fourth foul early in the third quarter, Conant’s fiery senior captain James Record took the game over. Record buried jumper after jumper, scoring 19 of his team-high 26 in the second half.
“He proved tonight that he’s an All-State player, in my opinion,” said Kearsarge Coach Nate Camp after the game. “He led those guys. He said ‘Get on my back, you’ve got to play fearless,’ and that spread through that team.”
The explosion turned Kearsarge’s runaway victory into a mere six-point lead at the end of the third, after a 27-9 Conant run. But before long, Mattos returned to the game and went back to work. Any rebound in his vicinity, he grabbed, and any shot he put up, went in.
“There’s some games where the basket just feels bigger than other nights, and this was one of those nights,” Mattos said.
He’d score 12 points in the fourth before getting the ball in the post one more time, turning and putting up a jumper with Conant’s Ryan Smith draped all over him. The shot went down, the Cougar faithful went nuts, and the game stopped. The basket, Mattos’s 38th and 39th points of the night, gave him 1,000 for his career. He hugged his teammates and met his coach and family at center court, stopping to embrace his grandmother, Barbara Hathaway.
“When my parents and my grandma came on the court, that’s when I knew for sure what was going on,” said Mattos, who had been kept in the dark for the most part regarding his impending milestone. “My parents were always there for me. They’ve been driving me around to practice, to the gyms, since however old I was, probably third or fourth grade, I can’t thank them enough.”
It’s that kind of selfless attitude that is the unifying factor on this Kearsarge team, Camp said.
“Just an awesome kid, one of the best that I’ve coached,” Camp said. “He’s just really a great kid that cares about the game but he cares even more about his teammates and that’s what’s really special about him. I was talking a little bit about him in the locker room and he was like, ‘Okay coach, we’re good, change the subject.’ He’s very humble. He’s a caring person and that shows with how tight this group of kids are around him.”
After the stoppage, the game was all but over, and the Cougars ran out the clock for an 80-60 victory – the most points, by far, the stingy Orioles have given up this season.
“We got the win, obviously, but more importantly, I like that we were tested,” Camp said. “(Conant is) going to be a nightmare for somebody in the playoffs, whoever they get matched up with, because they’re a dangerous team that when they’re down. They can just play free, and they have nothing to lose.”
Merrimack Valley 56, Bow 47
Key players: MV – James Shattuck (21 points), Caleb Laclair (12 points), Kyle Dube (8 points); Bow – Nate Alford (16 points), Ryan Andrews (14 points), Ben Guertin (9 points)
Highlights/key moments: MV led by 11 at the half and weathered Bow’s offense through the third and fourth quarters to grab a win on the road.
Coach’s quote: “Kids fought hard in the second half, but we dug ourselves too deep of a hole early. Give credit to Merrimack Valley, they shot the ball really well and played great tonight.” – Bow’s Chris Gaudreau
Records: MV 3-10; Bow 3-11
Gilford 55, Winnisquam 38
Key players: Winnisquam – Logan Morrison (16 points), Kyle Mann (8 points), Isaiah Singleton (8 points)
Highlights/key moments: Gilford picked up its third straight win, while Winnisquam dropped its second game in a row.
Records: Gilford 10-5; Winnisquam 8-7
Newfound 56, Somersworth 30
Key players: Newfound – Ashlee Dukette (26 points, 11 rebounds, 5 steals), Savanna Bony (18 points), Amanda Johnston (3 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists), Alexis Vantil (5 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals), Molly Schilling (4 points)
Highlights/key moments: Dukette led Newfound with a double-double to help the Bears complete a perfect 18-0 regular season.
Coach’s quote: “It is great and exciting to go undefeated, but now the second season starts and I hope we can continue for another two weeks.” – Newfound’s Karri Peterson
Records: Newfound 18-0; Somersworth 6-11
Hopkinton 60, Hillsboro-Deering 35
Key players: Hopkinton – Taylor Signor (13 points, 5 assists, 5 steals), Chloe Wood (9 points), Taylor Clark (9 points), Katie Meserve (9 points);H-D – Kiersten Clough (17 points), Morgan Racine (7 points), Fayth Grimes (10 rebounds)
Highlights/key moments: The Hawks took a commanding 32-9 lead in the first half as Signor poured in seven of her team-high 13 points in the first quarter. H-D struggled shooting, but it was something the Hillcats were able to correct in the second half. Clough hit four of her five 3-pointers in the second, but the deficit was too much to overcome.
Coach’s quote: “This was a great effort by the whole team tonight. We had balanced scoring and played solid defense. Winning three games in three days is a nice way to end the season.” – Hopkinton’s Pat Roye
“We started to get into more of a rhythm in the second half of that game. Kiersten had her best game of the season and I was very proud with how she shot. We never gave up and that’s how we have played all season long.” – H-D’s Tiffany Lewis
Records: Hopkinton 6-12; H-D 1-17
Lebanon-Stevens 5, Kearsarge-Plymouth 1
Key players: Kearsarge-Plymouth – Jakob Arnold (goal), Alex Nangle (assist), Bert Prince (assist), Cody Rowe (27 saves)
Highlights/key moments: Kearsarge-Plymouth knew it wouldn’t be an easy game with Lebanon-Stevens of Division II. Kearsarge pushed on offense to the very end when it pulled Rowe from the crease for an extra skater, but Lebanon came the other way and scored on the empty net.
Coach’s quote: “The kids played well tonight against a good team. Lebanon was our D-II crossover game and we competed hard all game long. Cody Rowe played a heck of a game for us in net.” – Kearsarge-Plymouth’s David McKenney
Records: Lebanon-Stevens 6-7-0; Kearsarge-Plymouth 6-8-0
Bow 9, Timberlane 0
Key players: Bow – Doug Champagne (3 goals, assist), Chris Mead (2 goals, assist), Keegan Orzechowski (2 assists)
Highlights/key moments: Quick goals in the first and second periods put the game out of reach quickly for the visiting Owls on Wednesday.
Coach’s quote: “We got the chance to mix all of the lines up and play everyone tonight while also being productive.” – Bow’s Tim Walsh
Records: Bow 14-1-1; Timberlane 2-11
John Stark-Hopkinton 8,
Laconia-Winnisquam 3
Key players: John Stark-Hopkinton – Tim Sawitsky (4 goals), Tim Meserve (3 goals), Benny Madden (3 assists), Cam Bourque (2 assists), Aidan Molnar (goal), Joe Sawitsky (assist), Brett Patode (assist) and Curt Mann (11 saves); Laconia-Winnisquam – Cole Reid (3 goals), Nick Luther (41 saves)
Highlights/key moments: The game was tied at one goal apiece after the first period, but Stark-Hopkinton pulled away in the second with four goals on Wednesday. Sawitsky scored two goals in 28 seconds in the third to complete a hat trick. Meserve scored his third halfway through the final period. Reid also scored his third goal for Laconia-Winnisquam in the third period.
Coach’s quote: “It was great to see our seniors forwards take charge in this game scoring all eight goals. It was also nice to see our freshman goaltender Curt Mann pick up his first varsity win.” – John Stark-Hopkinton’s Denis Kolehmainen
Records: John Stark-Hopkinton 9-4-1; Laconia-Winnisquam 0-13