The Pembroke girls’ basketball team worked hard all week to prepare for this one. While it paid off in some areas – holding a couple of key Hollis Brookline players scoreless – the Cavaliers (11-0) showed why they are one of the best teams in Division II with a decisive 62-27 victory over the Spartans (3-8) at Pembroke Academy.
“We prepared hard going into the game,” Pembroke’s first-year head coach Caitlin Powers said. “But (Hollis Brookline) is a very talented team.”
The Spartans kept it close in the early going, but a 6-0 run to close out the first quarter gave the Cavaliers a 16-8 lead.
Hollis – led by Christina Balsamo (15 points) and Amanda Goclowski (14 points) exploded – for 22 points in the second quarter to take a 38-12 halftime lead that Pembroke couldn’t overcome despite a more evenly-played second half.
Sophomore guard Ashley Stephens led Pembroke with six points, four rebounds and a block.
Sophomore guard Britney Hill scored four points and had four rebounds off the bench, while Cierra Hill (three steals, two rebounds), Paige Boudreau (steal, block) and Jade Pescinski played well defensively.
“They never gave up,” Powers said. “I’m proud of them for that.”
Hollis Brookline and Hanover are tied for first place in Division II with 11-0 records.
Girls’ Basketball
Bishop Brady 85, Oyster River 36
Key players: Bishop Brady – Ami Rivera (24 points, 15 rebounds), Marissa Payne (14 points, 8 rebounds), Isabella Rivera (15 points), Libbey Hicks (10 points), Becca Murphy (9 points)
Highlights: All eight Giants were able to get in the scoring column and contribute in many ways on the court as Brady rolled to a win over the Bobcats.
Coach’s quote: “It was a fast start and we came out and hit some shots in our gym. We have to keep getting better and progressing as the season goes forward. We look forward to the second half of the season and the growth of our young girls.” – Bishop Brady’s Annie Mattarazzo
Records: Bishop Brady 7-4; Oyster River 0-10
Hanover 48, Merrimack Valley 22
Key players: MV – Alyssa Woodman (6 points), Miah Boucher (6 points)
Highlights: The Pride trailed 12-5 after the first quarter, 26-15 at halftime and 41-15 through three.
Coach’s quote: “We had a decent first half and went into the locker room down nine considering we didn’t play very well. We talked about having a solid third quarter and Hanover’s defense just shut us down. We are struggling offensively and can’t seem to find any rhythm or consistency right now. We have five (games) to go and this is an important time to be playing well. Right now we are not doing that on the offensive end. I have a ton of confidence in the girls and we just need to have a solid week of practice before our next game vs. Milford.” – MV’s Bob McNutt
Records: Hanover 11-0; MV 6-7
Hopkinton 51, Somersworth 18
Key players: Hopkinton – Katie Meserve (14 points, 12 rebounds), Ellie Owen (12 points, defense), Maurgan McGrath (11 points)
Highlights: Meserve had eight of her game-high 14 points in the first quarter as the Hawks jumped out to an early lead.
Coach’s quote: “A strong defensive effort by the Hawks and contributions from the whole roster tonight. We controlled the boards and that allowed us to run.” – Hopkinton’s Pat Roye
Records: Hopkinton 10-3; Somersworth 2-10
Bow 43, Sanborn 41
Key players: Bow – Madison Speckman (15 points), Taylor Burnham (8 points), Ellie Pingree (12 rebounds), Jessica Chamberlin (7 rebounds, 3 assists)
Highlights: The Falcons trailed by as many as eight points in the second half, but Pingree had a clutch steal and Speckman made some key baskets in the fourth quarter to lift Bow to the win on Thursday.
Coach’s quote: “Bow came out (strong) in the first quarter and second quarter and led at halftime 25-20. Bow lost the lead in the third quarter but came out strong on offense and defense, played with good game management, and control, never giving up.” – Bow assistant Al Douglas
Records: Bow 6-5; Sanborn 4-7
Hanover 75, Merrimack Valley 47
Key players: MV – Griff Wheeler (17 points), Eli Gove (11 points), Caleb Heath (12 points)
Highlights: The Pride fell to D-II’s first-place team on Thursday night.
Records: Hanover 9-0; MV 2-8
Bow 1st, Pembroke 5th
Key players: Bow – Connor Wachsmuth (1st slalom, 4th GS), Eli Gadbois (1st GS, 7th slalom), Patrick Wachsmuth (2nd slalom, 3rd GS), Jonathan Cook (9th slalom), Aden Lipsey (10th GS); Pembroke – Jackson Frazier (6th GS, 8th slalom), Owen Thomas (24th GS, 30th slalom), Harry Army (29th slalom, 31st GS), Owen Bren (33rd GS), Ryan Sporcic (33rd slalom)
Highlights: Connor Wachsmuth won the slalom in 1:03.06, narrowly besting his younger brother Patrick (1:03.64), and Gadbois won the GS in 1:09.17 to lead the Falcons to the team victories in both races at Mount Sunapee. In the GS, Bow won with 386 points, followed by Hollis Brookline (365), Souhegan (362), ConVal (355), Pembroke (336) and Wilton-Lyndeborough (165). Frazier posted a pair of top-10 finishes to lead Pembroke.
Concord 3rd
Key players: Concord – Kevin McDonough (1st), Neil Shea (7th), Read Merrill (13th), Davis Foley (31st)
Highlights: McDonough had the fastest time on both giant slalom runs, posting a combined time of 45.97 seconds to top a nine-team field in Thursday’s GS race at Gunstock. Bedford went 2-3-4 to win with 386 points. Bishop Guertin (369), Concord (362), Winnacunnet (355), Dover (327), Spaulding (318), Manchester Central (297), Manchester Memorial (153) and Manchester West (70) rounded out the team standings.
Concord 3rd
Key players: Concord – Savanah Shannon (1st), Hannah Golden (11th), Emma Burbank (16th), Sarah Jenness (34th)
Highlights: Shannon had the fastest combined time at Gunstock in Thursday’s giant slalom race to lead the Tide to third place. Shannon’s time of 47.63 seconds was more than two seconds faster than the runner-up. Bedford went 2-3-4 and placed six skiers in the top 10 to easily win with 388 points. Bishop Guertin (363), Concord (357), Winnacunnet (338), Manchester Central (327), Spaulding (296), Manchester Memorial (249) and Dover (247) were the other team scores.
Bow 3rd, Pembroke 4th
Key players: Bow – Megan Lavigne (7th slalom), Sarah Lavigne (11th slalom, 12th GS), Carolyn Johnson (15th GS), Meredith Ryan (16th GS, 17th slalom), Madline Soucy (16th slalom), Sarah Vozzella (19th GS); Pembroke – Jessica Boyajian (11th GS, 14th slalom), Alyssa Merrill (13th slalom, 14th GS), Hannah Brown (20th GS, 25th slalom), Elyza Weingartner (19th slalom), Elizabeth Duchesne (21st GS); MV – Violet Webb (9th GS, 10th slalom)
Highlights: The Falcons finished third in both the GS and slalom, and the Spartans finished fourth in both the GS and slalom in a meet at Mount Sunapee. Souhegan (386) won the GS, followed by ConVal (372), Bow (348), Pembroke (346), Hollis Brookline (345) and Merrimack Valley (93). In the slalom, Souhegan won with 384 points, followed by ConVal (369), Bow (360), Pembroke (346), Hollis Brookline (259) and MV (92). Webb was the only skier for MV.