The John Stark boys’ basketball team has been able to play with some of the top teams in Division II, but now the Generals know they can beat those teams.
The Generals (8-5) had some clutch shooting and made some adjustments defensively to defeat the Coe-Brown Bears, 59-50, handing them their first loss since the season-opener. John Stark also avenged a 60-56 loss suffered at the hands of the Bears (12-2) on Jan. 27.
“We’ve had our shots. We’re 8-5 and all our five losses are against the top five teams in the division,” John Stark Coach Mike Smith said. “I think that, best case scenario, we get a home game in the tournament, but ultimately to get to UNH (the site of the D-II Final Four and championship) we need to beat a top-four team in their gym. Tonight, we showed ourselves that that is a possibility. I think the kids opened their eyes and realized that we can be there if we play together.”
The Bears jumped out to a fast start in Northwood, going on an 11-2 run to start the game and finished the opening frame up, 13-7.
John Stark senior guard Adam Tower came off the bench, hitting three 3-pointers in the second quarter and igniting a 21-13 run to give the Generals a 28-22 halftime lead.
“We try to preach, ‘be ready when you’re number is called,’ and he did that tonight,” Smith said. Tower scored a career-high 13 points.
The Generals also made some changes on the defensive end.
“We did do a couple things toward the end of the half that was a little different defensively, and it was enough to knock them off balance and get our momentum going,” Smith said.
The Generals had a great team effort on both sides of the ball, but Smith highlighted the play of senior point guard Isaiah Lovering.
“We played better situationally than we did the first time we played them and Isaiah was a big part of that,” Smith said.
John Stark continued to play well in the third quarter, extending its lead to 40-33 and outscored Coe-Brown, 19-17, in the final frame.
Senior forward Drew McQuarrie recorded a double-double (17 points, 12 rebounds) and senior forward Cooper Gorksi scored 16 points and had three 3-pointers, including two in the fourth-quarter to thwart a Bears comeback.
Coe-Brown cut the deficit to a single point two times in the fourth.
“That’s a tough place to play. It’s a well-coached team,” Smith said, whose father Dave Smith coaches Coe-Brown.
Brody Ashley (12 points, five rebounds), Sam Lupinacci (12 points, eight rebounds, five assists), Dylan Andrews (10 points, eight rebounds) and Scott Spenard (eight points) led Coe-Brown.
“They had a solid night on the boards, especially in the second half,” Dave Smith said. “We made a couple critical turnovers that we haven’t been doing. Tonight their size took us out of some opportunities and they hit some critical shots at critical times.”
Dover 63, Concord 61
Key players: Concord – Tyler Bruns (18 points, 9-for-11 shooting, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals), Matt Giroux (21 points, 3 assists), Rylan Canabano (4 points, 4 rebounds)
Highlights/key moments: Canabano, a freshman, came off the bench and gave Concord a spark defensively and Bruns put together his most complete effort of the season but it wouldn’t be enough for the Tide. Giroux tied the game late but Concord gave up two offensive rebounds on Dover’s final possession and then committed a costly foul to give the Green Wave two foul shots with 5 seconds left. Dover hit both and the Tide missed a shot at the buzzer that would’ve tied it.
Coach’s quote: “We have now lost three in overtime, two games by two points and a couple by five points. So we’re in there. We just haven’t figured out how to close it out.” – Concord’s Dave Chase.
Records: Concord 2-11; Dover 3-8
Manchester West 51, Bow 43
Key players: Bow – Ryan Andrews (20 points), Ben Guertin (15 points), Nate Alford (6 points, 8 rebounds)
Highlights/key moments: The Falcons made a valiant comeback in the second half, cutting a 15-point halftime deficit to five points at the end of the third quarter, but came up a little short.
Coach’s quote: “I was proud of the effort in the second half. But we have to work to play a complete game. Hopefully we can put together a 32 minute effort on Thursday and get back on track.” – Bow’s Chris Gaudreau
Records: Man. West 8-5; Bow 3-10
Belmont 54, Winnisquam 38
Key players: Belmont – Trevor Hunt (17 points, 13 rebounds), Matt Pluskis (12 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists), Derek Stevens (8 points), Jonny LeClair and Griffin Embree (solid defense) Winnisquam – Isaiah Singleton (18 points), Logan Morrison (9 points), Kyle Mann (8 points)
Highlights/key moments: Belmont took a 14-6 lead after the first quarter and extended its lead to 26-14 at halftime and 36-22 after three.
Coach’s quote: “We probably had our best defensive game of the season. We took their shooters out of the shots they wanted to get. We did a lot of things well on the defensive end. … It feels good to get a win over a good team.” – Belmont’s Jim Cilley
Records: Belmont 13-2; Winnisquam 8-6
Kearsarge 58, Stevens 41
Key players: Kearsarge – Tom Johnson (20 points, 5 assists), Tayler Mattos (18 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists), Joe Storozuk (8 points), Ray Critch (4 points, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks), Kyle Hernon (4 points, 3 rebounds, defense), Noah Tremblay (defense)
Highlights/key moments: The Cougars trailed 26-25 at halftime, but Storozuk and Johnson defended well against the Cardinals’ top players and Hernon and Critch also played well defensively. Kearsarge took a 40-37 lead after three and outscored Stevens, 18-4, in the final frame to secure the win.
Coach’s quote: “Our defense was excellent and really tightened up in the second half. We’ve now been able to do that against two of the top teams in the division, but we still have work to do.” – Kearsarge’s Nate Camp
Records: Kearsarge 13-2; Stevens 12-3
Hopkinton 55, Newport 21
Key players: Hopkinton – Henry Yianakopolos (20 points), Cam Cyr (10 points), Kevin Newton-Delgado (8 points)
Highlights/key moments: The Hawks rebounded from their first loss of the season in convincing fashion. After trailing 7-5 at the end of the first quarter, Hopkinton went on a 19-2 run to take a 24-9 lead at halftime and ended the third quarter with a 46-15 lead.
Coach’s quote: “We started off slow as Newport slowed the game down during the first quarter but once we started picking up the pace, we settled into our game. Great overall effort with very unselfish play.” – Hopkinton’s Stephen Signor
Records: Hopkinton 14-1; Newport 4-8
Mascoma 67, H-D 32
Key players: H-D – Zach Rowell (10 points), Elijah winters (10 points)
Highlights/key moments:
Coach’s quote: “Same old story for us this year. We can’t guard the three and can’t score on the offensive end.” – H-D’s Kevin Fowler
Records: Mascoma 8-6; H-D 0-15
Franklin 67, Newfound 55
Key players: Franklin – Jayden Torres (33 points), Matt Hennessy (11 points), Corey Nelson (11 points)
Highlights/key moments: Torres took the game into his own hands in the fourth quarter, scoring 17 of his 33 points. Hennessy and T.J. Laramie did a good job cleaning up down low.
Coach’s quote: “This was a huge game for us and our fourth win in a row. We’re peaking at the right time with the tournament right around the corner.“ We started sluggish and Newfound was taking advantage of the situation. But the 2nd half we put it together and finished strong getting the win.” – Franklin’s Michael Donnell
Records: Franklin 7-8; Newfound 1-14
Pittsfield 61, Concord Christian 22
Key players: Pittsfield – Cam Darrah (17 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists), Matt St. George (11 points), Josh Whittier (10 points, 6 rebounds)
Highlights/key moments: The Panthers held a 24-3 egde at the end of the first quarter and never looked back.
Coach’s quote: “I was very pleased with the defensive effort early on. We got early stops and scored in transition. We got solid play from all 13 players.” – Pittsfield’s Jay Darrah
Records: Pittsfield 14-2; Concord Christian 0-15
Dover 45, Concord 41
Key players: Concord – Jada Duvert (12 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists), Ashley Kelley (11 points, 3 steals), Kasie Maloney (6 blocks), Brighid Weeden (5 assists)
Highlights/key moments: After trailing by just five at halftime, the Tide cut into the lead in the third quarter and the teams traded the lead throughout the frame. Dover pulled away in the fourth despite a valiant late effort from the Crimson Tide.
Coach’s quote: “The team is putting forth a competitive effort, but we need to make one or two more plays to turn that effort into a W.” – Concord’s Mike Achilles
Records: Dover 7-7; Concord 2-12
Bow 53, Man. West 33
Key players: Bow – Taylor Darrell (16 points, 6 steals), Lea Crompton (15 points), Lauren Guyotte (8 points)
Highlights/key moments: The Falcons earned their third straight win and handed the Blue Knights their seventh straight loss.
Records: Bow 10-5; Man. West 4-11
Coe-Brown 40, John Stark 35
Key players: Coe-Brown – Chelsea McCallion (12 points, 9 rebounds), Kerry Riley (8 points, 6 rebounds), Ahna McCusker (7 points, 11 rebounds), Shannon Riley (5 points, 9 rebounds); John Stark – Autumn Nelson (10 points), Sarah Clark (10 points)
Highlights/key moments: The Generals led by one at halftime, but the Bears outscored John Stark in the second half for the win in a tight battle. Coe-Brown built a four-point lead in the third quarter and extended it to six points halfway through the fourth. The Generals cut the deficit to three, but the Bears once again extended their lead in the closing minutes.
Coaches’ quotes: “It was a tough road win for us. It was something we needed to do heading into our last two games.” – Coe-Brown’s Joe Vachon
“The girls continue to work hard, but got outplayed in the second half by a much more physical Coe-Brown team.” – John Stark’s Don Poitras
Records: Coe-Brown 9-7; John Stark 6-9
Bishop Brady 65, Oyster River 47
Key players: Brady – Sam Will (23 points 11 rebounds), Sarah Doherty (11 points, 4 assists), Cait Mallahan (10 points, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks), Lauren Roy (9 points 12 rebounds)
Highlights/key moments: The Green Giants got out to an early lead that they were able to build on for the rest of the night.
Coach’s quote: “Overall, team effort was there and the girls continue to fight through adversity and tough challenges they face night in and night out. We have three regular-season games left to keep getting better and make a deep playoff run.” – Brady’s Annie Alosa
Records: Brady 13-2; Oyster River 4-10
Pembroke 46, Kennett 32
Key players: Pembroke – Morgan Allen (14 points, 19 rebounds), Olivia Langevin (11 points)
Highlights/key moments: It was the second win in three games for the Spartans.
Records: Pembroke 6-9; Kennett 3-11
Portsmouth 54, Laconia 37
Key players: Laconia – Becca Howe (9 points), Delaney Ross (5 points), Sydney Stevens (5 points)
Highlights/key moments: The Sachems were able to close the gap in the third quarter but the Clippers used their size in the front court to put the game out of reach and extend a 12-game win streak.
Coach’s quote: “I was extremely proud of the girls’ effort tonight for all 32 minutes. The Clippers are a great team and we did a tremendous job competing from the opening tip to the last whistle.” – Laconia’s Jeff Greeley
Records: Laconia 3-13; Portsmouth 15-1
Hopkinton 42, Newport 36
Key players: Hopkinton – Taylor Signor (15 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds), Abby Houston (6 points 12 rebounds), Katie Meserve (7 points, 8 rebounds)
Highlights/key moments: Signor and Houston hit back-to-back 3-pointers to close out the third and that gave the Hawks the momentum they needed to snap a six-game losing streak.
Coach’s quote: “It was great to close out a close game at the end. We moved the ball nicely at the end and converted at the foul line.” – Hopkinton’s Patrick Roye
Records: Hopkinton 4-12; Newport 6-9
Newfound 64, Franklin 17
Key players: Newfound – Madi Dalphonse (13 points), Amanda Johnston (13 points, 11 rebounds), Ashlee Dukette (12 points, 20 rebounds, 8 steals), Leah Franklin (8 points), Gracie Schilling (7 points); Franklin – Hannah Hicks (6 points)
Highlights/key moments: The Bears started off the game with a 25-2 run in the first quarter. Newfound’s balanced scoring attack put the game away early.
Coach’s quote: “I am proud of the girls for filling a key role this game. Savanna Bony was unable to play due to a stomach bug. Madi Dalphonse, who is a swing player, stepped into the lineup and did a great job. The rest of the starters chipped in and picked up the extra.” – Newfound’s Karri Peterson
Records: Newfound 17-0; Franklin 5-12
Belmont 52, Winnisquam 45
Key players: Belmont – Sarah Chase (15 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists), Julianna Estremera (14 points), Nicole Antonucci (8 points), Shannon Davies (6 points), Taylor Yelle (defense), Mariah Watson (defense), Chloe Sottak (defense)
Highlights/key moments: The Raiders took a 17-11 lead after the first quarter and extended it to 29-21 at halftime. The Bears closed the gap in the third, but trailed 40-35 heading into the final frame and couldn’t close the gap.
Records: Belmont 9-8; Winnisquam 1-17
Mascoma 56, H-D 30
Key players: H-D – Fayth Grimes (12 points, 11 rebounds, 3 blocks), Morgan Racine (9 points), Halie Hurd (5 points)
Highlights/key moments: Freshmen Grimes and Racine shot the ball well, but the Hillcats still trailed by 13 at halftime and couldn’t climb out of the hole.
Coach’s quote: “Each and every girl fought hard throughout the entire game tonight. We were playing in a tough environment and our girls overcame that to put up a lot of good shots and hustle after lose balls.” – H-D’s Tiffany Lewis
Records: Mascoma 4-13; H-D 1-15
Kearsarge 41, Sanborn 31
Key players: Kearsarge – Devi Kraushaar (12 points), Caitlin Prescott (10 points), Meg Roy (7 points)
Highlights/key moments: The Cougars garnered a big win over another top D-III team in their final regular-season game on their home court.
Coach’s quote: “It was great to get a win for (our four seniors) on senior night. We’re starting to play well as a team, which is great heading into the tournament.” – Kearsarge’s Keith Roberts
Records: Kearsarge 14-3; Sanborn 14-3
Concord Christian 36, Pittsfield 25
Key players: Concord Christian – Jade Bell (11 points), Becca Johnson (9 points, 7 steals), Jasmine Bell (8 points, 12 rebounds); Pittsfield – Lindsay Massey, Katie Rollins
Highlights/key moments: Massey hit three 3-pointers in the first half to give the Panthers a four-point lead, but the Kingsmen made some adjustments and used a pressure defense to force 20 turnovers and converted them into points to fuel the comeback.
Coach’s quote: “We were flat the first half and couldn’t seem to make our shots, but once we made some changes and moved the ball, we got better looks. It was a nice win for our senior game.” – Concord Christian’s Shelby Purtell
Records: Concord Christian 8-8; Pittsfield 2-15
GIRLS’ ICE HOCKEY
Berlin-Gorham 4, Concord 2
Key players: Concord – Olivia Branch (goal, assist), Delana Erickson (goal), Maddy Audet (23 saves)
Highlights/key moments: The Tide trailed, 3-0, before Erickson got Concord on the board. Third-place Berlin-Gorham secured its spot in the standings over the fourth-place Tide with the victory.
Records: Berlin-Gorham 11-4; Concord 11-5