Smith Commits to Bentley

Emmitt Smith was an absolute force this past season as a senior for the Pinkerton Academy football team. He was extremely dangerous when running the football, lining up in the slot and catching passes out in space or when returning kicks. Smith is one of the fastest players in the state and also has the elusiveness to break tackles and get to the second level of the defense.

On Tuesday we found out that 'Slippery Smith' had officially committed to Bentley University on a 4 year athletic-academic scholarship. Bentley is Division II school in Massachusetts which competes in the Northeast-10 Conference.

This is a great accomplishment for Smith, who helped the Astros win the Division I state title in 2010 as a junior. On Wednesday he'll be signing a National Letter of Intent to play for Bentley, but on Tuesday he took the time out to answer some questions for the NH Notebook on his commitment in an exclusive interview. Here's what he had to say.

Jeremy Leveille: What factors led you to choose Bentley over the other schools you
were considering?
Emmitt Smith: The factors that led me to choose Bentley were that I was searching for a university that had high academic standards, along with quality competition on the football field and that is exactly what Bentley brought to the table. In high school, I put just as much effort in the class room as I did on the football field, so I really took academics into consideration when I made this decision.

JL: Talk about your overall experience playing football at Pinkerton and helping them win the title in 2010.
ES: I would not be sending this e-mail to you if it wasn't for my experience at Pinkerton. I loved it, and our junior year was very special winning a championship after I was a part of many tough championship losses in my football career. I never have been closer with a group of guys as I was that year, and that same feeling was evident in my senior season even though we didn't seal the deal, I couldn't ask for more in my years at Pinkerton.

JL: What do you see your role being on the team at Bentley?
ES: I hope to evolve as an offensive weapon at Bentley in any facet, and contribute in special teams as a returner, but realistically, I am going to Bentley to do whatever I can to help my new team, and hopefully keep their winning tradition alive. All I know is that it is going to take a lot of hard work and I will be willing to do whatever it takes.

JL: What has helped your speed and overall development as a player?
ES: I worked with Joe Dudek in the summers, and it was treated almost as a running camp, and that undoubtedly helped me progress on the field, and helped me better utilize my speed. Also programs like Complete Athlete in Derry were instrumental into my advances on the field. The thing that helped most with speed however, was probably the fact the I stopped playing baseball after Freshman year to do track in order to maintain and enhance my speed, and that really paid off.

JL: What do you plan on studying at Bentley?
ES: I hope to utilize the amazing business and finance school Bentley has, and pursue something in those fields. More specifically like corporate finance, however this is still subject to change at this point. I do know my direction will be toward business and finance, and that Bentley is the perfect school to fill these aspirations.

Congratulations to Emmitt, and best of luck at Bentley!

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Campbell Girls Top Bow in Battle of Unbeatens

There were 2 teams who went into this game undefeated. One of them played like it, the other did not. Campbell built up an 11 point lead in the 2nd quarter, and from that point on they were in control of the game. The defending D-III champs defeated Bow in Litchfield on Tuesday night 50-33. Going into the game Campbell was 12-0 and Bow was 13-0, so it was a possible D-III title game preview. With the win the Campbell girls have now won 30 consecutive games - no other basketball team in the state, girls or boys, any division has won more games in a row than this team.

Senior forward Becca Arnone made a pretty good case for being this year's Division III Player of the Year, with 17 points, 7 rebounds, 5 steals, 4 assists and 2 blocks. It wasn't just the stats but the intangibles that she brings as well. Arnone was always in the right spot on defense, hustled all over the court, was quicker to all the loose balls and made great decisions out there.

"We like playing against them, it's a good match up" said Arnone, who recently scored her 1,000th career point and is just 93 rebounds away from 1,000 rebounds for her career as well. "We just tried to stay focused and stay positive to maintain the lead."

Arnone played a great game, but also got plenty of help from the other 2 members of Campbell's 'Big 3'. Freshman guard Hannah Neild (12 points) and senior guard Liz Pettis (11 points) also played vital roles for the Cougars, and they both had some crucial baskets in the 2nd half when Bow was trying to make a comeback.

The key to the win for Campbell though was their defense. Bow has one of the division's best players in junior guard Lindsey Nerbonne, who can flat out score the basketball. However Campbell held her to just 4 points in the 1st half. She ended up with 12 points for the game but had to take A LOT of shots in order to get those 12 points.

"We call it our Brooke defense" said Arnone, referring to Brooke Springfield, the former star player for Conant. "We just played man-to-man but the help side 'D' was big to try and stop her."

You do have to give Nerbonne a ton of credit though. Even though Campbell geared their whole defense towards stopping her, and she often times faced double or even triple teams she still played a great game. At one point in the 1st quarter Nerbonne had 2 defenders on her as she brought the ball up the court. She was not only able to it across half court, but she kept on driving and got all the way to the rim. She then finished the basket inside - the ENTIRE possession she had 2 defenders all over her and she still went coast-to-coast for the score! Nerbonne also hit a bunch of nice pull-up jumpers in the 2nd half to lead a comeback attempt by the Falcons.

Sophomore guard Kirsten Bresson also drained a pair of threes for Bow. She scored all 8 of her points in the 2nd half to provide a nice compliment scoring weapon to Nerbonne (who also scored 8 in the 2nd half).

It wasn't enough though, as Bow never got closer than 7 points of Campbell during the 2nd half. They cut the deficit to 38-31 with 5:00 left after a pull-up jumper by Nerbonne. But then Campbell answered right back, as Pettis and Arnone were both able to get layups (Arnone's was an and-1 finish) to push the lead back to to 12 at 43-31 with 2:30 left. And just like that it went from Bow having a legit shot at a comeback to pretty much no shot.

The game was definitely closer than the final score indicates though. It was 43-33 Campbell with 1:54 left to play when Nerbonne was taken out of the game. Falcons head coach Bill Vermette must have figured the outcome of the game had bee decided and he didn't want to risk his star point guard getting injured. Well with Nerbonne on the bench Campbell ended the game on a 7-0 run.

Maybe Campbell should have also taken their star player out with the outcome already decided, because with 1:07 left to play and Campbell up 46-33 Arnone suffered an injury and had to leave the game and head immediately to the trainer's room.

"I just rolled my ankle" said Arnone. "I'm fine."

One advantage Bow was hoping to exploit in this game was with their size inside. With Jill Chergey, Suzanne Barry and Dina Tischofer their front line is definitely bigger than Campbell's. However those 3 players combined for just 8 points. They got a lot of good looks inside but often times missed shots in close or were called fr traveling.

"We have to get to the free throw line more" said Coach Vermette, whose team shot just 6 foul shots all game (and only made 3 of them). "We need to have more of an inside presence. Hopefully if we play them again we can compete a little better."\

For Campbell, it's a good win. At 30 games they now have the longest winning streak of any basketball team in the NHIAA. Arnone already has 1,000 points and is closing in on 1,000 rebounds. Neild is really coming into her own as just a freshman. And they got strong play in supporting roles from Ashley Gannon, Aly O'Donnell and Alex Trevains.

"With Becca and Liz I have 2 of the top 3 players in this division" said Coach Flynn, with the other player in that top 3 being Nerbonne of course. I have a strong starting 5 and they can all score. We want to run and usually shoot the ball from the outside a lot. They took that away from us, and they slowed the game down. So I think we beat them at their own game."

Will these teams meet again in the D-III title game come March? Probably. But you also have to watch out for Newfound (12-2), White Mountains (11-2) and Fall Mountain (11-2).

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Bishop Brady Squeaks By St. Thomas in OT

In a hard fought, defensive struggle it was the Bishop Brady boys basketball team which made enough plays offensively to pick up a win in Division II that will be crucial for tournament seeding.

A combination of good defense and poor shooting on both sides resulted in a low scoring game. Bishop Brady senior forward Jack Yvars missed a pair of free throws which would have likely won the game for the Giants in regulation. But he made up for it in overtime with 5 BIG points, including a three-pointer from the wing which proved to be the difference.

"Before overtime I just told him that the only way anyone will be mad at you is if you hang your head" said Bishop Brady head coach Mark Yeaton. "But he didn't hang his head, he went out there in overtime and scored 5 points and played some great defense."

Bishop Brady ended up winning it 48-44 in overtime, to improve to 7-4 on the season.

Brady led by as many as 8 in the 1st half, as 5'11" freshman point guard Jourdain Bell put on quite a show during the 1st 2 quarters of play. He scored 12 of his team-high 16 points in the 1st half, and also jumping the passing lanes and grabbing steals on defense. He hit a nice pull-up in the lane, then came down on defense and stole the ball and laid it in on the other end. That put the Giants up 15-9 with 1 minute left in the 1st quarter.

Also helping Brady build an early lead was their ability to block shots. St. Thomas was slashing to the basket, hitting cutters and creating good looks in the paint but Brady kept blocking their shots. Bell, Yvars, Dylan Thomas and Stephen Desmarais all had blocked shots in the 1st quarter.

Helping to keep St. Thomas in it was 6'0" junior guard Jon Nartiff. Nartiff hit some mid-range jumpers but scored most of his game-high 18 points by taking the ball strong to the rim and finishing through contact. The Saints main scorers are Nartiff and senior guard Andrew Kahr. Kahr had a tough night shooting the basketball. He scored 9 points but went just 2/17 from the field. Kahr is a very good shooter, but it just wasn't his night. Nartiff picked up the slack though, and senior forward Chris Haaser also did a nice job inside, getting some offensive rebounds and put-backs en route to 8 points and 8 rebounds on the game. He also took a charge in the 2nd quarter.

"I think we took bad shots during stretches in that game" said St. Thomas first-year head coach Pat Quinn, who takes over for long time coach and hall of famer Dan Parr (now coaching the Portsmouth High girls team). "The effort was there tonight, but we have to learn how to score when the outside shots aren't falling."

St. Thomas was able to close within 3 points at halftime, trailing 25-22. For the remainder of the game it was very close, with Bishop Brady leading pretty much the whole way but never by more than 5 during the 2nd half. After another nice and-1 finish at the rim on the break by Nartiff the Saints took a 32-31 lead late in the 3rd quarter. Unfortunately for them it was the last time they would see the lead the rest of the game. It was tied up at 33-33 heading to the 4th.

Desmarais hit a clutch three-pointer off the catch on the wing to start the 4th quarter and put Brady up 36-33. Soon after that Nartiff hit a nice floater in the lane to tie it back up at 37-37. Then the offenses really started to slow down for both teams. The defensive intensity picked up on both sides in the 2nd half, and the shots stopped going in. With 2 minutes left in regulation it was tied once again 39-39.

"We did a good job of getting back on defense and getting out on their shooters" said Coach Yeaton, who is in his second season at the helm. "But at the same time they did not have a good shooting night."

After yet another blocked shot by Thomas (who also chipped in with 6 points), STA was able to get the ball back with 49.8 seconds left and the score still tied 39-39. Despite the fact that there was still a lot of time on the clock the Saints were trying to hold for one last shot (good move of course). They called timeout with 11.5 seconds left on the clock. Nartiff got a good look at a 15-footer from the baseline off the inbounds pass but it rimmed out on him and Brady got the rebound.

The Giants had possession and one last chance to win it in regulation. Yvars went to the basket strong, drawing a foul and getting to the line for 2 shots with just 3 seconds left. That's when he missed both free throws. Kahr made a last second shot attempt from half curt but it was no good. We were headed to overtime.

After having a big 1st have where he was slashing to the rim, hitting jumpers, grabbing rebounds, getting steals and making nice passes Bell was very quit in the 2nd half. He forced some things in the 2nd half, and St. Thomas clogged up the middle defensively to take away his dribble penetration.

"He's a very athletic kid and is good with the ball, especially for a freshman" said Coach Quinn. "But we made some adjustments at halftime to contain him and just trid to make someone else on their team beat us."

Going into the overtime period though all you could hope was that Brady could pull out the win because otherwise you know that Yvars would just feel terrible for missing those free throws. Well not only did Brady win, but Yvars played great in OT to redeem himself, which was really nice to see.

Yvars made a strong back to the basket and finish inside to put the Giants up 41-39. Nartiff answered right back though with a shot in the paint to tie it right back up at 41-41. You could really feel the intensity in the gym, as these 2 private schools battled it out. Desmairas then hit a shot on the baseline to once again put Bishop Brady back on top (this time for good).

Then came the shot of the game. Just over a minute left in OT, Brady has the ball up 43-41. Your opponent is in the bonus so of course in this situation you want to run the clock, protect the basketball and only shoot it if you have a layup. However Yvars found himself open on the wing and took an ill-advised three-pointer with about 45 seconds left. It was one of those shots where if it goes in it could be the dagger that wins you the game but if it's no good and could open the foor for the other team to come back and beat you. But fortunately for Yvars and the Giants the shot went in, putting them up 46-41. That lead proved to be insurmountable for St. Thomas.

The Saints didn't give up yet, though. Senior guard Lucas Gabriel answered right back with a three-pointer of his own with 34.7 seconds left in OT. That cut the Brady lead to 46-44, and STA still had hope after that because bell missed the front end of a 1-and-1 so they got the ball back down by 2 plenty of time to get a good look.

They could have gone for a 2 for the tie or a 3 for the win - they went for the win. Kahr (who again is a very good shooter but his outside shot was off all game) got a good look at the basket from the top of the key. Just as the defender was closing out he took the shot. It was no good, and Brady got the rebound with just 4 seconds left. Desmarais got fouled and made both FT's, making it 48-44 Bishop Brady with just 3.9 seconds left. That was the ball game, and despite the fact that STA had a HUGE win last week over Portsmouth they are now just 4-5 on the season.

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Boys Basketball Power Rankings - 1/30

Ok, so if you've followed this site over the last couple years you know I like to do team rankings. I've done it for football and I've done it for basketball. And today marks the return of the Power Rankings.

For those who aren't familiar, here's how the rankings work. I look beyond just the won/loss records. I look at how a team is trending, in other words how they are playing RIGHT NOW. So if Team A and Team B are both 6-2 but the 2 losses for Team A were at the beginning of the year and Team B is currently on a 2 game losing streak then Team A will be ranked higher. I also look at strength of schedule, quality of wins and margin victory. I take into account injuries as well. This way the rankings I put out are as close to a TRUE ranking of the teams as possible. So that if 2 ranked teams played each other on a neutral court the team ranked higher would be the favorite.

So without any further ado, here are the current top 20 teams in New Hampshire high school basketball. Girls rankings will be posted later in the week.

1. Trinity - they might have their off games here or there, but over the course of the season the size, depth and talent they have will result keep them at or near the top of the standings. They barely get the nod over Central for the top spot.

2. Manchester Central - the argument could definitely be made for Central to be the #1 team right now. After all they have won 6 in a row, including a win over Trinity. Troy Pelletier has had a really nice start to the season, giving them a tough 1-2 scoring punch along with Gabe LaCount, with Junior Brown and Christian Artiga also playing some good ball.

3. Merrimack - Still a contender even without Dimitri Floras in the lineup. If he was healthy they would be my #1 team right now. But even without him they are VERY tough, as Salem found out on Friday night.

4. Alvirne - Alvirne is 6-2, including wins over Central, West and BG. They've played some pretty darn good basketball so far, which is a scary thought considering they're typically a team that gets better as the season goes on.

5. Manchester West - since losing 3 in a row these guys have now won 4 straight, including wins over Trinity and BG. If you count the QCIBT, West has now beaten Trinity twice, Central once, BG once and only lost by 3 to Merrimack.

6. Pembroke - a team that can run-and-gun with the est of them and flat out shoot the basketball. Since falling to Portsmouth on opening night the Spartans have reeled off 8 wins in a row (11 in a row counting the holiday tournament).

7. Salem - they defend the basketball as well as anybody, they play as hard as anybody. A bunch of blue collar kids who just work hard. Slepian is one of the best shooters in the state, Klecan is THE best defender in the state, Hartman and Felix are both emerging talents. If Ruffen can comeback healthy these guys could really be dangerous.

8. Spaulding - This is a hot team right now, as they have won 5 of their last 6 games, including wins over BG, Pinkerton, South, Dover and Salem. Seems like they have figured out whatever the issue was in the early season losses to Concord and Londonderry.

9. Pinkerton - they're 6-2, but in the loss to Salem they were playing without starting point guard Kevin Colbert. Now that their 'Big 3' of Colbert, Alex Patrikis and Chris Light are all healthy look for this team to really make some noise.

10. Hanover - this is definitely a team that is flying under the radar despite their perfect 9-0 record. They haven't played the toughest schedule so far, but I was very impressed with their defensive effort on Saturday, holding a Lebanon team with some dynamic scoring weapons to just 37 points. Tuesday night they play host to Pembroke in a battle of the 2 best teams in D-II.

11. Nashua North - they're 6-2 and they had to play a few games without 2 of their top their players in Ryan Gauthier and Anthony Farmer. Those guys returned to the lineup on Friday night vs. arch-rival Nashua South. You would have thought the Titans would need time to get back on the same page as a team, but they got the win over a good South team. If they can keep all of their key guys in the lineup this team has the potential to be very dangerous.

12. Nashua South - definitely a team that has hit a little bit of a wall. They have lost 4 of their last 5 games after starting off 4-0 (7-0 if you count the Nashua Holiday Tourney). But to be fair they were without Anthony Muccioli in one of those games and without Jack Preston in one of the other games. Still, they have to figure some things out but have the potential to be dangerous.

13. Bedford - this is a team that's playing as well as anybody right now. The bulldogs have won 6 games in a row since the holiday break. They lost 2 games early on in the year but in the Oyster River game they were playing without 2 of their big guys Collin McManus and Roger Larrivee. And their other loss was to Pelham, but they were able to avenge that loss to beating Pelham a couple weeks ago 60-35.

14. Pelham - these guys have been very streaky so far. They started off very strong, then lost 3 in a row including a blowout loss to a Bedford team they crushed before the holidays. Now they've won 2 in a row including a win over a VERY good Portsmouth team.

15. Portsmouth - they have hit a bump in the road, losing back-to-back games to St. Thomas (who is only 4-4) and Pelham (who is only 6-4). It doesn't get any easier for the Clippers with games this week vs. Coe Brown and Bedford.

16. Souhegan - they continue to play solid basketball. Despite injuries, players leaving for prep school, etc. Brandon Len has played great so far this season. I'm looking forward to covering their game on Wednesday night vs. Lebanon.

17. Bishop Guertin - these guys definitely have some things they need to work out. They were a top 4 team in the preseason, they beat Central opening night and beat Cambridge Rindge & Latin (a tough Mass team) over the holidays. But since then they've 5 of their lost 7 games (6 of their last 8 if you include their holiday tourney loss to St. John's Prep).

18. Conant - the best team in Division III right now. These guys are deep, they're fast and can all shoot the basketball. They would do just fine in D-I or D-II.

19. Manchester Memorial - a good team that is young and will only get better as the season goes on. They've had some really close losses, and also own quality wins over South and Spaulding.

20. Somersworth - the defending D-III champs get the final ranking spot, as they made a statement on Saturday by making the 3 hour bus ride north and beating a Berlin team that was the preseason favorite to win the title. The Hilltoppers have now win 6 in a row.

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Hanover Boys Remain Perfect With Win Over Rival Lebanon

Even though Hanover was 8-0 going into this game while Lebanon was 5-3 I think most people would have thought that this game would be a toss-up as far as who would win and if anything Lebanon would be slight favorites because they had played a tougher schedule so far, were playing at home and had a couple guys injured earlier in the season (Matt Cowles and Tyler Silver) who are now healthy.

However it was Hanover who made a statement on Saturday evening. They showed that there's a reason why they're undefeated and that they are legit contenders in Division II boys basketball. The Marauders played great defense all game, they were tough on the boards and used a balanced scoring attack (led by Alex Krass' game-high 17 points) to defeat Lebanon 51-37.

It was a very hard fought, physical basketball game. Hanover-Lebanon is a great rivalry, and the gym was absolutely packed and loud for this one, it was a great atmosphere for high school basketball. Hanover went up 24-7 with 6:00 left in the 2nd quarter on a three by Cyrus Rothwell-Ferraris. Lebanon wasn't able to get within 10 points of Hanover the rest of the game.

"Hampton is the impetus of their team, so we made him work for everything he got" said Hanover head coach Tim Winslow, talking about Lebanon junior guard david Hampton who was held to just 11 points and had to take A LOT of shots to get those 11 points. "It's always a hard fought battle when we play them."

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Lebanon Girls Press and Run, Beat Hanover

Junior guard Morton had 18 points, 12 rebounds and 8 steals, as the Lebanon High girls basketball team jumped all over a young Hanover squad early on. Lebanon led 36-6 in the 2nd quarter after fellow junior guard Taylor Friedman (15 points) banked in a three-pointer.

Lebanon cruised to the win from there, although give Hanover credit because they kept fighting and hung in there in the 2nd half to make the final score respectable. In the end Lebanon won 62-45, improving to 10-0 on the season in Division II play. The Raiders were led by Morton and Friedman, plus Colleen Taylor (11 points) and Emily Kehoe (6 points while playing great defense and hustling all game).

Lebanon's full court press gave Hanover a lot of problems, as the Marauders struggled to get the ball across half court throughout the 1st half. Lebanon moved the ball well on offense and shot the ball well.

"When we pressure pressure people and rotate on defense we're tough" said Lebanon head coach Tim Kehoe. "We also moved the ball well on offense. But I was disappointed that in the 2nd half when we took the press off our kids mailed it in."

For Hanover, Asie Makarova had a team-high 16 points, while Holly Schlosser had 8 points off the bench and freshman guard JJ Daniel also played well. Senior forward Kate Gautier suffered a dislocated shoulder in the 3rd quarter.

"The same thing happened to her shoulder last year and she missed 6 days" said Hanover head coach Dan O'Rourke. "But I was proud of how well we competed. Holly Schlosser had her best game ever today for us."

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No Dimitri, No Problem - Merrimack Boys Top Salem

This was a highly anticipated match up, as Salem came in with a 5-2 record and on a 4 game winning streak, while Merrimack had won 5 in a row and was 6-1 on the season. They're 2 of the top teams in the state, no question about it. Then earlier in the day Merrimack found out they would have to play without their star point guard for awhile.

"I broke my wrist" said Dimitri Floras, who is widely regarded as the best player in the NHIAA. "One doctor said I'll miss 12 weeks, the other doctor said 2 weeks. I had an MRI today so we'll see what it says."

However Merrimack showed just how deep and talented they were tonight. They were playing without not only Floras but also starting forward Jared Peabody who is also injured and out for about a week. However a strong team effort led by Eric Gendron (21 points) and Tyler Gendron and Jeff Giannelli (both had 12 points) the Tomahawks led for the whole 2nd half and beat a good Salem team 63-52 on Friday night in Division I boys basketball.

"Overall I think our team played a great game tonight" said Merrimack head coach Tim Goodridge. "Every kid made made a contribution for us."

The high point of the game was in the 2nd quarter, when both teams were really playing some good basketball and there was a number of lead changes. Merrimack led 19-12 after 1, but then Ben Slepian (team-high 18 points including 4 threes) and Jack Hartman both hit three-pointers right off the bat to start the 2nd quarter and get the Blue Devils right back in it. Then Hartman made a nice drive to the basket and and-1 finish, giving Salem a 22-21 lead, completing a 10-2 Salem run.

"Jack has played well for us" said Salem head coach Rob McLaughlin, about his junior forward who came off the bench and scored 9 of his 11 points in the 2nd quarter. "We've just been looking for consistency from him, and hopefully after tonight that will happen."

Then Merrimack got a lift when senior forward Kyle Richardson entered the game. Richardson is a 3-year varsity player and he started last year as a junior, he hadn't played so far this year after suffering a knee injury in the preseason.

The Merrimack student section went nuts when he entered the game, and then the Tomahawks scored back-to-back baskets by Tyler Gendron. The second one was a three-point shot from about 5 feet behind the line, and put Merrimack up 26-22.

Salem answered right back though. Danny Salvo hit a three that cut the Tomahawks lead to 1, and then on the next time down the floor Hartman grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back in, as the Blue Devils re-took the lead 27-26 with under 2 minutes left in the 2nd quarter.

Once again Merrimack answered right back, and once again it was Tyler Gendron stepping outside and hitting a three. He caught a pass in the corner, shot it with a hand in his face but still made the shot, nothing but net to put the Tomahawks back up 29-27. After he hit that three the Merrimack student section started singing 'Happy Birthday' as the older Gendron brother turned 18 on Friday.

The last few minutes of the 2nd quarter was back-and-fort action with lots of lead changes, hut in the 2nd half Merrimack was clearly the better team. Between the end of the 2nd quarter and the beginning part of the 3rd, Merrimack went on a 19-6 run, and that was the difference in the game.

One player who really stepped up for Merrimack in the 2nd half was Giannelli, who had 9 rebounds in addition to his 12 points on the game. He was a force inside, grabbing rebounds and going up strong with shots and often times getting to the free throw line, which got Salem in foul trouble. At 6'6" and easily over 250 lbs. he was a tough match up for the Blue Devils.

"My tallest starter is 6 feet" said Coach McLaughlin. "With their size and length they're a good defensive team."

Senior guard Jackson King then banked in a three-pointer, giving the Tomahawks their largest lead of the game at 45-33. At that time it looked like Merrimack was in complete control and would cruise to victory.

But give Salem credit because they just kept on fighting and got right back in the game. Hartman scored inside once again, followed by another three by Slepian. Then Joe Dube converted a put-back inside and just like that the Merrimack lead was down to 5, 45-40 with 1:00 left in the 3rd quarter. It was a ballgame again.

However from that point Merrimack tightened up their defense and Salem went cold shooting the basketball. It didn't help their cause that one of their best shooters, junior wing Andrew Ruffen hasn't played so far this season.

"He injured his knee in the preseason" said McLaughlin. "We thought at first he'd miss the whole season, but he might be able to come back towards the end of the year."

Merrimack answered Salem's run with an 11-5 run of their own, pushing their lead to 56-45. The Tomahawks run started when King made a steal around half court and converted the layup on the other end. At first they awarded Merrimack 2 points on the scoreboard for the baskets, but then about 20 seconds later the scoreboard operator took 2 of those points away from the Tomahawks. They never fixed the scoreboard, so much for a home court advantage! So even though the NHIAA website says the final score was 62-52 Merrimack, it was actually 63-52.

Down the stretch Merrimack made their free throws, Eric Gendron continued to play well and Giannelli continued to dominate the paint. Tyler Gendron was definitely more quiet in the 2nd half, while Dube (9 points and 7 rebounds) battled inside and made a couple more baskets to try and keep Salem in it. Jonny Klecan also went to the basket strong and played great defensive as usual for the Blue Devils. In my opinion he's the NHIAA's best defender.

"We knew with Ruffen's injury other guys would have to step up" said McLaughlin. "We rely on Jonny a ton, and he's had a phenomenal season so far."

Merrimack held on from there for the 63-52 win. Slepian had 13 points in the 1st half but only 5 in the 2nd for Salem.

"Tyler Gendron did a nice job defensively on Slepian in the 2nd half" said Coach Goodridge. "Our defense stepped up tonight."

With this win, Merrimack showed that even if Floras does miss the rest of the season they are still a team capable of winning a state title. Especially once Peabody returns next week and Richardson gets healthier, they will be even tougher. Dimitri is a great player, and the Gendron brothers are very talented. But on Friday night these guys showed they are more than just the 'Big 3", as guys like King, Giannelli, Dylan O'Brien, Connor Whelan and Bryan Courtemanche all stepped up big.

As for Salem, we learned in this game that they are a very tough, hard nosed, blue collar team. Slepian is a great spot up shooter, Klecan is the ultimate competitor, Hartman is a dangerous weapon and Dube is a hard working power forward. These guys will win their fair share of games and could really give some teams trouble come tournament time, especially if Ruffen is able to return. However we also learned that they may struggled at times against teams with a lot of size, and that they rely a lot on the outside shooting of Slepian and also Hartman and Salvo. When those shots stopped falling they fell behind. It was also a quiet game for sophomore guard Michael Felix, who has had some big games so far this season. They will need more consistent play from him and Hartman to beat the upper-echelon teams in the league, like Merrimack.

The other issue Salem had in this game was free throw shooting. They only went 6/18 (33%) from the charity stripe. Not only were they missing their foul shots, but they put Merrimack on the line a whopping 35 times. The Tomahawks did miss 11 free throws, but that's really not that bad when you take 35 of them (it's 68%). Anytime you can MAKE more free throws than your opponent TAKES, chances are you're going to win the game.

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Lombard Posts Big Senior Season on Gridiron for Proctor

Mike Lombard is one of New Hampshire's top 2-sport athletes, as a dominating player in both football and basketball. Lombard is currently a senior at Proctor Academy in Andover, NH. He transferred there following his junior year at Pelham High, at which time he reclassified to the Class of 2012.

On the football field, Lombard is one of the area's most feared linebackers. He finished his high school football career a couple months ago after 2 big years playing for a Proctor team that is a perennial power. He is being recruited for both football and basketball. Here's his senior season football recruiting video.

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Overtime Thriller in Lakes Region

The Pittsfield High boys basketball team came back from a 21 point 4th quarter deficit to force overtime. Then they took a a 3 point lead in OT, 72-69. However Moultonborough responded by going on an 8-0 run to end the game. They avoid a monumental collapse and keep their undefeated season alive with a 77-72 win at home on Wednesday night in an OT thriller over their rivals Pittsfield.

"We need to get better at finishing games and become mentally tougher" said Moultonborough Academy head coach Matt Swedberg, who has 3 sons on the team (Marcus, Drew and Riley Swedberg). "You can't lose a 20 point lead like that. The Lisbon game was similar - we pulled a win out after losing a big lead in that one too. The offensive rebounding on the 1st half was huge for us tonight though."

The main guy who was getting those offensive boards was 6'4" forward Nick Sindorf, who finished with 20 points and 19 rebounds (both are career-highs). 6'7" senior Marcus Swedberg also had a big game, with 27 points and 10 rebounds in the win in Division IV.

"Offensive rebounds killed us in the 1st half" lamented Pittsfield head coach Jason Darrah. "We were doubling Marcus, and when he would miss shots Sindorf was following everything up."

Pittfield was right in the game early on, and only trailed 25-21 with 5:00 left in the 1st half, as senior guard Ryan Perras was keeping them in the game. Perras already had 12 points on 4 three-pointers. He would end up with a game-high 28 points when it was all said and done.

But that's when Moultonborough made a run to extend their lead. They went on a 13-2 run. Perras started to go cold from the outside, Marcus Swedberg hit a nice fade away jumper on the baseline, Sindorf converted put-backs on back-to-back possessions, Tristan Price drilled a three from the corner. And then Marcus Swedberg capped the run by making a steal in the back court, taking one dribble and then slamming down a 2-handed dunk, which not only gave the Panthers their largest lead but it got the crowd into it as well. After another put-back by Sindorf it was Moultonborough on top 40-25 at halftime. It seemed like they were in complete control of the game, as Sindorf, Swedberg and Michael Donahue were all dominating the boards.

"Overall we average 50 rebounds per game" said Marcus Swedberg, who is a player of the year candidate in D-IV. "So if we're around that number we're doing ok."

To start the 3rd quarter Swedberg hit a shot from the right elbow off the catch and in rhythm. Then Pittsfield forward Donoven Emerson (a 2-time all-state player in D-IV) got called for a technical foul and did not return until halfway through the 4th quarter. Once again it looked like Moultonborough was in complete control.

But Pittsfield battled back. Perras started to gt it going again, hitting a three and then slashing to the basket and finishing in the lane for 2. Then Elias Doucette got a basket inside for Pittsfield which cut the Moultonborough lead down to 8, 44-36. Even with Emerson on the bench Pittsfield was getting some momentum going.

But then Moultonborough came storming right back, as Will Burke hit a baseline jumper, followed by back-to-back layups in transition by Drew Swedberg (the first one was an acrobatic and-1 finish). The Panthers were up 15 at halftime and they were up 15 heading to the 4th quarter, as they now led 53-38.

About a minute into the 4th quarter Marcus Swedberg hit a pair of free throws and Moultonborough took a 61-40 lead (their largest lead of the game). It looked like the game was over. Some folks even started heading for the exits at that point. And why not? When a team is down by 21 points in the 4th quarter that's it, the game's over. Right? Wrong.

That's when Pittsfield made a comeback which was nothing short of remarkable. They slowly chipped away at the Moultonborough lead, one basket at a time on offense and one stop at a time on defense.

"Our goal was to put pressure on them defensively and force turnovers" said Coach Darrah. "It just took 28 minutes for it to start working."

And force turnovers is exactly what Pittsfield did, as they brought a couple guys pressuring in the back court and then trapped around the half court line. Moultonborough was struggling to the get the ball across half court all of a sudden.

"We stopped going to the ball" said Coach Swedberg, who coached the program to a state title in 2009. "We were settling for bad shots and we weren't being strong with the ball."

Pittsfield was taking those turnovers and turning them into baskets on the other end by executing well on offense. Doucette, Perras, Emerson and Dominic Brooks all had big baskets down the stretch, as Pittsfield ended the 4th quarter on a 26-5 run.

Also helping the Pittsfield comeback was a technical foul, which was called on Donahue for Moultonborough. Pittsfield missed both FT's though (the 2 teams were a combined 0/4 on technical free throws), but they got the ball back, scored and had the momentum on their side.

Perras hit a three (his 6th of the game) which capped a 16-0 run by Pittsfield, cutting the Moultonborough lead to 61-56. Marcus Swedberg then answered right back, with a strong move to the basket along the baseline, and getting an and-1 finish. But Pittsfield just kept on coming, as Emerson scored inside to cut the Moultonborough lead to 63-60.

Marcus Swedberg then missed the front end of a 1-and-1, and Doucette (who scored a career-high 18 points including 14 in the 2nd half) and Bobby Lebel both scored inside. It was now Moultonborough 65 Pittsfield 64 with 30 seconds left in regulation.

"Elias works really hard in practice" said Coach Darrah. "He came up big for us. On offense we tried to get them up in the air because we know they try to block a lot of shots."

Pittsfield then had the ball and were down 66-64 with 25 seconds left in the 4th quarter. Brooks drove to the basket and found Tyler Booth open inside for a layup. Booth scored with just 1 second left on the clock. Moultonborough didn't even try to inbound the ball. We were headed to overtime tied up 66-66. Pittsfield had come back from a 21 point 4th quarter deficit to force OT!

"We didn't handle their pressure well" said Marcus Swedberg. "We only had 4 turnovers in the 1st half but we had 13 in the 2nd half. We need to jut settle down."

As amazing a comeback as Pittsfield had just made, this game wasn't over yet, they still had to finish the comeback. And it looked like they were going to do it, as they took a 72-69 lead as Doucette scored on back-to-back possessions followed by a basket by Brooks. Drew Swedberg then missed 2 free throws and it was really starting to look like Pittsfield was going to complete the comeback victory of the century.

However that's when Moultonborough would score the game's final 8 points and pull out the win. Sindorf once again made his presence felt on the offensive glass, converting yet another put-back inside. The Panthers then got a steal and Marcus Swedberg made an and-1 finish to put Moultonborough up 74-72 with 30 seconds left in OT.

Pittsfield had turnovers on back-to-back possessions late in the game, and they also had Perras take an ill-advised three-point attempt with about a minute left in OT and Pittsfield up 72-69. It was one of those shots that would have been a dagger if he made it but he missed it and it really ended up hurting them.

"Those are mistakes we can't afford to make come tournament time" said Darrah.

Drew Swedberg (who had 9 points, all coming in the 2nd half) then hit 2 free throws and after another Pittsfield turnover he made 1 of 2 at the line for the 77-72 final score.

"We stuck to our game plan and our guys played hard" said Darrah. "But they're a good team, there's a reason why they're 12-0."

It was a wild game, no question about it. Marcus Swedberg, Sindorf, Perras and Doucette all had outstanding individual performances. This game had a comeback for the ages, it had chippy play, it had 2 technical fouls, it had slam dunks. Oh yeah, and it had 3 brothers all on the court at the same time, and their father coaching them!


It was a great game, between 2 rival schools and 2 of the top teams in boys Division IV basketball.

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BG Girls Grind Out Comeback Win Over Memorial in Battle of Unbeatens

It was 2 weeks ago tonight when the Bishop Guertin girls basketball team made a statement by beating Winnacunnet to end the Warrior's 84 game winning streak. After that game it looked like a 2 team race in girls Division I (BG and Winnacunnet). Well, tonight it was Manchester Memorial who made the statement.

They may have lost to BG but they showed they are just as good as them and if a shot or a loose ball here or there went their way we would all be calling the Crusaders the best girls team in the state right now.

"We had a bunch of shots just go in and out down the stretch" said Manchester Memorial head coach Jack Quirk. "Amra (Elezovic) went to the basket a couple times and could have had and-1's, but instead she goes to the line and makes 1 out of 2. If those are and-1's they're fouling us at the end instead of the other way around. We just didn't get the bounces at the end there."

You have to give the BG girls a lot of credit, though. They trailed by 10 points in the 2nd half and were down by 7 heading to the 4th quarter. But Megahn Green and Jamie Sherburne combined for 24 2nd half points, Nikki Hayner hit 2 HUGE outside shots late, Megan Kerutis is only a freshman but is already one of the best defenders in the state. And Bishop Guertin improved to 10-0 with a 47-44 win at Memorial, while the Crusaders are now 8-1.

The first half was all Memorial - they were able to slow it down, make it a half court game and force BG to play at their pace. BG wants to run and press, but Memorial didn't let them. They also held Green to just 2 points in the entire 1st half.

"They're a really good team" said Bishop Guertin head coach Scott Hazelton. "They stuck to their game plan. They spread us out on defense with their 5 guards and on the other end they crowded Meghan and made it tough for her to get shots."

Elezovic got the Crusaders off to a quick start, scoring 8 of her 15 points in the 1st quarter as Memorial took a 16-10 lead and after 1 they led 16-12. Not many girls who are 5'11" can handle the basketball and shoot it like her. Sher was taking it strong to the basket and making some tough shots. Elezovic finished with 13 rebounds in addition to her 15 points on the game.

"I know she's going to Umass Lowell (a Division II program) but Amra's a Division I player" said Coach Hazelton. "She's the single most valuable player to her team in the entire state. She does it all for them and I have a lot of respect for her."

Still, no basket for Elezovic came easy. It Kerutis, a 5'5" freshman guard who was given the task of defending Elezovic who is a 5'11" senior and possibly the state's best player. Yet Kerutis did not back down one bit, she is tough, fearless, a hustler and a scrapper. Kerutis was physical on defense, dove on the floor for loose balls, came up with some BIG offensive rebounds and made Elezovic work for everything she got.

"It was a tough challenge for Megan to go up against Amra" explained Hazelton. "I wanted to see if she would answer the call and she did. She just kept going out and kept battling out there."

On the other side Memorial has a star freshman as well. 5'6" guard Peace Kabari is possibly the most athletically gifted player in NH. Not only that but she plays very hard, crashes the boards and can also shoot it. She had 8 points, 6 rebounds and 2 steals in tonight's game. Kabari and Kerutis are likely the 2 best freshmen players in the state.

"Peace is going to be a very special player" said Coach Quirk. "She's still so young and still learning the game. But by the end of the year she'll be getting 16 points a game for us."

Junior point guard Allie Hartford (15 points and 5 assists on the game) kept the momentum going for Memorial in the 2nd quarter, hitting a couple of nice pull-up jumpers in the mid-range area, followed by a three-pointer in the corner off a nice drive and kick out by Elezovic. That shot put the Crusaders up 26-16 - their largest lead of the game and they went into halftime up 26-18.

A put-back by Kabari early in the 3rd quarter once again made it a 10 point lead for Memorial at 30-20. And with the way Memorial was dictating the pace of the game, and making it more a half court affair a 10 point lead actually seemed more like 20.

However that's when BG was able to start playing their game - running and pressing. They went on an 8-0 run, including a great move by Sherburne as she drove to the basket from the corner, was met by 2 defenders but still went up with the short and finished a nifty reverse layup in traffic. Sherburne (pictured above) and Hartford battled each other all game at the point guard position - 2 very good players who both gave it everything they had out there.

"Sherburne's out to prove something" said Hazelton. "She always plays hard. Her, Kerutis and Piercy all make things happen and bring lots of energy."

Memorial was able to withstand the Guertin run, answering right back with a couple BIG baskets of their own. Right after a baseline jumper by Green cut the Memorial lead to 30-28, Crusaders senior guard Ari Dimou hit a big three-pointer. On the next trip down the floor her teammate Danielle Fletcher grabbed a tough offensive rebound and made an and-1 finish to push the Memorial lead back up to 35-28.

"Our kids played tough" said Coach Quirk. "Everybody's saying BG is the #1 team. Well if they're #1 then we have to be #1A after tonight."

Then came a play which would have ended up being a HUGE difference maker had Memorial been able to hold on for the win. Hartford attempted a three-pointer at the buzzer at the end of the 3rd quarter, missed the shot but Sherburne was called for a foul. She made 2 of the 3 shots and Memorial went to the 4th quarter up 37-30. BG ended up pulling out the win in the end but if they had lost that foul would have proved to be a costly one.

The Cardinals didn't let that foul faze them though, as they came out firing to start the 4th. They went on a 6-0 run, capped by a 15 foot jumper by Green off an inbounds pass where she showed a very soft shooting touch. That made it a 1 point game with still a LONG way to go.

BG then took the lead 40-39 on an and-1 finish inside by Green off a nice entry pass to the post by Hayner. BG's defense continued to tighten up, as they forced both Elezovic and Hartford to take tough shots inside, get fouled and have to earn their points at the line. Instead of possibly getting and-1 finishes for a possible 3 points, they both made 1 out of 2 at the line, making it a 41-40 lead for Memorial.

That's when Hayner really stepped up big for Guertin. The junior wing player hit back-to-back outside shots, one was a three and was a long 2 where she had a foot on the line. And just in the matter of seconds it went from Memorial being up 1 to BG being up by 4 - that's a HUGE turnaround, especially when there's only 1:30 left in the game.

"Nikki's a great shooter, very reliable" said Green, who ended up with 16 points and 10 rebounds while Hayner had 10 points. "The shots just weren't falling in the 1st half, but we just kept on going. We passed the ball around better in the 2nd half and got more open shots."

After 2 free throws by Hartford, Memorial was now down 45-43. Then they forced a turnover and got the ball back with just over 1 minute left. Then came another one of those drives to the basket by Memorial where they got fouled and missed the shot, so instead of an and-1 they had to try and make 2 FT's. Elezovic had a chance to tie the game up at 45-45 if she made both FT's, but she only made 1 of 2.

So Memorial was down 45-44 with about 25 seconds left. They had to foul, but they only had 4 team fouls so they still had to foul BG 3 times before they would go to the line. They should have known this and fouled BG right away, but instead too much time went off the clock. By the time Memorial was able to foul enough times to send BG to the line there was only 4.8 seconds remaining.

Sherburne (12 points on the game) went to the line and made both of her free throws - clutch. So the Crusaders had one last chance to try and tie the game, but they would have to go the length of the floor, only had 4.8 seconds and had to try and hit a three to force overtime. Elezovic got the ball and drove up the floor looking for a shot. The Cardinals played good defense though, forcing her to take a shot that was not only difficult but it was inside the arc so even if she made her buzzer-beating attempt it would have only been worth 2 points so BG would have won either way. The shot was no good, and Guertin wins it 47-44 in a thrilling comeback victory.

BG remains perfect on the season in Hazelton's first year at the helm. They have now played all 3 of the other teams expected to be title contenders in D-I. They crushed Londonderry and they beat both Winnacunnet and Memorial in tough, hard fought games. They still have to go to Hampton and play Winnacunnet later in the year, but you would have to consider BG the favorites to win the title right now. That being said, Memorial and Winnacunnet are not far behind at all. It should be a fun race. And who knows, if Londonderry can figure some things out they could have a shot to make it a 4 team race instead of 3. The Lancers get a shot to prove themselves on Friday night when they play Winnacunnet. BG meanwhile has a chance to win back-to-back titles starting this year. Right now they're playing better than anybody in D-I, and next season they return their top 6 players plus they get Paige Parkinson joining the fold after having to sit this season out.

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NH Players in Action at Central Catholic Doubleheader

On Sunday afternoon there was a boys/girls doubleheader at Central Catholic High School in Lawrence, MA. It was the Coaches vs. Cancer event, with the girls team playing against Masconomet followed by the boys team taking on St. John's Prep.

The boys game was played at a fast pace and an extremely high level - it was a very fun game to watch. Watching this game only reaffirmed the belief in my mind that NH desperately needs a shot clock. If either Central Catholic or St. John's Prep was in the NHIAA they would be easily the best team in the state. Central won it 80-56, as junior forward Doug Gemmell (from Windham, NH) had a great game, finishing with 7 points and 7 rebounds. He had a couple of big rebounds and and-1 finishes late that iced the game and the win for Central. 6'3" freshman wing player Ben Judson (from Plaistow, NH) was also in action for St. John's Prep.

Three of the starters for the Central girls team are granite staters - sophomore guards Courtney Walsh (8 points on the game) and Alex Nagri (6 points) and senior guard Alex Borrelli (7 points), while 6'1" freshman forward Erica Hadad had 2 points off the bench. However, Central was playing without two of their better players and came up short, losing to Masco 59-38. Check out the video below to see some of the top plays made by the NH girls playing for Central.

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Tarczewski and O'Connor Square off One Last Time

They grew up playing basketball together as teammates in middle school and high school. Then when they went their separate ways and transferred to different prep schools they began playing against each other as opponents. Well, it all came to an end on Saturday afternoon at the St. Mark's School when Kaleb Tarczewski and Kevin O'Connor played an organized basketball game on the same court for the last time.

Tarczewski (who stands 7 feet tall) and O'Connor (6-foot-6) played at Claremont Middle School together, and then at Stevens High School. Before their junior year Tarczewski transferred to St. Mark's, a prep school in Massachusetts. The following year O'Connor also went prep, choosing instead to attend the St. Paul's School in Concord, NH. So over the years these guys have played in many games as teammates and opponents - but this afternoon was the last one.

"They might still let us play at the Stevens alumni games" joked Tarczewski, after he helped his St. Mark's team to a 64-44 win over O'Connor and St. Paul's. "We started playing together in 6th grade after I moved to Claremont from Charlestown, NH."

Since leaving Stevens High he has developed into one of the top players in the country, and he recently committed to play his college ball at the University of Arizona.

"Arizona has the #1 ranked recruiting class in the country for 2012" said Tarczewski. "They have the #3, #6, #9 and #33 recruits in the country all going there."

Tarczewski is #6 on the list. He had a dominating performance in Saturday's win, finishing with 21 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocked shots before checking out of the game with 5:41 left in the 2nd half and his team up 61-38. O'Connor meanwhile had 9 points and 4 rebounds for St. Paul's.

St. Paul's actually led this game 16-11 with 8:50 left in the 1st half. Then St. Mark's went on a 17-3 run, taking control of the game and never looking back. St. Paul's is a good team (they would likely beat anyone from the NHIAA) but they just went up against a loaded St. Mark's team that's one of the best in New England.

One of the highlight reel plays that Tarczewski made included one where he came running down the floor as the trailer on the break, caught a pass around the free throw line and before the defender could get there he slammed down a 2 handed dunk. He also had a couple of reverse layups along the baseline, powering his way to the basket and finishing inside either with dunks or layups. Tarczewski showed tremendous skill and agility for a kid that's 7 feet tall.

"I actually didn't even make varsity my freshman year at Stevens" said Tarczewski. "And people always said I had potential. But over the last few years it's been a lot of really hard work and I've also had some great coaches. TJ Gassnola from the NE Playaz taught me a lot, Jay Murphy helped me out too. Coach Lubick (St. Mark's head coach) helped me a lot, and playing with Nate Lubick helped me to get better. Coach Carroll with the NE Playaz is a former coach with the Celtics and he's a good guy who really knows the game.'

Another play Tarczewski made that got the crowd going was when he caught the ball on the left elbow, faced up to the basket, made an up-fake, one dribble and then exploded to the rim before drawing a foul. He also made a double pump 2 handed dunk after catching a pass inside off the dribble penetration of a teammate.

St. Paul's actually led this game 16-11 with 8:40 left in the 1st half, but then St. Mark's took over, going on a 17-3 run and never looking back. Still, St. Paul's is a good team that would likely beat anybody in the NHIAA. But they just went up against a St. Mark's team which is one of the best in New England.

O'Connor meanwhile had a solid game. He could have had more like 15 or 18 points but his outside shot was off, as he misfired on a number of shots he normally makes. But overall he played well. O'Connor runs the floor well, can hit shots inside, outside or in the mid-range area and has a high basketball I.Q. He is still weighing options and hasn't decided yet where he'll play his college ball.

Tarczewski on the other hand does know, and on Saturday he gave the folks in attendance a preview of what Arizona opponents can expect over the next few years - a true center who is a dominant inside force scoring, rebounding and blocking shots.

"I'm hoping to get playing time at Arizona right away" said Tarczewski, who plans on studying business at Arizona. "That's one of the reasons I picked them. I have come a long way, but I know I still have things to work on in order to get where I want to go."

Of course the place Tarczewski would like to end up going to is the NBA. That would be a great accomplishment, considering there has only been one player from New Hampshire to ever make it there (Matt Bonner). Then again, no other NH player since Bonner has been ranked as high nationally as Tarczewski either. He's got a shot, no question about it.

"Yeah, the NBA is where any kid who plays basketball wants to get to" said Tarczewski with a smile. "But I try to stay humble and not think too much about the future."

Good luck to both Tarczewski and O'Connor in the future, both on and off the basketball court.

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Breakout Year for Sophomores

There has been a few different articles now where I have mentioned how deep and talented the girls basketball Class of 2014 is in NH. Well so far this season this sophomore class definitely been as good as advertised. And so far at least there have been a number of players who have really stepped up, shown drastic improvement and have been big contributors to their team's success.

If you ask me, Haley Driscoll (Bedford), Melissa MacLeod (Winnacunnet) and Heather King (Lebanon) are the 3 most improved players in the state. All 3 of them are forwards, and for guards the most improved players in this class are Kayla Stacy (Pinkerton), Gigi Piercy (Bishop Guertin) and Veronica Moceri (Alvirne).

It is clear that all of these girls have worked extremely hard to get better, and this hard work deserves to be recognized. Here's a closer look at each of them.

Haley Driscoll, 5'10" forward, Bedford HS
Driscoll got good minutes last year as a freshman for Bedford, but this year she has taken her game to another level. Driscoll is now one of the top defenders and rebounders in the state, regardless of class. She has also really improved her offensive game, as she is now hitting mid-range jumpers and take her man to the basket off the dribble. Driscoll stopped playing soccer this year to focus on basketball and her hard work has paid off.

"Since last year's tryouts when she displayed quite a bit of athletic ability but very raw basketball skills, Haley has worked hard to become a key player on our team" said Bedford head coach Sue Thomas. "She is extremely motivated, works very hard and has a great attitude. It is a pleasure to coach her and watch her develop every day."

Melissa MacLeod, 5'11" forward, Winnacunnet HS
'Mimi' is another post player who has improved tremendously. She made the varsity team as a freshman for a Winnacunnet team went undefeated en route to their 5th straight D-I title. Still, McLeod's minutes last year were very limited. But then over the off-season she worked hard on her game, training with the New England Warriors and Coach Joe Tardif. Now McLeod (pictured above) is in the starting lineup and playing a vital role for one of the state's top teams. She's attacking the rim, rebounding and had 32 points vs. Timberlane.

"Mimi has continued to progress as a young post player" said Winnacunnet head coach Ed Beattie. "She runs the floor well and will become a major force down the stretch for us. I would guess she has a strong future in Division I and beyond."


Heather King, 5'11" forward, Lebanon HS
Again, another player who saw very limited playing time as a freshman but is now starting and playing a major role for one of the state's best teams as a sophomore. King has a rapidly developing face-up game and can also battle inside. When Lebanon lost all-state player Trina Scheie for the season with a torn ACL they needed King to step in her place and perform in order to win games and she has done just that.

"She has gotten stronger and has improved a great deal" said Lebanon head coach Tim Kehoe. Her and Moriah Morton didn't play soccer this year and instead they MADE 300 shots a day."


Kayla Stacy, 5'5" Guard, Pinkerton Academy
Stacy is the leading scorer on one of the top 5 teams in D-I. She is good at handling the basketball against defensive pressure and uses screens well to get by her man off the dribble. She can finish inside or hit shots from the outside. Stacy didn't get much playing time last year as a freshman at Manchester Memorial, but transferred to Pinkerton over the summer and is now making a big impact for the Astros as their starting point guard.

"Kayla came into a good situation, where she had the opportunity to become the starting point guard" said Pinkerton head coach John Barry. "She doesn’t turn the ball over very often, and makes good decisions. I believe that confidence has a lot to do with her success. She is also very level headed and takes failure and success in stride. I also credit her teammates in their willingness to accept her and the role she fills. I did not see her play last year, so I can’t make any sort of judgment on her change of skills from then till now."


Gigi Piercy, 5'6" Guard, Bishop Guertin HS
Piercy is the only player on this list who played JV last year as a freshman, as the rest played varsity. She went from the JV team last year to starting and playing a key role for a BG girls team that is currently playing better than anybody in the state. Piercy is a gym rat who plays the game hard, hustles and is a tough defender. She thrives in an up-tempo game, and that's the way new BG coach Scott Hazelton plays.

"Gigi is the ultimate utility player" said Coach Hazelton. "She simply does it all for us. Whether it be on offense or defense she's always contributing to help our team. She's one of our most improved players."


Veronica Moceri, 5'7" Guard, Alvirne HS
Moceri is a sharpshooting wing player. She didn't get much playing time last year with players like DJ Purcell and Katie Donovan in front of her. But they both graduated and now the pressure is on Moceri to step in and score on a young Alvirne team. She dropped 25 points on Merrimack and 17 on Nashua North in an overtime win.

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Pinkerton Sqeaks Past Shorthanded South

The talented senior trio of Chris Light (game-high 21 points), Alex Patrikis (18 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks) and Kevin Colbert (12 points with 10 coming in the 2nd half) was just too much for Nashua South to handle, especially since South was playing without its best player Anthony Muccioli (out sick). The result was a win for Pinkerton in Division I boys basketball.

The Astros led 58-49 with only 1 minute left, but South ended the game on a 7-0 run. It was too little too late though, as Pinkerton held on for the 58-56 win to improve to 5-1 on the season.

"Having everybody healthy now is big" said Light, referring to Patrikis who has been bothered by a foot injury and Colbert has missed time with an ankle injury. "If they pressure me I can dump it in to Alex, and if he kicks it back out me and Kevin can attack from the wings."

South led 29-28 at halftime, but Pinkerton made a run towards the end of the 3rd quarter, taking a 48-38 lead into the 4th quarter. After a three-pointer by South forward David Dunham cut the Pinkerton lead to 41-38, the Astros then went on a 7-0 run to end the 3rd quarter. Senior guard Sean Smith answered Dunham's three-pointer with one of his own just a few seconds later. Then Light and Patrikis scored a couple quick baskets, giving Pinkerton a lot of momentum going into the game's final frame.

"That run turned out to be the difference, it turned out to be insurmountable" said Naashua South head coach Nate Mazzerole. "The fundamentals were lost on us during that 2 minute stretch. Those mistakes can't happen."

One thing that stopped working in the 3rd quarter for South that was working in th 1st half was sophomore guard Tim Preston creating offense and making plays off the dribble for himself and his teammates. Preston was especially impressive in the 2nd quarter. Pinkerton extended their defense out to half court and threw 2 defenders at him, but he was able to handle the pressure, get to the basket and make a couple of nice floaters in the lane. Then he got into the paint and when the defense collapsed he dished it off to the older brother Jack Preston for a layup.

It was at this time that the game was really being played at a high level, because not only were the Preston brothers (who each had 11 points on the night) making big plays for South, but Light and Patrikis were matching them shot for shot on the other end for Pinkerton. The game had a really nice flow to it for the last few minutes of the 2nd quarter and as the teams traded big shots they also traded the lead - there was 6 lead changes in the 2nd quarter alone.

Kevin Morrissey hit back-to-back jumpers to start the 2nd frame to tie it up at 14-14. Patrikis then made a nice move along the baseline to get to the rim and finish a reverse layup. After a nice pass by Jared Maloney in the high post to Jack Preston inside for 2 the Astros lead was cut to 23-22 with 2:05 left in the 1st half. Then after a floater by Tim Preston South went up 24-23. Light answered right back with a strong drive to the rim and reverse layup to put Pinkerton back on top 25-24. Then Tim Preston came back down and made another floater to put South back on top 26-25. Answering right back for Pinkerton was Smith, hitting a a long two-pointer (apparently he had a foot on the line) which put Pinkerton back up 28-27. That's when Tim Preston drove to the basket, dished it to his brother Jack for a layup with 1 second left in the half, and South went into the locker room up 29-28. What a great 3 minutes of basketball it was to end the half!

Even when Muccioli has been in the lineup this season, South has had problems scoring at times. And he gets them 16-18 points a game, so for the Purple Panthers to score 29 points in a half and 56 points for the game without their star senior definitely bodes well for them.

But again, the 3rd quarter was the difference, as Pinkerton outscored South 20-9 in the 3rd period. Light, Patrikis and Smith all had big shots on offense, and they were able to slow down the Preston brothers on defense.

"We made some adjustments" said Pinkerton head coach Pete Rosinski. "We played tough defense and we executed well on offense."

One key defensive play in the 3rd quarter came when Smith was providing some great pressure on Tim Preston in the back court, causing a 10 second violation. Then South had a couple more turnovers late in the quarter which led to 2 quick baskets by the Astros.

"They srtarted pressing and doubling him back there" said Coach Mazzerole, talking about his sophomore guard Preston, who along with fellow sophomore guard Yordy Tavarez had to shoulder the ball handling duties with Muccioli out. "And against that defense we started over-dribbling and neglecting to send someone to the foul line."

In the 4th quarter South was doing everything they could to try and get back in the game, as the Dunham brothers Michael and David played well on both ends of the floor. Then after a miss on a three-pointer by Tavarez, Tim Preston got the team energized when he came out of nowhere to jump up and in mid-air tip the ball back into the basket - while drawing a foul at the same time! That cut the Pinkerton lead to 52-45 with 3:00 left in the game.

Light responded by getting the ball on the block, turning from about 15 feet away and knocking down a big turnaround jumper over Armond McRae defending while also drawing a foul.

"When I have a smaller player on me I just turn and shoot it over the top of them" said Light, who scored 21 points but didn't force a shot all night.

That's when Colbert really came alive, delivering 2 BIG baskets late to put the game out of reach. First him and Patrikis had a nicely executed give-and-go, ending with Colbert catching the return pass in the lane and then making an athletic finish inside, converting a tough scoop shot over the outstretched hands of a defender. Then on the next time down the floor he went right at a bigger defender for South, took the ball to the rim and made a great and-1 finish at the rim by making a double-pump layup through the contact. That made it 58-49 Pinkerton with 1 minute left in the 4th quarter.

"I brought Colbert in at the end of our last game vs. Londonderry and he hit 2 big shots then" Coach Rosinski said before tonight's game vs. South.

Well, he came up big in the clutch again this evening. But just when it seemed like the game was over after Pinkerton took a 9 point lead with a minute left South made a furious run late in the game to try and make a comeback. Morrissey (10 points on the game) made a shot inside, then South got a steal. Tavarez (9 points) pulled-up at the top of the key and drained a three. Then Michael Dunham picked up a loose ball and laid it in, cutting the Astros lead to 58-56 with just 3 seconds left.

South would then need a steal or a quick foul so they could try and get the ball back. But instead Colbert caught the inbounds pass and by the time a South defender could get to him it was too late. The buzzer sounded and Pinkerton was able to hold on for the 58-56 win.

"We have the potential to be a contender" said Coach Rosinski. "But we need to focus better, take care of the basketball and have mental toughness. Our 2010 state championship team had it, I'm hoping to get this team to that point too."

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