NORTH SUTTON – Senior captain Devi Kraushaar and the Kearsarge High School girls’ basketball team were ready to play anybody in the opening round of the NHIAA Division III girls’ basketball tournament. It didn’t matter where the game was being played or who the opponent was, the Cougars were just rearing to get on the court.
It just so happened that the team that walked through the gymnasium doors on Thursday night was the same program that knocked the Cougars out of the playoffs a season ago in the first round: The Belmont Raiders.
“Our team will go head-to-head with anybody that we’re challenged with and try to do our best to prove what we can do,” Kraushaar said after scoring a team-high 13 points for the sixth-seeded Cougars in a 54-47 redemption win over No. 11 Belmont (9-10) to advance to the quarterfinals. “Belmont had knocked us out last year in the first round and we weren’t going to let it happen again. The mindset since the beginning of our last win to now was that we are not going to lose. It’s just what we’ve been telling ourselves and talking about the whole time.”
Playing without freshman standout Madisyn Brayshaw due to injury, Kearsarge (15-4) took a punch in the mouth in the game’s opening quarter, but responded like good teams do, outscoring the Raiders 45-30 over the final three frames to move into the next round where the Cougars will square off with No. 3 Monadnock.
“Those kids in that locker room don’t want to go home yet,” Kearsarge Coach Keith Roberts said. “To be honest, it’s never going to be easy for us moving forward. We’re going to have these nights and we’re going to fight until the end and hopefully come out on the winning end.”
Unfazed by the environment on the road, Belmont opened the contest on a shooting tear, receiving one 3-pointer apiece from Julianna Estremera (13 points), Jordan Sargent (7 points) and Nicole Antonucci (8 points) to carve out a 17-9 advantage.
“It was like we were stuck in quicksand,” Roberts said. “We didn’t move, we weren’t playing well and we didn’t call a timeout, we just fought through it to see what we can do. At the end of the quarter, the conversation was ‘What do you want ladies? What do you want? It’s really on you and what you want.’ ”
Roberts’s words clearly struck a chord with his team. Kearsarge opened the second quarter by scoring the first seven points and used a 23-12 run in the frame to take a three-point lead into the break. Maicy Hansen scored six of her eight points in the second and the Cougars also received contributions from sophomore Megan Roy (10 points) and Caitlin Prescott (11 points) in the run.
“We got some turnovers with the press, got out and ran and that’s really our strength,” Roberts said of the second-quarter surge. “Ever since we lost Brayshaw, it’s been difficult for us to run but we’re capable and we showed it in the second.”
Belmont Coach Mark Dawalga added: “The different was the second quarter. … To their credit they made some shots tonight but it was a very well-played game. I’m very proud of the kids … the five seniors played well tonight and I’m very proud of them.”
At the start of the second half, Kearsarge used its newfound momentum to hit some shots and build a lead as large as nine points, but couldn’t completely put the Raiders away. Estremera buried one of her three 3-pointers to cut the lead to 43-39 at the end of the third, and lined up another attempt in the opening minute of the fourth that would have given the Raiders the lead, but it bounced off the rim.
The Cougars then closed the door on Belmont by scoring the next seven points to pull out the victory.
“They battled. They battled all year,” Dawalga said of his team. “This didn’t just start tonight, this started in November. They’re gritty. They give you everything they got every night and they give you 100 percent every night.”
Kearsarge is set to face the Huskies on Saturday in Swanzey with a berth to the semifinals on the line. In the only meeting between the two teams this season, Kearsarge lost to Monadnock on the road back on Feb. 3, 46-31.
(1)Newfound 56, (16) Stevens 33
Key players: Newfound – Ashlee Dukette (32 points, 19 rebounds), Alexis Vantil (13 points, 5 rebounds)
Highlights/key moments: Newfound jumped out to a 19-7 lead in the first quarter. After a quiet second quarter, the Bears scored 30 combined points in the third and fourth.
Coach’s quote: “I am proud of the girls with the intensity they came out of the locker room with before the game and in the second half. We just can’t have the let down in the second offensively. Our defense keeps us in games.” – Newfound’s Karri Peterson
Records: Newfound 19-0; Stevens 7-12
Merrimack Valley 52,
Pembroke 44
Key players: MV – Sara Osborne (19 points, five 3 pointers), Abby Grandmaison (14 points, 10 rebounds), Cam Burr (6 points, 12 rebounds), Carly Huckins (6 points, 5 steals); Pembroke – Brooklyn Zanis (13 points), Savanna Youngman (12 points)
Highlights/key moments: Osborne’s four 3-pointers in the second half lifted the Pride after poor shooting in the first.
Coach’s quote: “Pembroke is a tough team and I wouldn’t be surprised if they upset someone in the first round. We are gaining confidence and momentum going into the playoffs and look forward to hosting a game in the first round.” – MV’s David Huckins
Records: MV 12-6; Pembroke 7-11
Laconia 56, Plymouth 35
Key players: Laconia – Cheyanne Zappala (13 points), Ashely Burgos (6 points), Becca Howe (9 points)
Highlights/key moments: Laconia used a balanced scoring attack with nine players earning points. The sachems put the game out of reach in the third hitting four shots from beyond the arch.
Coach’s quote: “Tonight we played consistent basketball for 32 minutes. I’m happy for our seniors to go out with two great wins in the past week to close out the year.” – Laconia’s Jeff Greeley
Records: Laconia 5-13; Plymouth 0-18
Somersworth-Coe-Brown 5,
John Stark-Hopkinton 3
Key players: Somersworth-Coe-Brown – Joe Morriselle (3 goals, 2 assists); Stark-Hopkinton – Tim Sawitsky (goal), Paul Molnar (goal), Brett Patnode (goal), Jameson Bourque (30 saves)
Highlights/key moments: Two goals separated by 18 seconds in the first period set the General Hawks up with a 2-1 advantage. Somersworth-Coe-Brown responded with a pair of goals in the second and two more in the third – one empty netter – to finish things off.
Coach’s quote: “We played a strong first period but we took five penalties in the second and that derailed us.” – John Stark-Hopkinton’s Denis Kolehmainen.
Records: Somersworth-Coe-Brown 13-3-1; Stark-Hopkinton 11-5-1
Oyster River-Portsmouth 4,
Concord 2
Key players: Concord – Delana Erickson (2 goals), Allyson Poulin (assist), Sarah Morin (assist), Olivia Branch (assist), Maddy Audet (27 saves)
Highlights/key moments: The regular season closes for the Tide who now have just over a week off before playoffs begin March 3.
Records: Concord 12-6; Oyster River-Portsmouth 11-5
Belmont 60, Newfound 24
Key players: Belmont – Tommy Pare (12 points), Trevor Hunt (8 points, 9 rebounds), Matt Pluskis (10 points), Doug Price (10 points)
Highlights/key moments: The Raiders used a strong defensive start to hold Newfound to zero points in the first quarter and limited the Bears to 15 points after three quarters.
Coach’s quote: “It was a nice night for senior night. The guys really worked hard and shared the ball and the minutes tonight.” – Belmont’s Jim Cilley
Records: Belmont 15-3; Newfound 1-17
Kearsarge 67, Raymond 32
Key players: Kearsarge – Tom Johnson (25 points, 6 assists, 4 steals), Tayler Mattos (24 points, 11 rebounds, 6 steals, 4 assists), Joe Storozuk (8 points, 5 rebounds), Kyle Hernon (6 points, 5 steals)
Highlights/key moments: The Cougars finished the season atop Division III at 16-2. Mattos completed a one-handed alley-oop off a feed from Johnson in the second-quarter, electrifying Kearsarge on its way to a convincing win.
Coach’s quote: “We’re starting to play our best basketball, which is always what you want.” – Kearsarge’s Nate Camp
Records: Kearsarge 16-2; Raymond 3-14
Franklin 71, H-D 56
Key players: Franklin – Matt Hennessy (19 points, 9 assist, 11 rebounds, 6 blocks), Jayden Torres (14 points), T.J Laramie (11 points), Corey Nelson (8 points)
Highlights/key moments: After trailing by five points at halftime, the Golden Tornadoes sealed the game with a 27-13 run in the third quarter.
Coach’s quote: “Pretty sloppy start and Hillsboro came to play with nothing to lose. … Matthew Hennessy really made me happy tonight. His confidence is starting to show and it’s happening at the right time.” – Franklin’s Michael Donnell
Records: Franklin 9-9; H-D 0-18