DURHAM — In a huddle near half court before the fourth quarter, Bow’s five on the floor took turns speaking words of encouragement in an attempt to mount the near-improbable task of a comeback.
They showed poise throughout the entire game, but the Falcons’ met their match, and then some, on the biggest stage as they lost 55-24 to Hanover in the Division II state championship Sunday.
Bow knew going into the game that in order to beat the No. 1 seed, it was going to have to play somehow better than perfect and in the first quarter its defense provided a sliver of hope.
The Falcons (19-3) held Hanover’s juggernaut offense in check for the first eight minutes, only giving up 12 points and scoring five of their own.
Too many uncontrolled possessions and an inability to score kept Bow from staying within striking distance of HHS, however. The Falcons primary offensive weapons in Alex Larrabee and Jessica Chamberlin were held in check with a combined two points on 1-11 from the field by halftime. Larrabee, who finished with a team high 10 points, fell victim to a relentless defensive effort by Hanover, which limited any second chance opportunities.
Hanover began to separate itself in the second quarter behind a 9-0 run led by Stella Galanes who scored seven of her team-high 19 during the run. It only worsened for Bow in the second half as the Galanes-Melissa Whitemore duo combined for 20 points scored predominately from beyond-the-arc.
The tough ending for the Falcons in the program’s first D-II championship game sours the otherwise unprecedented season they had. They won 17 consecutive games and found an identity through aggressive defense, impeccable conditioning and buckets from the paint. Unfortunately, their aggressiveness was used against them in the title game, according to coach Phil Davis.
“(Hanover) took advantage of it a little bit,” he said. “They executed their offense beautifully.”
The numbers back Davis’ remarks as HHS shot 50% from the field compared to Bow’s 22%. The most points the Falcons scored in a quarter was eight as Hanover began pulling its starters and readied itself to receive some hardware.
“All in all, we just didn’t have our stuff tonight,” Davis said. “If you don’t have your stuff against them, they’re going to make you pay for it.”
A silver-lining in the defeat for Bow is that a large percentage of its roster returns next season. While they graduate two key players in Chamberlin and Madison Speckman, the Falcons have a strong chance of making it back to the championship in year’s time.
Larrabee, twins Bella and Lyndsey LaPerle, Juliette Tarsa and Sidney Roberge all will come back for the blue and yellow, and they’ll be carrying the experience of Sunday’s game with them.
“So many of us are going to take this feeling and use it all (next) season long to motivate us to get us back here but to the other side,” Larrabee said.