It was only opening night, but Friday’s Division II matchup between the Kearsarge and Lebanon boys’ basketball teams had the intensity and thrills of a postseason contest.
Senior guard Noah Tremblay sunk a jump shot and was fouled with 4.7 seconds left on the clock and connected on the free throw to give Kearsarge a 52-50 victory in front of its home crowd.
Freshman Adrian McCarthy scored 12 points and recorded eight rebounds and two assists in his varsity debut, while seniors Jak Jallah (eight points, five rebounds) and Emerson Tyler (three points, three rebounds, three steals) also played well in their varsity debuts.
Tyler, “the glue guy,” for the Cougars, according to Kearsarge head coach Nate Camp, made a key basket to give the Cougars a four-point lead in the closing minutes.
Lebanon drained a 3 on the next play to narrow Kearsarge’s lead to one, but Tremblay scored another key basket to put the Cougars up by three points.
The Raiders managed the score on their next two possessions and Kearsarge missed a free throw, allowing Lebanon to take a one-point lead with 12 seconds left, setting up Tremblay’s game-winning shot.
The Raiders missed a half-court heave as time expired.
The season-opening victory had many positive signs for Kearsarge. Not only did the Cougars defeat the Raiders, last year’s No. 2 seed in the Division II tournament, but it was a balanced effort, with senior big man Kyle Hernon contributing with a double-double (10 points, 14 rebounds) and junior point guard Ben Carl (10 points, four rebounds) also stepping up.
“It was an unbelievable game,” Camp said. “It was one of those high school games that’s really fun to be a part of. I’m really proud of the guys for stepping up.”
Kearsarge has another tough opponent in its next game on Monday. The Cougars will travel to Merrimack Valley, which eliminated Kearsarge from last year’s D-II tournament in the quarterfinals, 46-44.
Boys’ Basketball
Kennett 68, Coe-Brown 60
Key players: Coe-Brown – Keegan Paradis (15 points, 5 rebounds), Luke McCusker (14 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists), Cayden Donoghue (9 points), Spencer Murphy (8 points), Dominic Cronshaw (6 points, 5 rebounds)
Highlights: The Bears trailed their home-opener by 14 points in the third quarter, but clawed back to take a one-point lead with a little under five minutes to go in the game. The Eagles, who connected for 14 shots from 3-point range, nailed a pair of 3s after Coe-Brown took a late lead to secure the lead down the stretch.
Records: Kennett 1-0; Coe-Brown 0-1
Pelham 59, Bow 58
Key players: Bow – Shaun Lover (21 points), Matt Lamy (13 points)
Highlights: The Falcons trailed by one at halftime and seven in the fourth quarter. Bow came back to within one with nine seconds left on the block and possession of the ball, but couldn’t score.
Coach’s quote: “Our inexperience showed tonight but we were in it until the last seconds. If we cut down our turnovers we will be fine. We fought all night but just couldn’t close it out.” – Bow’s Frank Moreno
Records: Pelham 1-0; Bow 0-1
Hanover 74, Bishop Brady 70
Key players: Bishop Brady – Tommy Fraser (44 points, 14 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks), Will Spencer (10 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals), Billy Fraser (6 points, 6 rebounds), Ismael Rivera (5 points, 4 assists), Charlie Coffin (6 points)
Highlights: The Giants held a lead in the first half, but the Marauders got hot from behind the arc in the second half to complete the come-from-behind victory.
Coach’s quote: “Hanover hit lots of 3s in the second half. They pressed us full-court man.” – Bishop Brady’s Keith Bergeron
Records: Hanover 1-0; Bishop Brady 0-1
Oyster River 73, John Stark 43
Key players: John Stark – Aaron Bergeron (12 points, 8 rebounds), Peyton Marden (10 points), Noah Gamache (8 points)
Highlights: The Bobcats lived up to their preseason billing as a top contender in D-II, taking a 20-8 lead through the first quarter and controlling the game from there.
Coach’s quote: “(Oyster River) certainly looked good this evening. They moved the ball well and shot the ball extremely well.” – John Stark’s Mike Smith
Records: Oyster River 1-0; John Stark 0-1
Pembroke 80, Kingswood 57
Key players: Pembroke – Sean Menard (24 points), Noah Cummings (23 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals), Shea Shackford (11 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals), Jack Lehoullier (6 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals), Tim Pitman (5 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals), Mike Pitman (5 points), Jared Dupuis (good defense off bench)
Highlights: The Spartans held a 21-17 first-quarter lead, but broke the game open in the second quarter, outscoring the Knight, 27-9, to take a 48-26 halftime lead.
Coach’s quote: “Total, sound win. We gotta play better defense without fouling, but overall it was a nice way to start out.” – Pembroke’s Rich Otis
Records: Pembroke 1-0; Kingswood 0-1
Hopkinton 65, St. Thomas 56
Key players: Hopkinton – Kevin Newton-Delgado (26 points), Caleb Yianakopolos (15 points), Luke Reidy (9 points), Tyler Allen (7 points), Michael Baer (4 points)
Highlights: Hopkinton took an early 21-12 first quarter lead and survived a third-quarter St. Thomas comeback. The Saints eventually took a three-point lead in the third frame, but the Hawks closed the quarter on a 6-0 run to take the lead back for good.
Coach’s quote: “I could not be prouder of the boys tonight and how they handled the physicality and pressure in a close game. It showed the growing confidence they are gaining each day.” – Hopkinton’s Stephen Signor
Records: Hopkinton 2-0; St. Thomas 2-1
Sommersworth 71, Franklin 47
Key players: Franklin – Ben Lafrance (28 points), T.J. Laramie (11 points)
Highlights: The Hilltoppers opened the game with a 20-7 run and never looked back.
Coach’s quote: “We got down early and let it get to us. When you do that against a good team you get this result.” – Franklin’s Michael Donnell
Records: Somersworth 2-1; Franklin 1-1
Belmont 55, Monadnock 47
Key players: Belmont – Matt Thurber (14 points, 8 rebounds), Aidan Rupp (11 points, 7 rebounds), Griffin Embree (11 points), Jackson Ruelke (10 points), Cam Magerer (9 points)
Highlights: In a back-and-forth game in a hostile environment, the Raiders stayed consistent and did the little things to earn a road win.
Coach’s quote: “Just so proud of our guys. We were short-handed and everyone played their hearts out. Nate Sottak didn’t score but his intangibles really contributed to our win.” – Belmont’s Jim Cilley
Records: Belmont 3-0; Monadnock 0-3
Campbell 64, Winnisquam 46
Key players: Winnisquam – Kyle Mann (14 points), Angelo Glover (13 points)
Highlights: After trailing 25-17 at halftime, the Bears cut it to a one-possession game early in the third quarter. However, the Cougars responded with a decisive run to put the game out of reach.
Coach’s quote: “Campbell is a good squad. Hopefully we can start taking care of the ball better.” – Winnisquam’s Kevin Dame
Records: Campbell 2-0; Winnisquam 0-2
Newmarket 79, Pittsfield 57
Key players: Pittsfield – Devin Bedell (21 points, 8 rebounds), Dylan Bocash (13 points), Jesse MacGlashing (6 points, 6 rebounds)
Highlights: The new look Panthers played Newmarket evenly in the first quarter, only trailing 17-15, but ultimately fell in a rematch of last year’s championship. Pittsfield took the early lead three minutes into the second quarter but the Mules responded with a 20-7 run to end the quarter and dominated the third frame to pull away.
Coach’s quote: “We came out poised and played really well the first 12 minutes. We lost our focus the last four minutes of the second quarter and couldn’t rebound from the deficit we put ourselves in. We will look to expand on the positives and work on the things we struggled with.” – Pittsfield’s Jay Darrah
Records: Newmarket 2-1; Pittsfield 2-1
Pinkerton 60, Concord 19
Key players: Concord – Elizabeth Blinn (9 points), Jordyn Lengle (5 points)
Highlights: The Tide trailed by four after the first quarter, but Pinkerton exploded in the second quarter, extending its lead to 20 points.
Coach’s quote: “I was happy with how we came out ready to play. We were aggressive on offense, active on defense and had great team energy. In a game like this against a team like Pinkerton all we could ask for is our girls to compete and they did. Some night’s teams are just going to be better than you and that was the case tonight. Pinkerton will be right there again in March.” – Concord’s Tim LaTorra
Records: Pinkerton 2-0; Concord 0-2
John Stark 57, Oyster River 23
Key players: John Stark – Chelsea Woodsum (16 points, 11 rebounds), Brady Johnson (9 points, 7 rebounds), Ari Maxwell (8 points, 6 steals)
Highlights: The Lady Generals played strong team defense, holding the Bobcats to seven first-half points.
Coach’s quote: “We continue to play with a lot of passion, but we still have a lot of areas where we need to get better.” – John Stark’s Bruce Johnson
Records: John Stark 3-0; Oyster River 2-1
Kennett 59, Coe-Brown 33
Key players: Coe-Brown – Val White (9 points), Natalie Harris (5 points, 5 rebounds)
Highlights: The Bears trailed 14-7 after the first quarter and the Eagles extended their lead to 29-16 by halftime and iced the game with a 13-5 run.
Coach’s quote: “Kennett’s experience and great shooting really was too much for us. We competed to the end and are looking to get better and win our next game.” – Coe-Brown’s Joe Vachon
Records: Kennett 3-0; Coe-Brown 1-2
Pembroke 46, Kingswood 23
Key players: Pembroke – Savannah Youngman (12 points, 9 steals), Maddie Gaskell (8 points, 10 rebounds), Ashley Stephens (11 points)
Highlights: The Spartans took a 15-2 lead to open the game and had another great run at the end of the third. The Spartans also controlled the boards, outrebounding the Knights, 22-13.
Coach’s quote: “All players had a contribution in tonight’s win. We had great defensive energy and look forward to getting back in the gym tomorrow to prepare for our next challenge.” – Pembroke’s Michaela Champlin
Records: Pembroke 2-1; Kingswood 1-2
Bow 50, Pelham 47, OT
Key players: Bow – Lauren Goyette (13 points, 11 defensive rebounds), Madison Speckman (game-winning 3-pointer)
Highlights: The Falcons played solid defense in the last two minutes and Speckman, a freshman, hit a 3 with half a second left in overtime to give Bow the win.
Records: Bow 2-1; Pelham 2-2
Merrimack Valley 47, ConVal 38
Key players: MV – Carly Huckins (15 points), Miah Boucher (9 points, 7 rebounds) Aislinn McDonald (8 rebounds, strong two-way game), Alyssa Woodman
Highlights: The Pride held a 26-16 lead and led by double digits for most of the second half until the final minute.
Coach’s quote: “Solid team win tonight. Our girls really wanted this one for our home opener. I liked our energy and our defensive effort. We have some areas to improve on but overall I like the way we have played in both games.” – MV’s Bob McNutt
Records: MV 1-1; ConVal 2-1
Hopkinton 46, St Thomas 35
Key players: Hopkinton – Maurgan McGrath (11 points, 3 steals), Fiona Beane (8 points, 4 assists), Amelia Thomas (7 points, defense), Katie Meserve (7 points, 9 rebounds)
Highlights: The Hawks put the clamps on defensively in the second half, trailing by five at halftime, but holding the Saints to just 13 second-half points. The Hawks have won five straight to open the season.
Coach’s quote: “We upped the defensive intensity in the second half and it paid off with some great fast-break opportunities.” – Hopkinton’s Pat Roye
Records: Hopkinton 5-0; St Thomas 3-2
Franklin 34, Somersworth 33
Key players: Franklin – Clarissa Martin (15 points), Fayth Kaspszak (13 points, 18 rebounds)
Highlights: Martin hit a pair of free throws late in the game to help seal the victory.
Coach’s quote: “Fayth did a great job controlling the boards for us and helping us control the tempo of the game.” – Franklin’s JJ Winters
Records: Franklin 2-3; Somersworth 0-5
Newport 61,
Hillsboro-Deering 33
Key players: H-D – Fayth Grimes (13 points), Halie Hurd (10 points), Morgan Racine (6 points)
Records: Newport 2-3; H-D 1-4
Newmarket 45, Pittsfield 15
Key players: Pittsfield – Cora Lemay (6 points, 7 rebounds), Destinee Ellis (6 points, 3 steals)
Highlights: Newmarket’s tough defense held Pittsfield to only five points in the first half and the Panthers couldn’t overcome the deficit.
Coach’s quote: “We just could not get anything going on offense the entire night.” – Pittsfield’s Heidi Hall
Records: Newmarket 2-2; Pittsfield 1-3