Boys’ basketball: Coe-Brown rides strong fourth quarter to 66-52 victory against Bishop Brady

By ERIC RYNSTON-LOBEL

Monitor staff

Published: 02-01-2023 7:58 PM

NORTHWOOD – Coe-Brown boys’ basketball coach David Smith describes this year’s Bears as “a great character team.” They don’t panic. They don’t pout. They do what it takes to win.

Even after allowing 20 points in the second quarter, including four 3-pointers, and trailing 49-47 heading into the fourth period, Coe-Brown rallied back for a 66-52 win against Bishop Brady on Tuesday night.

“They didn’t panic,” Smith said. “It was a great high school basketball game, which is what this is supposed to be.”

Connor Bagnell set the tone for the Bears (7-3) with 32 points, 24 of which came in the second half. His three fourth-quarter 3-pointers allowed Coe-Brown to pull away for the more comfortable margin of victory.

“What could I say?” Smith said. “He hits several big shots, free throws and he played great defense, too.”

Bagnell wasn’t the only one who played great defense. Coe-Brown held the Giants (4-8) to just three points in the final quarter, setting the stage for the comeback.

Smith noted his team’s ability to keep the ball in front of them as a key to their success. That, coupled with the fact that Brady’s three top scorers (Cade Weaver, Nathan Nelson and Emmanuel Boko) did not make a field goal in the quarter, were key factors in the outcome.

For Bishop Brady, Tuesday’s performance was another feisty effort against a strong team. The Giants just didn’t play consistently enough.

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“Give those guys credit,” Bishop Brady head coach Brendan Johnson said of Coe-Brown. “It came to the fourth quarter, and they did what they had to do to win. They were crashing the offensive glass, and they were taking good shots.”

The second quarter was the peak of Brady’s offensive rhythm, as Nelson knocked down three 3-pointers and Weaver added five points. Johnson credited his players for making smart passes and just hitting shots.

In the end, the effort fell short, as has been the case for the Giants throughout the season.

“We can play with the top teams,” Johnson said. “We just gotta put together a four-quarter game.

“We play well in spurts and not so well more than not. We just gotta put it together.”

For Coe-Brown, the win was the 626th in Smith’s coaching career, inching him just two shy of breaking the all-time New Hampshire record for most wins by a boys’ basketball coach. Dan Parr tops the leaderboard for overall wins (704) across boys’ and girls’ basketball.

But that milestone won’t come until next Monday at the earliest, when Coe-Brown hosts Plymouth.

In the meantime, Smith’s focused on continuing to position the Bears for the playoffs.

“We need to get better every day,” he said. “If we can continue to get better then we’ll have a chance at advancing.

“First of all, we gotta get in. A win is hard in Division II. (Bishop Brady’s) had some nice wins, and they’ve had some close games against good teams. Division II, it’s gonna be a dogfight every night.”

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