Girls’ Basketball

Concord 47, Pembroke 44

Key players: Concord  – Delaney Duford (13 points, defense), Aidah Smalley (12 points), Whitney Vaillant (7 points 3 steals); Pembroke – Kate Stephens (18 points), Annelise Dexter (14 points)

Highlights: Concord trailed by five at halftime, but Vaillant hit a crucial 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter, just seconds after Dexter had hit one at the other end, and the Tide held the lead through the final minutes to advance to the Capital Classic finals against Merrimack Valley. Concord was effective rebounding on the glass in the second half.

Coach’s quote: “We had a rough start offensively handling pressure. Once they were more patient the shots were there. Defensively, I thought they played much better in the second half and rebounded the ball well. It was a good win for us against a very good Pembroke team.” – Concord’s Rob Darrell

Records: Concord 1-1 D-I; Pembroke 3-0 D-II

Merrimack Valley 48, John Stark 40

Key players: MV – Kayla Smith (16 points, 18 rebounds); John Stark  – Eleanor Girardet (23 points)

Highlights:  John Stark led 13-11 after the first quarter, but the Pride led 21-17 at halftime and 36-33 heading into the fourth as MV secured its spot in the Capital Classic championship against Concord.

Coach’s quote: “We played hard vs. a solid Stark team. Rebounded well and just played as a team. Very proud of their effort and looking forward to playing in finals.” – MV’s Bob McNutt

Records: MV 2-2 D-II; John Stark 2-1 D-II

Hopkinton 50, Bishop Brady 43

Key players: Hopkinton – Shaylee Murdough (18 points), Lizz Holmes (12 points, 9 rebounds), Zoe Bishop (6 points, 8 rebounds); Bishop Brady – Payton Bryson (19 points), Mia Wagner (17 points)

Highlights: Bishop Brady jumped out to a 27-20 halftime lead on the strength of six 3-pointers , before a strong defensive third quarter gave the Hawks a 39-32 lead. The Hawks hit key free throws late to win the fifth-place game in the Capital Classic.

Coach’s quote: “A nice comeback win. We got back to playing the style we want to play in the second half and it helped us create scoring opportunities we didn’t have early in the game against their zone.” – Hopkinton’s Mike Mahoney

Records: Hopkinton 5-0 D-III; Bishop Brady 0-4 D-II

Profile 44, Belmont 36

Key players: Profile – Kyah Knight (14 points); Belmont – Darci Stone (15 points), Bailey Perkins (13 points)

Highlights: The Raiders fell in the quarterfinals of the Mike Lee Holiday Bash to the D-IV Patriots.

Records: Profile 5-1 D-IV; Belmont 2-2 D-III

Boys’ Basketball

Concord 81, Pembroke 75, OT

Key players: Concord – Japhet Nduwayo (36 points), Brett Tuttle (19 points), Cade Weaver (12 points); Pembroke – Joe Fitzgerald (33 points, perfect FT shooting), Zach Bemis (15 points), Javien Sinclair (9 points), Jacob Mather (8 points)

Highlights: Both teams exchanged run after run the entire game. Concord pulled away in overtime by extending pressure, converting easy baskets and hitting free throws down the stretch to earn a spot in the Classic Classic finals against Merrimack Valley.

Coaches’ quotes: “This is an instant classic game for the (Capital) Classic. Both teams played extremely hard. I am so proud of our guys for their ability to stay poised, confident and disciplined through a bunch of adversity. We are looking forward to playing (in the final).” – Concord’s Tim LaTorra

“I thought we played very hard against a good D-I team. We were without our second-best player Evan Berkeley (16 points per game) due to a high ankle sprain, but no excuses from any of us, we still expected to pull out the game. Concord is very well-coached and their boys played well and they deserved the win. Joe Fitzgerald played his heart out for us scoring 33 points and perfect on the foul line. Joe will give you everything he has every night and leaves nothing behind. Sophomore Zach Bemis stepped up with Berkeley’s injury scoring 15.” – Pembroke’s Mike Donnell

Records: Concord 0-4 D-I; Pembroke 2-0 D-II

Merrimack Valley 67, John Stark 50

Key players: MV – Logan Gabour (17 points), Nic Oglesby (12 points), Aiden Gray (7 points); John Stark – Joey Dykstra (10 points), Elliot Beliveau (10 points), Donnie White (8 points), Carter Geaumont (3 points, 3 assists)

Highlights: The Pride started off hot and held onto the lead throughout the rest of the game.

Coaches’ quotes: “Great team win and I like the way the kids were playing together.” – MV’s Tim Mucher

“We’re still working on building consistent habits and energy. I thought we had some nice spurts in the second half, but we need to be more consistent as a group and keep getting better.” – John Stark’s Mike Smith

Records: MV 1-3 D-II; John Stark 1-3 D-II

Salem 68, Bow 54

Key players: Bow – Jake Reardon (21 points), Colby Smith (7 points), Keenan Hubbard (11 rebounds), Noah Zanella (good minutes and effort off the bench)

Highlights: The Falcons fell to D-I Salem in the Queen City Invitational Basketball Tournament.

Coach’s quote:  “We played better today defensively. We’ll be fine in our division, it’s good to venture outside our comfort zones and play different styles. Overall, we’re getting better every quarter and game.” – Bow’s Scott Drapeau

Records: Salem 3-0 D-I; Bow 2-1 D-II

Profile 45, Coe-Brown 30

Key players: Profile – Alex Leslie (12 points), Josh Robie (11 points), Cayden Wakeham (11 points); Coe-Brown – Jack Matson (12 points, 7 rebounds), Quinn Salter (11 points, 8 rebounds)

Highlights:  The D-II Bears trailed by three at halftime and couldn’t take advantage of several opportunities in the second half in the quarterfinals at the Mike Lee Holiday Bash.

Coach’s quote:  “Profile played solid for the entire game and we were errative throughout.” – Coe-Brown’s David Smith

Records: Profile 5-0 D-IV; Coe-Brown 2-1 D-II

Sanborn 63, Belmont 53

Key players: Sanborn – Chase Frizzell (21 points), Dylan Rego (18 points), Brandon Sarette (15 points); Belmont – Keegan Martinez (25 points) 

Highlights:  The Raiders fell in the quarterfinals of the Mike Lee Holiday Bash in Farmington.

Records: Sanborn 2-2 D-II; Belmont 1-3 D-III

Wrestling

John Stark 17th at Noble Invitational

Key players: John Stark  – Alex Descoteau (5th 190), Lukas Boulanger (5th 215)

Highlights: The Generals finished 17th out of 47 teams at the Noble Invitational in North Berwick, Maine. Haverhill, Mass. (211.5 points), Noble (186.5) and Massabesic, Maine (177) were the top three teams. John Stark scored 81 points.