AMHERST – The Souhegan High School boys basketball team won back-to-back Class I titles in 2003 and 2004.
In 2007 and 2008, the Sabers won a total of four games and missed the playoffs both years.
A year ago, Souhegan was a work-in-progress under first-year head coach Mike Heaney, who had served as the junior varsity coach before that. After starting the season 0-8 in 2009, the Sabers won six of their final eight games to not only eclipse their win total from the previous two years combined, but also grab the final spot in the playoffs.
This year, the progress is continuing with a young group of players. While Souhegan had nine seniors on the roster a year ago, this season, there are just four. One of those seniors has been limited due to injuries, and two others are getting their first real experience at the varsity level.
That youth hasn’t stopped Souhegan from having high expectations. One look at the team’s loss to Pelham on Jan. 19 shows that.
The Sabers fell behind early against a team that is a perennial title contender in Class I, but found a way to get back into the game. After trailing by as many as 15 points in the first half, Souhegan was down one with six minutes left in the game before eventually succumbing, 44-36.
“(The loss) was a sign of our youth, the inexperience at the varsity level, age and grade in general,” Heaney said. “You’ve got some guys who haven’t played under the bright lights yet.”
Despite that, Souhegan still opened this season with four straight wins, including a 71-63 victory at Portsmouth on opening night. But that streak was followed by three losses in a row, ending with the loss to Pelham.
After a win over Coe-Brown on Jan. 22, the Sabers sit at 5-3 going into Tuesday night’s game at Hollis/Brookline.
“They’ve got to pick themselves up off the mat,” Heaney said. “Who wants to earn the right to be on the floor? In a game we could have won (against Pelham), we had starters get two points, we had starters get two rebounds.”
That’s something that goes back again to inexperience, according to the coach.
“For whatever stretch that was, they showed heart and character and maturity, and kind of grew up right in front of us,” Heaney said. “Then when there’s a loose ball that they can get and score and tie the game up, they don’t get it. When there’s a box out opportunity on a missed free throw, they don’t get it.
“That’s what a championship program like Pelham does. All that heart and character goes into making it a one-point game, and then you don’t get the loose ball or the rebound.”
Along with that extra effort, Souhegan has struggled at the free throw line. In those three losses, the team has shot 43 percent or worse from the line.
“That’s experience, too,” Heaney said. “The last couple of years, our JVs have been so strong that our young guys haven’t had these games. They’ve had regular 20-point wins, and when they get under the bright lights, it’s a little different. They haven’t fought through games like this, they haven’t lost a couple of games in a row.”
Souhegan bounced back against Coe-Brown its last time out. The Sabers look to do it again Tuesday night at 6:30 p.m. at Hollis/Brookline.
