In its last two regular-season Division I games before the holiday break, the Concord girls’ basketball team lost by a total of four points. In its first game of the Capital Area Holiday Tournament at NHTI, Concord once again found itself in a fourth-quarter battle.
This time, the Crimson Tide finished the job, pulling out a 39-32 win against D-II Kearsarge.
“To be in another situation like this and to come away with the victory is a good sign of growth for our young team,” said Tim LaTorra, Concord’s second-year head coach. “It wasn’t the prettiest thing, but it is validation for the hard work these girls do.”
The Tide will play now face John Stark in Saturday’s 4 p.m. semifinal. Stark beat Merrimack Valley, 40-36, to advance.
Concord (0-4 in D-I) has three girls on its roster checking in at 6 feet or taller, and the Tide used that size advantage against the Cougars (1-3 in D-II).
Elizabeth Blinn, a 6-foot freshman forward, collected a game-high 13 rebounds to go along with 11 points. Senior forward Quinn Daniels (eight points) crashed the boards to gather 12 rebounds. With those two owning the glass and Caroline Clark coming off the bench to score four first-quarter points, the Tide took an 11-6 lead into halftime.
“We talked about trying to show a little more tenacity and trying to get the ball,” LaTorra said. “Early in the game our offense was kind of stagnant, but Caroline provided a quick spark off the bench.”
Concord maintained that slight lead through three quarters, but it shrunk to just one point, 26-25, with six minutes to go in the fourth after a jumper from Kearsarge’s Caroline Camp (11 points).
Tori Andrewski (six points), Meg Roy (six points) and Erin Wheeler (two points) also played well for the Cougars.
Kearsarge tried to capitalize on that momentum with defensive pressure, something that had rattled the young Tide in previous games. But freshman point guard Elli Cox (seven points, seven steals) stayed in control, moving the ball well and helping Concord score the next seven points to go up 33-25.
“We struggled with situations like this in the previous two games, but tonight (Cox) attacked it with confidence,” LaTorra said. “She helped us pull away and also had a great night defensively.”
This game may not count in the standings, but it was crucial for the Tide.
“For us, we needed a win to get ourselves going,” LaTorra said. “We’ve been so close, the confidence boost is important. The biggest thing for us was learning from those two games last week (a 63-62 loss to Exeter and a 44-41 loss to Nashua North). To be in that situation again and learning how to pull it out this time was good. We’re learning one day at a time.”
The Tide will be looking at another steep step in its learning curve in Saturday’s semifinal when it takes on undefeated John Stark, last year’s D-II runner-up. LaTorra liked his team’s defense on Thursday, and he knows more will be needed against the Generals.
“We’re going to have to figure out ways to contain them and limit them to one look at the basket,” LaTorra said. “Rebounding will be key. We’re going to try to use our length to our advantage.”
John Stark 40
Merrimack Valley 36
Key players: John Stark – Chelsea Woodsum (15 points, 5 rebounds), Autumn Nelson (12 points, 3 assists, 3 steals); MV – Carly Huckins (13 points, 3 assists), Miah Boucher (8 points), Aislinn McDonald (6 points, 5 rebounds)
Highlights: The Pride (2-2 in D-II) led, 16-12, at halftime and led by nine with 2:30 remaining, but the Generals (5-0 in D-II) sank five of six free throws down the stretch and connected on key 3s to complete the come-from-behind victory in the Capital Area Holiday Tournament at NHTI. The Generals will play D-I Concord in Saturday’s semifinal at 4 p.m., while the Pride play D-II Kearsarge in Friday’s consolation game at 11:30 a.m.
Coaches’ quotes: “With two starters out with injuries and then making a great comeback, this was a big win for us.” – John Stark’s Bruce Johnson
“Today was a tough loss and I’m glad it came in the Holiday Tournament. I thought we played well for 29 minutes but free throw shooting and mental toughness cost us in the last three minutes.” – MV’s Bob McNutt
Bow 31
Pembroke 28
Key players: Bow – Lauren Goyette (11 points, 4 steals); Pembroke – Lindsay St. Jacques (7 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks) Ashley Stephens (9 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals), Paige Boudreau (5 steals, 5 rebounds)
Highlights: The Spartans (2-3 in D-II) came out with a 16-6 lead after the first quarter, but the Falcons (2-3 in D-II) held Pembroke scoreless in the second quarter to get back into the game. The Spartans led 23-18 heading into the final frame, thanks to holding Bow to just two third-quarter points, but Taylor Burnham’s 3 with 1:30 left lifted the Falcons to a Capital Area Holiday Tournament win at NHTI. Bow will play in the semifinals on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. against Bishop Brady, while the Spartans will play Hopkinton a consolation game on Friday at 1 p.m.
Coach’s quote: “We had great first and third quarters. We have to keep working on how to keep it going all game.” – Pembroke’s Michaela Champlin
Bishop Brady 54
Hopkinton 48
Key players: Bishop Brady – Marissa Payne (20 points, 8 rebounds), Ami Rivera (10 points, 9 rebounds, 7 steals), Isabella Rivera (9 points, 4 assists), Kaylee Smith (11 points); Hopkinton– Amelia Thomas (16 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists), Katie Meserve (11 points, 8 rebounds)
Highlights: The Green Giants (3-1 in D-II) used a solid second-quarter effort from all 15 players to build a 10-point halftime lead and got contributions off the bench all game long.
Coach’s quote: “This game was a fun way to open the holiday tournament. Applause to Hopkinton for their strong play. A competitive game from which we need to learn and grow from as a team.” – Bishop Brady’s Annie Alosa
Belmont 51
Moultonborough 17
Key players: Belmont – Julianna Estremera (22 points), Mackenzie Donovan (6 points), Katie Galambos (5 points), Lizzie Fleming (5 points), Molly Sottak (4 points), Savannah Perkins (3 points), Kathryn McClure (first varsity points)
Highlights: The Raiders (2-3 in D-III) opened the Gilford Christmas Tournament by taking a 16-0 first-quarter lead over the D-IV (1-5 in D-IV) Panthers to advance to the tournament semifinals. Belmont, led by Galambos and Fleming, had a solid defensive game from start to finish and Estremera connected three times from 3-point range. The Raiders will play Gilford in the semifinals on Friday at 3:30.
Coach’s quote: “We’ve been improving a lot on the things we’ve been working on in practice, which is what the Christmas Tournament is good for … Katie (Galambos), Lizzie (Fleming) and Molly (Sottak) worked their tails off on the defensive end.” – Belmont’s Mark Dawalga
Farmington 51
Franklin 18
Key players: Franklin – Faith Kaspzsak (5 points), Jada Lapierre (5 points), Clarissa Martin (5 points)
Highlights: The Tornadoes (2-4 in D-III) fell to the Tigers (6-0 in D-IV), the hosts of the Mike Lee Holiday Bash, in their second game of the tournament.
Coach’s quote: “Farmington is a good team with decent size and they just outplayed us today. We need to forget about this game and prepare for the next one.” – Franklin’s JJ Winters
Conant 49
Coe-Brown 48
Key players: Coe-Brown – Luke McCusker (12 points, 9 rebounds), Albert Lapiejko (8 points, 8 rebounds), Cayden Donaghue (7 points), Dominic Cronshaw (6 rebounds)
Highlights: The Bears (0-1 in D-II) led 18-14 at halftime, went down in the third quarter and retook the lead in the fourth, but the Orioles (3-1 in D-III) scored a bucket with 10 seconds left and Coe-Brown couldn’t sink a contested layup in the closing seconds in the opening round of the Keene State Holiday Tournament. The Bears will play against D-III Monadnock in a consolation game on Friday.
Coach’s quote: “We played a great defensive game and we had nine scorers, so there was great balance there.” – Coe-Brown’s Dave Smith
Belmont 73
Moultonborough 35
Key players: Belmont – Aidan Rupp, (12 points, 9 rebounds), Keith Landry (12 points), Nate Sottak (11 points, 5 assists), Griffin Embree (9 points), Jackson Ruelke (7 points)
Highlights: Belmont (4-0 in D-III) outscored Moultonborough, 23-9, in the first quarter and followed it up with a 45-26 before cranking up the defensive pressure in the third quarter, holding the Panthers (3-1 in D-IV) to three points in the third and six in the fourth. All Raiders players on the court made the scoring column. Belmont will face Gilford in the Gilford Christmas Tournament semifinals on Friday.
Coach’s quote: “It was nice to get a good offensive effort to come back after the holiday break. I was pleased with how we shared the ball and were unselfish. We got multiple good looks through simple ball movement.” – Belmont’s Jim Cilley
Laconia 45
Winnisquam 44
Key players: Winnisquam – Kyle Mann (16 points), Gunnar Horman (12 points)
Highlights: Mann scored with :02.9 on the clock to pull Winnisquam within one at the Gilford Christmas Tournament, but the Bears (1-2 D-III) couldn’t foul and Laconia (1-2 D-II) pulled out the first-round win.
Coach’s quote: “Laconia is a solid squad. I wish we had made a play or two more, but the guys played hard. At least it’s a holiday tournament and not the regular season.” – Winnisquam’s Kevin Dame
Pittsfield 58
Inter-Lakes 55
Key players: Pittsfield – Devin Bedell (22 points), Jesse MacGlashing (12 points), Tyler Prentice (10 points)
Highlights: With the game knotted at 55-55, Bedell picked off a pass that was deflected by Prentice and raced the length of the court to complete a three-point play with less than a second on the clock, giving the Panthers (5-1 in D-IV) a victory over the Lakers (0-4 in D-III) in the opening round of Farmington’s Mike Lee Holiday Bash on Wednesday.
Coach’s quote: “Prentice did a great job applying pressure and deflecting the pass. Devin anticipated the pass perfectly and finished strong. It was a good team win today.” – Pittsfield’s Jay Darrah
Concord 6
Trinity 1
Key players: Concord – Matt Hauschild (2G), Kyle McKinnon (G, A), Shane Riley (G, A), Devin Philbrick (G), Zachary Drew (G, A), Ryan Philbrick (2A), Cam Larivierre (2A), Tyler Coskren (A), Alex Forward (A), Parker Taylor and Will Pegnam (combined 8 saves)
Highlights: Trinity (2-2 in D-I) scored 4:50 into the game, but Riley tied the game six minutes later and the Tide broke the game open with two goals by Hauschild and one from McKinnon in the second period to give Concord (4-0 in D-I) a 4-1 lead. Philbrick and Drew scored in the third period to secure the win.
Coach’s quote: “It was a good effort. Everyone played and we moved the puck very well. We look forward to a good game with Bedford (today).” – Concord’s Dunc Walsh
John Stark-Hopkinton 5,
Berlin 1
John Stark-Hopkinton 4, Kingswood 2
Highlights: John Stark-Hopkinton (4-0 in D-III) won a pair of games to advance to the championship of the Peter Hall Christmas Tournament hosted by Kennett. The General Hawks will face Dover (4-0 in D-II) in the title game at 6:30 p.m.