Gilford took the team prize racing down its home mountain, but Kearsarge’s Bristol Messer won the individual Giant Slalom title and Hopkinton’s Clara Locke was the slalom champ at Monday’s Division III girls’ Alpine ski championships at Gunstock.
The defending-champion Golden Eagles built a lead in the morning GS runs and held on through the afternoon slalom to finish with 733 team points and win back-to-back titles. Kearsarge, the D-III champs from 2016-19, was first in the slalom but fourth in the GS and wound up third overall with 728 points, just one point behind second-place Plymouth, which was second in the GS and second in the slalom. There was a 22-point gap between those tightly bunched top three teams and fourth-place St. Thomas (706 points).
Hopkinton was sixth in the 12-team event with 629 points. Bishop Brady, the 2015 team champ, was seventh with 593 points and Hillsboro-Deering was eighth with 564.
Kearsarge’s Messer had the fastest time in both GS runs (38.07, 38.24) and finished with a combined time of 1:16.31, but she was still less than a half second ahead of the second-place finisher, Maddie Stailer of St. Thomas (1:16.80). Gilford’s Bethany Tanner was third in 1:17.12 and one of three Gilford skiers in the top nine as the Golden Eagles totaled 374 GS points to get in front of Plymouth (368), St. Thomas (361) and Kearsarge (355).
The Cougars were on pace for more points after Maya Speigel had the fourth-fastest opening GS run (38.29), but a mistake on the second run cost her and she wound up sixth overall. Arden Rossi (17th), Devin Phyllides (18th) and Allyssa Merrill (19th) all finished within one second of each other and scored the other GS points for Kearsarge.
Hopkinton’s Locke was the fastest in both slalom runs (26.36, 27.37) to finish with a combined time of 53.73 to beat out Messer (54.65). Like she did in the GS, Kearsarge’s Spiegel posted the fourth best time in the opening slalom run (27.56), but this time she followed up with an even better second run by posting the second-best time in that run (27.63) and finishing third overall. The Cougars other slalom points came from Rossi (ninth) and Phyllides (17th).
Locke was eighth in the GS for Hopkinton, just missing out on chance to compete in both the slalom and the GS at the Meet of Champions – the top 7 finishers earn a spot in the corresponding race at the Feb. 18 event scheduled to be held at Cannon Mountain. Hopkinton’s Izzy Holmes (27th GS, 25th slalom), Lilia Klingler (33rd GS, 34th slalom) and Ally Duval (44th GS, 41st slalom) also scored in both races for the Hawks.
Bishop Brady’s top five skiers all finished with 2.32 seconds of each other in the GS and within 4.20 in the slalom – Rhea Ganchi (30th GS, 33rd slalom), Maddy Rhynhart (31st GS, 30th slalom), Emily Beane (35th GS, 26th slalom), Jill Weaver (34th GS, 40th slalom) and Luiza Detwiller (37th GS, 39th slalom).
Sarah Wagman had a nice day for Hillsboro-Deering, finishing 15th in the GS and 16th in the slalom. The Hillcats also got points from Courtney Ford (29th GS, 37th slalom), Chloe Brown (41st GS, 53rd slalom) and Serena Havanen (53rd GS, 54th slalom).
Girls’ BasketballCoe-Brown 56, Hopkinton 49
Key players: Coe Brown — Jennifer Bettencourt (14 points), Molly Ewing (12 points), Ellie Wolthuis (11 points), Olivia Noni (8 points), Valentina White (6 points); Hopkinton — Maurgan McGrath (26 points, defense), Brooke Carlson (7 points, defense), Hailey Pecce (4 points, 3 rebounds)
Highlights: Division III Hopkinton led for most of the first half on its Senior Night before D-II Coe-Brown took a 1-point lead at halftime. Bettencourt then scored six of her 14 points in the third as the Bears extended the lead to 10 points, which proved to be enough cushion to hold on for the road win.
Coach’s quote: “This was a very good game by both teams. We hustled right down to the last second and had several opportunities to retake the lead. Just need to finish our shots around the basket. Great effort by the Hawks on Senior Night. ” — Hopkinton’s Patrick Roye
“We had a lot of people contribute tonight. It was a game we could have lost, but we stayed composed and we were able to grind out a victory. ” — Coe-Brown’s Joe Vachon
Records: Coe-Brown 4-5; Hopkinton 2-6
Bow 44, Pembroke 40
Key players: Bow — Alex Larrabee (15 points), Isabella LaPerle (12 points), Lindsey LaPerle (10 points); Pembroke — Ashley Stephens (20 points, seven rebounds, six blocks), Annelise Dexter (9 points)
Highlights: Pembroke built a five-point lead on its home floor in the first quarter and it stayed right there in the second as the Spartans took a 22-17 lead into halftime. Bow turned it around in the third, outscoring PA 16-6 in the frame.
Coach’s quote: “We played extremely well in the first half, but Bow got things going in the third and we struggled. I’m still happy with what we showed against another top team. Our compete level is always there, we just need to execute a little better. We will ge there.” — PA’s Steve Langevin
“Pembroke is as very well-coached and disciplined team. When you have games like this, you could see this turning into a Merrimack River rivalry. We look forward to competing against them again on Thursday.” — Bow’s Phil Davis
Records: Bow 8-0; Pembroke 2-6
Bishop Brady 67, John Stark 40
Key players: Bishop Brady — Libbey Hicks (19 points), Ami Rivera (15 points), Halle Laramie (9 points), Isabella Rivera (9 points), Jaidan Bergeron (7 points)
Highlights: Hicks came out firing and hit four 3-pointers in the first quarter as the Giants raced to an early lead at home.
Coach’s quote: “It was nice to come out early and hit some shots and see the ball go in the hoop. Everyone played very hard and well tonight. Short memories and get to play John Stark again Thursday night in Weare.” — Brady’s Sal Alosa
Records: Bishop Brady 9-0; John Stark 1-4
Merrimack Valley 39, Hillsboro-Deering 24
Key players: Merrimack Valley — Hadleigh Sargent (11 points), Livvy Lacasse (7 points, 5 rebounds), Caitlin Fortier (solid defense); Hillsboro-Deering — Emily Howell (8 points), Zoe Kemp (6 points), Rose Rioux (4 points)
Highlights: H-D stayed close in the first half and trailed by eight at halftime, 20-12, but MV outscored the Hillcats 17-4 in the third quarter to take control.
Coach’s quote: “We started a bit slow early, but in the third we were able to build some momentum. Overall, we need to shoot better and take advantage of the free throw line, which we did not tonight. We will see Hillsboro again on Thursday before a tough week next week with Bow.” — MV’s Bob McNutt
Records: Merrimack Valley 4-6; Hillsboro-Deering 0-4
Lebanon 44, Kearsarge 34
Key players: Lebanon — Catherine Cole (20 points), Sally Rainey (8 points); Kearsarge — Caroline Camp (8 points), Hannah Goen (7 points), Erin Wheeler (6 points), Rayna Tucker (6 points)
Highlights: The Division III Cougars trailed D-II Lebanon by five after the first quarter, but came back to take a 21-20 halftime lead. It was still a two-point game after three before the Raiders pulled away in the end.
Coach’s quote: “Really good back-and-forth game. Neither team had more then a 6-point lead until the fourth quarter. We played physical all night with Lebanon and just didn’t make enough plays in the fourth. Super proud of the kids, they continue to fight and play hard. This is a great building block for us to get ready for the tournament.” — Kearsarge’s Keith Roberts
Records: Lebanon 3-0 ; Kearsarge 3-3
Boys’ BasketballBow 56, Pembroke 53
Key players: Bow — Shaun Lover (16 poiunts), Matt Lamy (14 points), Owen Petrreta (11 points), Kyle Martin (defense), Matt Cardarelli (rebounding, hustle), Cooper Larrabee (rebounding, hustle); Pembroke — Mike Pitman (18 points), Preston Wallis (15 points), Cooper Gilman (7 points), Alex Francouer (playmaking )
Highlights: Bow built an early lead, 15-8 after the first quarter, and was still up by seven, 39-32, heading into the fourth quarter on its home floor. PA closed the gap in the fourth, but the Falcons went 8-for-10 from the free throw line in the final minutes to seal the win, much the same way the closed out Saturday’s 46-44 win against Coe-Brown. These two meet again on Thursday in Pembroke.
Coach’s quote: “Another intense, suspenseful game. Our reserves came through huge at different ways in different times.” — Bow’s Tim Lee
“Great high school game. Have to give Bow credit. They made all the plays down the stretch. We had our opportunities. In saying that, I’m extremely proud of the way our guys fought all night long. Bow just beat us up in the first half on the glass and we need to clean that up, but we had a much better effort in the second half. Our transition defense in the first half was unacceptable as well and we need to improve on those two things in the next two days. Thursday should be another good one.” – PA’s Rich Otis
Records: Bow 8-0; Pembroke 5-2
John Stark 58, Bishop Brady 43
Key players: John Stark — Ben McKean (15 points), Dylan Grivois (15 points), Logan Montgomery (11 points), Chad Martin (7 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals)
Highlights: The Generals used a 16-8 run to close the game and earn their first win of the season. Montgomdery, just a freshman, had eight of his 11 points during that fourth quarter run, including two 3-pointers.
Coach’s quote: “I was very proud of the team effort. We had a group closing out the game that had two sophomores and two freshmen. They played hard and smart and knocked down some big shots.” — Stark’s Mike Smith
Records: John Stark 1-4; Bishop Brady0-8
Merrimack Valley 57, Hillsboro-Deering 25
Key players: Merrimack valley — Patrick Starkey (12 points), Ben Rose (11 points), Eli Gove (9 points); Hillsboro-Deering — Zack Coombs (14 points), Owen Coombs (7 points)
Highlights: MV scored 30 in the first quarter on its way to the road win.
Coach’s quote: “We turned the ball over, didn’t rebound and missed open shots. We have to play better in every facet of the game in order to compete at this level.” — H-D’s Joe Lincoln
Records: Merrimack Valley 3-7; Hillsboro-Deering 0-5
Pittsfield 56, Farmington 31
Key players: Pittsfield — Jah Gordon (20 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists), Jesse MacGlashing (14 points, 4 rebounds), Jordan Roode (8 points)
Highlights: Gordon scored 10 of his 20 in the first quarter as the Panthers put 23 points on the board to take control early.
Coach’s quote: “We came out and played with purpose tonight. Abe Marcotte played some quality minutes and continues to improve every time he steps on the court.” — Pittsfield’s Jay Darrah
Records: Pittsfield 6-2; Farmington 2-6
Girls’ HockeyLebanon-Stevens-Kearsarge 3,
Bishop Brady-Trinity-West 2
Key players: Bishop Brady-Trinity-West — Emily Senko (27 saves), Ashley Brust (goal), Anabelle Watson (goal), Courtney Ingham (assist), Ali Verani (assist), Bella Payne (assist)
Highlights: This loss on Saturday was the second straight one-goal game Brady had against Lebanon last week. The first went into overtime after Ingham scored with :22 left in regulation, but ended with a 2-1 win for Lebanon.
Records: Lebanon-Stevens-Kearsarge 2-2-0; Bishop Brady-Trinity-West 0-6-0
BowlingKeene 2, Hillsboro-Deering 0
Key players: Hillsboro-Deering — Ethan Benn (111, 127), Savannah McDaniel (142, 88), Alaina McGillicuddy (104, 129), Nathaniel Ledvina (109, 95)
Highlights: Benn had the high two-game total for the Hillcats on Saturday, while McDaniel had the high single total. Both are freshmen. Abigail Benn, Ben Boothby, Addison Dillon and Abagail Carroll also competed H-D.
JV resultsThe Merrimack Valley JV girls’ basketball team improved to 10-0 with a 38-20 win over Hillsboro-Deering. Nora Navoy had six points for the Pride, while Liberty Spaulding, Victoria Leak and Maddi Swenson each had four points in a balanced scoring effort. Kelsey Powell and Emily Ferguson each had six points for H-D and Lizzy Hagstrom and Rose Rious had four apiece.
Andrew Suprenant had 13 points for the Merrimack Valley JV boys’ basketball team as the Pride beat Hillsboro-Deering, 59-25, to improve to 10-0. Lilliam Luwati had 12 points for MV, Nolan Beck finished with seven and Keaton Gelinas and Dalton Gordon both hit big 3-pointers.