Kearsarge High girls’ basketball needed a complete team effort to overcome Newfound in overtime on Wednesday night.
But the 44-42 thriller was defined by two players, senior guard Caroline Camp and junior guard Addison Whitty. The duo were clear leaders on the floor and finished with 23 and 10 points, respectively, for the Cougars.
It was all Camp in the early going as she scored her team’s first 15 points. The aggressive guard wove between defenders, Euro-stepped through the paint and knocked down jumpers en route to her big night.
“She’s like a silent assassin at times,” said Kearsarge coach Keith Roberts. “Caroline’s a special player.”
Special indeed. Her play opened up a 15-6 lead for the Cougars at the end of the first quarter. But foul trouble kept Camp out of the game for a good chunk of the second, and a resilient Newfound team clawed its way back into the game, pulling within two at the half.
Newfound finally tied things up at 24 with five minutes to go in the third. After watching their lead wither and die, the Cougars seemed in danger of letting the game get away. Instead, they battled with gritted teeth and steely nerves in a back-and-forth second half that left the fans in attendance with shorter fingernails than they started with.
“They fought back, which we knew they we’re gonna,” said Roberts. “They were gonna pound it inside because we’re smaller and they’re bigger. It’s exactly what we expected and, you know, we fought through it.”
The Cougars’ Whitty banged home a three-pointer to stretch the lead to five as the third quarter expired.
Newfound unleashed an onslaught to try and take its first lead of the night in the final eight minutes. Kearsarge dug in its heels and stood tall but it wasn’t enough to hold the lead. With 10 seconds on the clock, Newfound put home an offensive rebound to tie the game at 37-37.
“To be honest, we got bailed out. At the end of the game, we made a mental play,’’ said Roberts.
Whitty’s foul could have cost her team the game. Instead, she won it.
Up one with 1:46 to play in overtime, Whitty nailed a three-pointer to take a 43-39 lead. The junior knocked down a final free throw with 9 seconds to play to set the final score.
“I mean, she makes that play at the end of the game. We get bailed out, and then she comes out and she bangs the three and then goes to the line and bangs free throws. I mean, she just left it all out there,” said Roberts.
“Great one. Great win for us. First time we beat somebody above us in the standings.”
The win improved Kearsarge to 10-3 and, for the moment, leapfrogged Newfound in the NHIAA standings who fell to 8-3 on the year.