Bow 73, John Stark 31
Key players: Bow – Hunter Duncan (29 points), Jake Reardon (19 points), Peyton Larrabee (6 points), Colby Smith (5 points), Caleb Gazaway (5 points); John Stark – Logan Montgomery (15 points), Dwayne Johnson (9 points), Joey Dykstra (6 rebounds)
Coaches’ quotes: “Played good on two out three phases of the game. Defensively we played hard, got some easy looks in transition. Good first game for a young team with a lot of things to improve on. Give John Stark credit, they played hard man-to-man the whole game and rebounded well.” – Bow’s Scott Drapeu
“A disappointing effort for us as a group. I think we all felt like we’ve had a much better preseason, but the energy wasn’t there and we reverted to a lot of bad habits. I expect a lot more out of this group and I’m excited to see how we handle this adversity.” – John Stark’s Mike Smith
Records: Bow 1-0; John Stark 0-1
Coe-Brown 68, Sanborn 55
Key players: Coe-Brown – Hugh Hamilton (18 points), Connor Bagnell (14 points), Trevor Amergian (12 points), Tommy Flanagan (10 points), Nate Ford (6 points)
Highlights: The Bears had a great second quarter to secure the season-opening victory.
Coach’s quote: “Balance and team defense (were the keys to winning).” – Coe-Brown’s David Smith
Records: Coe-Brown 1-0; Sanborn 0-1
Belmont 63, Inter-Lakes 44
Key players: Belmont – Sam Reposa (18 points, 3-for-4 from 3-point range), Keegan Martinez (16 points, 8 rebounds), Jamison Gaudette (8 points, 8 rebounds); Inter-Lakes – Owen Brown (17 points)
Coach’s quote: “I thought we got off to a great start right from the tip off. Sam and Keegan got us going with some good inside out scoring, Anakin (Underhill) really controlled the glass. Jamison was a force on both ends of the floor with great effort and energy. His energy really inspired our guys to kick it into high gear. Our bench all played great minutes, keeping our energy high.” – Belmont’s Tony Martinez
Records: Belmont 2-0; Inter-Lakes 1-1
Kearsarge 37, Hillsboro-Deering 26
Key players: Kearsarge – Joe Yanzo (12 points, 10 rebounds), Parker Goin (7 points, 14 rebounds), Damon Dawson (7 points), Eddie Kinzer (4 points, 4 rebounds), Austin Needham (3 points), Sean Stanchfield (2 points, 2 steals), Andrew Huff (2 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds); H-D – Zack Coombs (19 points), Gavin Coombs (5 points)
Highlights: The Cougars outscored Hillsboro, 26-12, in the second half, using strong defensive pressure and hustle to lead to fast break points.
Coach’s quote: “Hillsboro is a dangerous team, particularly their scoring threat Zack Coombs. We had three seniors out with illness, so tonight was a great example of our younger kids stepping up on the road, under pressure, and making plays for us. Shout out to Damon Dawson, Parker Goin and Joe Yanzo for doing all the hard work in the paint for us to be successful.” – Kearsarge’s Nate Camp
Records: Kearsarge 1-1; H-D 0-1
Newmarket 63, Franklin 14
Highlights: Missing three of the top six players in their rotation, the Tornadoes had to dig deep into the bench against one of Division IV’s strongest programs.
Records: Newmarket 3-0; Franklin 1-2
Concord 70, Trinity 47
Key players: Concord – Aidah Smalley (17 points), Delaney Duford (13 points), Jaylen Jefferson (9 points), Olivia Crawford (9 points), Katie Blinn (15 rebounds, defense)
Highlights: Sofia Payne got into foul trouble early, but Katie Blinn stepped in and had a team-high 15 rebounds to lead the Tide’s defense in a season-opening victory.
Coach’s quote: “Good first game for us. Our goal was to be aggressive on defense, we unfortunately got ourselves in some foul trouble because of it. It was defintely a positive learning experience we will grow from. Proud of how they played together as a team.” – Concord’s Rob Darrell
Records: Concord 1-0; Trinity 0-1
Bishop Brady 62, Plymouth 40
Key players: Bishop Brady – Meg Pellerin (19 points, 5 rebounds), Payton Bryson (19 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds), Mia Wagner (14 points), Claire Jackson (10 points, 6 rebounds), Isabelle Lamm (6 rebounds, defense)
Highlights: After a slow first quarter and first half, the Giants came out firing in the third quarter, scoring 21 points in the frame and hitting some open looks that opened the game up.
Coach’s quote: “It was the first time this team has played a competitive game together this year. We knew there were going to be a few jitters and bugs that needed to get worked out, and I think our girls did a tremendous job of that after the half.” – Bishop Brady’s Sal Alosa
Records: Bishop Brady 1-0; Plymouth 0-1
Bow 62, John Stark 37
Key players: Bow – Juliette Tarsa (13 points), Bella LaPerle (12 points), Lyndsey LaPerle (10 points), Bri Szepan (9 points), Alex Larrabee (8 points); John Stark – Eleanor Girardet (13 points, 6 rebounds), Abby Duclos (9 points, 4 rebounds)
Highlights: Sidney Roberge and Larrabee anchored the defense, while the LaPerles and Tarsa pushed the offense for the Falcons.
Coaches’ quotes: “I don’t expect team chemistry to be an issue with this group. You can see how much they want this for each other.” – Bow’s Phil Davis
“Bow came out strong and played a solid game. We had too many turnovers throughout the first half, and after being down 18 at the half we weren’t able to chip away at it.” – John Stark’s Tiffany Lewis
Records: Bow 1-0; John Stark 0-1
Laconia 63, Coe-Brown 15
Key players: Coe-Brown – Rowan Carr (6 points, 4 rebounds), Alexis Cowan, Emma Broadstone
Highlights: Laconia took the game from the start with tough high-pressure D, causing 24 turnovers in the first half to get out in front early.
Coach’s quote: “Great wake up call for us to see where we need to be as a team. Now we see how we respond at practice, and then on Friday.” – Coe-Brown’s Joe Vachon
Records: Laconia 1-0; Coe-Brown 0-1
Pembroke 59, Merrimack Valley 49
Key players: Pembroke – Hailey Steinmetz (22 points), Taylor Renna (12 points), Kaitlin Arenella (11 points); MV – Hadleigh Sargent (19 points), Kayla Smith (13 points, 18 rebounds)
Highlights: With the score tied at 37 late in the third quarter, the Spartans forced three straight MV turnovers and scored the final seven points of the quarter. After the Pride scored to start the fourth quarter, Pembroke scored the next six points to complete a 13-2 run that gave them a 50-39 lead. MV kept battling and went on a 10-2 run to cut the score to 52-49 with 2:14 left. Arenella responded immediately with a three-point play to extend the lead back to six and the Spartans held on from there.
Coach’s quote: “It was a great opening win. You know MV is always going to play hard. We matched their intensity and withstood their late run. It’s great for our young group to experience what they did today and come out on top. We certainly have things to work on, but it is nice to start out with a win at home against an area rival.” – Pembroke’s Steve Langevin
Records: Pembroke 1-0; MV 0-1
Belmont 47, Inter-Lakes 17
Key players: Belmont – Darci Stone (25 points, 6 rebounds), Alyssa Edgren (9 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists), Madelyn Besegai (defense), Lena Rodrigues (defense)
Highlights: The Raiders played smothering team defense to pick up their first win of the season.
Coach’s quote: “Nice to see the hard work the kids put in this week pay off win a nice win. Still lots to work on to get better every day.” – Belmont’s Mike Andriski
Records: Belmont 1-1; Inter-Lakes 0-2
Prospect Mtn. 65, Winnisquam 45
Key players: Winnisquam – Lauren MacDonald (20 points), Caidyn Carter (15 points), Vanessa Power (3 points, 5 rebounds), MacKenzie Bassett (5 points), Triniti Carter (defense), Victoria Kelly (defense)
Highlights: Playing on the road with only six athletes, the Bears got in foul trouble early, but didn’t quit against the Timberwolves.
Coach’s quote: “As a coach, we learn a lot about our teams in trying times and I was extremely proud of the girls’ effort all night.” – Winnisquam’s Mark Dawalga
Records: Prospect Mtn. 2-0; Winnisquam 0-2
Dover 2, Bow 1
Highlights: The Falcons dropped their season opener on the road at the Green Wave on Monday.
Records: Dover 1-0; Bow 0-1