Bow senior guard Brendan O’Keefe and Pembroke junior guard Anne Phillips emerged as stars for their respective teams this weekend to claim the boys’ and girls’ MVP awards, respectively, at the Capital Area Holiday Classic basketball tournament.
Both the Falcon boys and Spartan girls won three straight games and took down the tournament’s defending champions in the semifinals to reach the final day.
They got an extra day of rest after Monday’s postponements due to inclement weather, but didn’t miss a beat on their way to winning the winter break tournament.
Boys: Bow 54, Merrimack Valley 36
Bow out-rebounded, out-assisted and most importantly, out-scored the Merrimack Valley Pride, 54-36, on Tuesday to come away with a win.
Bow’s O’Keefe won the MVP award for the boys’ tournament after solid performances and efficient shooting in all three games. He poured in 10 points in the first half and grabbed five rebounds to solidify his all-tournament case and help the Falcons win.
“It was a great feeling,” he said about receiving his trophies. “Coming out here, proving we can compete and contend with top D-II teams just shows what we’re made of.”
The tournaments over the holidays give teams many opportunities. They get a chance to try new sets, new rotations, young players, and for experienced players to try new moves. Pretty much everything worked for Bow.
After a 1-1 start to the NHIAA season and coming off a three-point loss to Souhegan, the Falcons won three straight over Bishop Brady, Pembroke and MV to claim the title.
O’Keefe said the holiday tournament should give them a big confidence boost going into January, in hopes of positioning themselves in the upper tier of the division.
His teammate, senior forward Peyton Larrabee, led the Falcons with 13 points, seven in the first half. Junior forward Kyle Cimis worked in tandem with Larrabee and was a monster on the boards, drawing eight rebounds in the first half. All together they built a 20-point lead after two quarters, going up 33-13, with strong defense and efficient offense.
Second-year head coach Eric Saucier said he was glad his team played through all four quarters instead of losing focus while up by 20. Bow wants to grow its rotation so giving minutes to guys off the bench was equally as important.
Trying to find 7-8 guys who can produce consistently and work as a group regardless of the matchup is the goal, he explained.
The short-handed Pride were at a disadvantage from the get-go against the Falcons, but still put up a fight, especially in the second half.
Merrimack Valley missed three key players from the rotation this weekend and still managed to get two wins against John Stark and Hopkinton. After losing the first three NHIAA games, they seem to be figuring things out.
“So far they’ve been doing a good job building their confidence as they play,” second-year MV head coach Kelly O’Brien said about getting multiple players big minutes over break.
“That’s what’s important because when the other guys start coming back, and those guys are still filling spot minutes, they have more confidence,” he added.
Senior guard Brady Smith scored 16 points, four in each quarter, four rebounds and two steals. The Pride did beat the Falcons with seven steals, but were unable to create enough pressure on the opposition’s offense to mount a comeback.
Junior forward Carter Gabour got 10 points and two blocks on a tall Bow team. The team has cornerstones to build on — it’s a matter of putting it all together when everyone is healthy.
“We kept fighting until the final buzzer; we were playing hard, so I was proud of these guys,” Coach O’Brien said.
All-Tournament Team:
Merrimack Valley: Chris Babonis, sr., F; Carter Gabour, jr., C; Brady Smith, sr., G.
Bow: Ben Reardon, so., G; Peyton Larrabee, sr., F; Brendan O’Keefe, sr., G (MVP).
Girls: Pembroke 55, Merrimack Valley 48
The game was tied 44-44 with only a few minutes left when Pembroke senior forward Kate Stephens kicked the ball out to Anne Phillips on the perimeter for the three. Nothing but net.
Next, her team generated a turnover and Phillips took it back the other way for a tough shot inside to put her team up by five. She would go on to score four more points from the free throw line, capping a nine-point fourth quarter to win the tournament.
“We’ve got the hardest working team out there. We gotta keep crushing it and get ready for the next team,” Phillips said after the game. “Because we have to take one game at a time and hopefully be at UNH at the end of the season.”
Her heroics were complemented by a tough takeover in the fourth quarter. Senior guard Ava Strazzeri scored five of her own, which included her third three-pointer of the game, to reach 13 points on the night. Strazzeri cleverly stole the ball five times with good positioning and put her team on the fast-break, as well.
Phillips led her team in assists with five, and was one of four players to haul in five rebounds against Merrimack Valley in an all-around balanced win. Strazzeri, senior Tessa Love and junior Riley Caron all got five boards to keep their team rolling on offense.
“I’m the luckiest guy in the world to get to coach this group of girls,” Spartans head coach Noah Cummings said, even if he didn’t think his team’s rebounding was as good as it could be.
Merrimack Valley held its own, tying the game at nine after the first quarter and only trailing by three at halftime. The scores after each quarter didn’t quite reflect how close the Pride actually was to pulling away.
During the second and third quarters, the teams combined for 10 three-pointers during fast-paced possessions. There were seven lead changes in the game and two ties up until the Spartans went ahead late. The Pride were ahead by one point going into the fourth, but Pembroke’s 21-point fourth quarter sealed the game.
Senior forward Izzy Navoy led the charge for the Pride as she scored 20 points, four rebounds, three assists, blocked one and generated two steals. “If we can get this from her on a consistent basis we’re going to be tough to beat,” her head coach, Bob McNutt, said.
Rounding out the frontcourt, fellow senior forward Jada Lucas scored nine points with five rebounds. Sophomore guard Emma McNutt started hot with nine points and two rebounds in the first half but was pressured late to finish with 11 points as the team’s second leading scorer.
Coach Cummings wants to see his team stay focused and intense coming out of the break, and so far, they’re well on their way to doing that.
Both teams entered the game undefeated this season, but only one prevailed. The Spartans and Pride are scheduled to play each other twice during the regular season in what will be a must-watch, popcorn-munching rivalry.
“I love the way we fought, I love the way we played, our bench has been doing a great job,” McNutt added after the game. He thinks his team can continue to grow and push Pembroke further down the stretch.
Both are still at the top of the division and have the pieces to push for a chip down the line. They’ll face off again on Jan. 30 in Pembroke at 6:30 p.m.
All-Tournament Team:
Merrimack Valley: Emma McNutt, so., G; Izzy Navoy, sr., F; Jada Lucas, sr., F.
Pembroke: Kate Stephens, sr., F; Ava Strazzeri, sr., G; Anne Phillips, jr., G (MVP).
