Milford's Jarad Asselin gets a hand on a shot by Souhegan's Zack Simmonds during Friday's game.

MILFORD – The way Dan Murray and Mike Heaney looked after Friday night’s high school boys basketball game, one would have thought they had been playing.

Just another Souhegan-Milford game in the Milford gym.

With students from both school making up more than half the crowd, and with both sections letting making their presence known, the Sabers overcame a slow start to pick up their 10th win of the season, 63-47, over the Spartans. Its the third win for Souhegan this season against its rival, after going more than five years without beating the Spartans.

But early on, this one had a familiar feel to it.

The Sabers (10-1 in Division II) came out of the gate unable to make a basket and the Spartans (4-8) took advantage, building a 7-0 lead with 3:38 to go in the first quarter. Not only was Souhegan missing shots, but Milford was keeping the Sabers from getting any second opportunities.

“Early on, we were nervous,” said Heaney, the Souhegan coach. “We were a little shaky and I think that was just the crowd and the excitement. We were settling for quick shots. They did a great job on the glass. We couldn’t get those second or third shots.

“It was almost like once all of our starting five took their first shot, everything fell. Once we hit a couple, we were OK.”

Brandon Len started things off, getting Souhegan’s first points, and he led the Sabers with 14. Shaun McKenna added 13 points and Ben Peterson finished with nine while Souhegan got six points each from four other players.

Milford got a game-high 18 points from Jared Lakin, four of which came on 3-pointers. Jovi Philbrick, playing in just his second game of the season, added 11.

“It was the hardest we played all year,” Murray said. “They’re starting to figure it out. We’re still not executing as well as we should.”

The game was tied at 9 at the end of the first quarter, and Souhegan had a 14-12 lead when Milford’s Richie Moore was called for a foul and then quickly picked up a technical foul. The Sabers went up by four, but the Spartans tied it at 16 before Souhegan closed the half on an 8-2 to take a 24-18 lead at halftime.

“The big play was when Richie picked up the technical,” Murrsay said. “I thought that was pretty costly.”

In the second half, it was Milford’s turn to get off to the slow start, as Souhegan extended the lead to 10.

“We were playing hard, we just weren’t mentally tough,” Murray said.

“In the second half, I thought we defended the ball a lot better,” Heaney said.

Milford was able to get the lead back down to seven points a few times, but it seemed every time the Spartans cut into it, the Sabers pushed the lead back to double digits. Logan Barlow’s 3-pointer made it 43-36 with 5:37 left to play, but Souhegan came right back with a 3 of its own to make it a 10-point game and the Sabers ended the game on a 20-11 run.

” Every time we got it there (to 10), it felt like we couldn’t get a bigger margin than that,” Heaney said. “We couldn’t get to the point where it felt comfortable. I didn’t go to the bench until the last minute because the way they can shoot the ball, they could put together an 8-0 run in the last few minutes. I never felt like it was over until 30 seconds were left.”

Technorati Tags: boys basketball, Division II, Milford, Souhegan

Souhegan's Ashley Tighe tries to pass the ball as Milford players, from left, Taylor Steinbrecher, Dina Pitsas and Adelle Pitsas defend.

MILFORD – It wasn’t pretty and it ended the way it always does.

The Souhegan High School girls basketball team picked up another win against Milford, beating the Spartans 43-27 Friday despite turning the ball over 24 times. The Sabers benefited from several missed opportunities from Milford, which included a 7-for-19 performance from the free throw line for the Spartans.

Jane White led all scorers with 17 points, including 7 for 11 from the foul line, while Mickenzie Larivee added nine points and Tori Forrest had seven for Souhegan (7-4 in Division II).

Jennifer Dupuis scored 10 points to lead Milford (4-8), while Dina Pitsas added six. Although the Spartans weren’t making shots – they had just eight field goals, four of which were 3s – Milford was doing enough defensively to keep the game from getting out of hand.

A 3-pointer by Dupuis made it 14-8 midway through the second quarter, but Souhegan went on a 10-3 run to go up by 13 late in the half. A buzzer-beating 3 by Brianna Hoffman cut the lead to at the break, and Milford got it down to eight on a layup by Hoffman in the final minute of the third quarter.

But Souhegan answered with a basket by Forrest go back up by 10 at the end of the quarter, and the Sabers stretched it to 14 points with 4:41 to play. Milford got a free throw each from Pitsas and Jessica Ryan and another 3 from Dupuis made it a nine-point game with just under four minutes left.

That would be all the scoring Milford would get, as the Sabers closed the game on a 7-0 run. Souhegan once again swept the two-game regular-season series, and the Sabers have never lost to Milford since Souhegan opened in 1992.

Technorati Tags: Division II, girls basketball, Milford, Souhegan

Brandon Len and Souhegan will try to get another win over Milford.

The Souhegan and Milford high school boys basketball teams will meet for the third time – second in division play – this season, and the Sabers have a chance to sweep the Spartans for the first time in recent memory. Milford will also be holding a Coaches vs. Cancer fundraiser during the game.

That’s not the only big Division II battle, as both boys and girls teams from Bedford and Portsmouth will meet. In Division I, Salem and Alvirne boys meet in a matchup of top seven teams, while Nashua South tries to turn its season around against Merrimack

No. 1: Souhegan at Milford boys basketball, 6:30 p.m.

This is the third game in four days for the Sabers (9-1), but when asked how his team would be ready Friday, Souhegan coach Mike Heaney said all he should have to do is tell the team its playing Milford. A win gives Souhegan 10 victories for the third straight season, a big feat considering its only been four years since the Sabers were coming off back-to-back two-win seasons.

Milford welcomed back guard Jovi Philbrick earlier this week, but the Spartans still lost at John Stark on Tuesday. Right now, Milford (4-7) is 16th in Division II, and with Bedford, Pelham and Goffstown still on the schedule, the Spartans could really use a win.

No. 2: Salem at Alvirne boys basketball, 7 p.m.

One thing these teams have in common? Both hold a win over Manchester Central, which Salem (7-3) pulled off on Tuesday to bounce back from a loss against Merrimack. The Blue Devils are in a tough stretch, playing the third of four games against teams they’re battling for a home playoff game.

Alvirne (7-2) has won three in a row since losing to Trinity, but those three wins have come against Timberlane, Keene and Concord, teams that are a combined 4-26.

Ali Glennon and Bedford will be looking for their fifth straight win.

No. 3: Bedford at Portsmouth boys basketball, 6:30 p.m.

Since getting embarrassed by Pelham on Dec. 22, the Bulldogs (8-2) have been on a tear, winning seven in a row, the second longest winning streak in Division II. Bedford has done it with defense, allowing under 50 points for the first six games of that stretch. In Tuesday’s 69-60 win over Goffstown, the Bulldogs held the Grizzlies below their average of 75 points a game.

Portsmouth (9-2) has lost two of three, dropping back-to-back games against St. Thomas and Pelham before knocking off Coe-Brown on Tuesday. The Clippers have also been playing well defensively, allowing just 41.4 points per game over their last seven.

No. 4: Nashua South at Merrimack boys basketball, 7 p.m.

The Panthers (5-5) started the season so well, winning their first four games, including victories over Bishop Guertin and Salem. But since, South has lost five of six and has struggled to score during that stretch. Oddly enough, in its lone win, South scored just 48 points to beat Dover by two.

After playing well in its first game without Dimitri Floras, Merrimack (8-1) needed a late 3-pointer to beat Londonderry (1-8) by one on Tuesday. The Tomahawks are going to need to figure out how to consistently play well without Floras, who is out with a broken wrist and won’t be back until at least the last week of the regular season.

No. 5: Portsmouth at Bedford girls basketball, 6:30 p.m.

The Clippers (9-2) have won back-to-back games to bounce back from losing two of three games a couple of weeks ago. Portsmouth has scored 56 and 55 points in its last two games, but may have trouble scoring against a Bedford (9-3) that has allowed a combined 63 points in its last three games. In Tuesday’s 64-14 win over Goffstown, the Bulldogs forced 31 turnovers.

Technorati Tags: Alvirne, Bedford, boys basketball, Division I, Division II, girls basketball, Merrimack, Milford, Nashua South, Portsmouth, Salem, Souhegan

Milford's Dina Pitsas scored 20 points in Friday's game.

Logan Barlow scored as time ran out to give the Milford High School boys basketball team a 59-57 win Friday night over Oyster River, while the girls lost to the Bobcats 48-44.

Barlow’s basket was part of a 17-7 run in the 3:30 that helped the Spartans (4-6) overcome an eight-point deficit. Barlow finished with 11 points while Richie Moore led Milford with 15 points. Jarad Asselin also had 10 points.

Dina Pitsas led the girls with 20 points, but Milford (3-8) was outscored 13-8 in the third quarter. Brianna Hoffman added 15 points for the Spartans.

High School roundup – Foster’s Daily Democrat

Friday’s High School Highlights – Nashua Telegraph

Technorati Tags: boys basketball, Division II, girls basketball, Milford, Oyster River

Meghan Green scored 37 points Tuesday night as Bishop Guertin defeated Winnacunnet.

Stories from around the world of New Hampshire high school sports.

• Meghan Green scored 37 points to lead the Bishop Guertin girls basketball team to a 74-66 win over Winnacunnet. The loss ended the Warriors’ 84-game (or 75-game, depending who you ask) winning streak, which dated back to 2008.
• Portsmouth defeated Milford 65-42 in a rematch of last year’s Division II boys basketball championship game.
• The Bishop Guertin boys hockey team could do the unthinkable – miss the Division I playoffs.
• Manchester Central boys basketball just gets by Trinity 41-40.
• Division III Kennett knocked off Division II Bedford 5-3  in a non-division game, which also happened to be a rematch of the 2010 D3 final.

Technorati Tags: Around the Granite State, Bedford, Bishop Guertin, boys basketball, boys hockey, girls basketball, Milford

Milford's Richie Moore, left, pulls a rebound away from Souhegan's Shaun McKenna as Milford's Ben Smith looks on.

AMHERST – Mike Heaney stopped in the lobby outside the Souhegan High School gym before Tuesday’s boys basketball game against Milford to have a chat with Bill Dod.

The current Souhegan coach asked the former Souhegan athletic director if he could remember who was the coach of the boys team the last time it defeated its archrival in a league game. Dod laughed and guessed they might be the only two people who knew the answer.

Before the game, the answer to that question was Dod. After game, the answer is Heaney.

Souhegan broke open a one-point game late in the third quarter and held on for a 60-44 win, the first time the Sabers had defeated Milford in a game that counted since late February of 2006. Souhegan also defeated Milford in the Chick-fil-A Holiday Basketball Tournament on Dec. 28, but that game doesn’t count toward the Division II standings.

New Hampshire high school basketball fans will remember that was the first of three games that Dod served as Souhegan’s interim coach after Dave Bridgman stepped down the day before. Dod was the third person to lead the team that season, and Milford had lost only two games – both to eventual-champion Pelham – up to that point.

The Sabers lost in the first round of the playoffs that year, and suffered through two seasons with a combined four wins before Heaney took over for the 2008-09 season.

Souhegan's Brandon Len tries to get past Milford's Jared Lakin.

“That’s tough for me as a basketball guy,” said Heaney, who was the junior varsity coach in 2006. “That’s how I look at it, that Bill was the interim coach the last time we got one (against Milford).”

Souhegan (3-0 in Division II) did so thanks to the play of Brandon Len. The junior point guard led all scorers with 22 points, including 11 during a stretch in the second half that helped the Sabers retake control of the game.

Back-to-back layups by Jarad Asselin pulled Milford (2-1) within one-point, 30-29, with two minutes left in the third quarter. Souhegan’s Shaun McKenna, playing in his first game of the season after appendicitis kept him out for three weeks, made two free throws and Len found an opening in Milford’s zone for a 3-pointer.

The Spartans turned the ball over on their next two possessions, leading to a layup by Tyler Ford and another 3 by Len to make it 40-29 Souhegan at the end of the third.

Zack Simmonds hit two free throws to open the fourth, and after a foul and a technical on Milford’s Richie Moore, Len made two of four free throws for a 44-29 lead.

And if that wasn’t enough, Len added two acrobatic layups to complete an 18-0 run by Souhegan.

“Circus shots,” Heaney said. “It’s funny, as a coach, you’d love to rip him for taking ill-advised shots, but, my dad was a coach for a long time and he used to say if the man is putting points on the board, how can you get upset. That’s Brandon. If you take that away from him, it puts handcuffs on him and we don’t want to do that.”

Milford coach Dan Murray was more frustrated seeing Len hit the 3s than the layups.

“We were trying to take the ball out of his hands,” Murray said. “We tried to mix it up (on defense), but we only gave up 19 points so at halftime, so we stayed with (the zone). The back guy fell asleep a couple of times on Len on some 3s.”

Jared Lakin kept things from getting out of hand down the stretch, hitting three of his six 3-pointers in a two-minute stretch, the last of which made it a 12-point game with 2:58 to play. Lakin finished with 18 points, all of which came from behind the arc.

The final margin was closer than when the teams met in the holiday tournament, and Murray was encouraged by some of the things he saw.

“We played hard, we played with desire, but we didn’t play smart,” he said. “A couple of times, we went haywire and got caught up in the moment.”

Heaney wasn’t thrilled with the way his team played, but he knows that the Sabers will learn from it, as he has himself.

“I think four years ago, I would have ripped them (at halftime) for really playing poorly, because I thought they were,” Heaney said of Souhegan’s 19-15 lead at the break. “I think you’re happy every time you win. I’m not happy how we’re playing. Sloppy at times, immature at times. What I told them in the locker room was that it’s just the third win. We haven’t beaten them in a long time, but it’s more about getting that third win.”

The teams will meet again in Milford on Feb. 3.

Technorati Tags: boys basketball, Division II, Milford, Souhegan

Nashua South's Jack Preston averaged 11.6 points per game in this year's tournament.

The 2011 Chick-fil-A Holiday Basketball Tournament was one to remember, thanks in part of a championship game that featured host Nashua South beating Nashua North.

It was the first time the two teams played in the final in seven years, and it was just one of several great games to take place over the three-day tourney.

For a closer look at the players who were named to the all-tournament team, and some who weren’t, but could have been, go to the jump.

All-tournament team

• Anthony Muccioli (MVP) – The Nashua South senior was one of many Panthers to have a solid tournament, but when the team needed him most, Muccioli stepped up and delivered in the championship game. He scored eight points at the end of the first quarter to ignite the offense and get South its first lead of the game. His 21 points in the championship game were the fifth most in a single game during the tournament, and his 15 points-per-game average was tied for the fifth best.
• Jack Preston – When Muccioli scored just seven points in the semifinals, Preston stepped in and led the Panthers, scoring 16 points to help get South to the championship game. For the tournament, the South junior averaged 11.6 points per game. Two of his biggest baskets were dunks – one in the opening game against Hollis Brookline, and another against North that helped fire up the South crowd.
• Javon Williams – North’s senior had the highest scoring game, dropping 26 in an opening-round win over Souhegan. And after sitting out most of the first half of the final against South with three fouls, Williams scored nine points in the fourth quarter to help the Titans get make it a three-point game. Williams finished with an average of 18.3 points, second-best for the tournament.
• Ryan Gauthier -In the opening round win over Souhegan, the Titans senior had 10 of his 18 points in the second quarter to help North get the lead. In the semifinal win over Alvirne, Gauthier had 18 of his game-high 22 points in the first half to keep North in the game. For the tournament, he finished with an average of 15 points per game.
• Tyler Livingston – While Alvirne didn’t reach the championship game, it did finish third, thanks largely in part to the sharp-shooting of Livingston. The Broncos junior was third overall with an average of 16.3 points per game, including nine total 3-pointers.

The others

• Brandon Len – Had Souhegan made it to the championship game, Len would have had a good chance at being the tournament MVP. The junior averaged a tournament-high 20.3 points, but the Sabers lost two of three games.
• Jeff Gelinas – Thronton entered the tournament as the two-time defending champs, but the Golden Trojans brought a young team to this year’s competition. Things got even tougher when senior Justin Pollard went down with an injury. Gelinas stepped up to average 13.6 points per game and lead Thornton in scoring in all three games.
• PJ Flaum – Like the rest of Hollis Brookline, the junior struggled in the Cavaliers’ blowout loss to South in the opening round, going scoreless. But in the final two games, Flaum averaged 14.5 points as HB bounced back to beat Campbell and Souhegan.
• Zack Simmonds – The Souhegan junior was a steady scorer over the first two games, scoring 15 in each. Simmonds finished with the seventh-best average, putting in 12.3 points a game.

Technorati Tags: Alvirne, boys basketball, Brookline, Chick-fil-A, holiday, Hollis, Milford, Nashua North, Nashua South, Souhegan, Thornton, tournament

Campbell's Jesiah Wade drives to the basket against Milford's Nick Simo during Thursday's game.

NASHUA – The third day of the Chick-fil-A Holiday Basketball Tournament has historically been the worst for the Campbell High School boys basketball team.

Given how the Cougars had played on Day 2, coach Pat Roye thought his team might do all right on Thursday.

Campbell was just fine, holding off a late Milford charge to beat the Spartans 51-42 at Nashua South to finish seventh in this year’s tournament.

Jesiah Wade scored 13 points, including 6 for 6 from the free throw line, and Kyle Mun added 11 points as the Cougars led by as many as 13 in the second half.

“It’s a good win,” Roye said. “Coming off (a 56-45 loss to Hollis Brookline), I told them I wanted see them press and I wanted to see them hustle. I didn’t care what the score was. The score was 0-0 for this game. We had to get back to doing what we do, and I thought we did.”

The smallest school in the tournament, the Cougars have typically been worn down having to play three games in three days against deeper teams. But this year, Campbell has more depth and Roye felt helped keep the players fresh as they overcame an early deficit against Milford.

“Playing those bigger schools for three days takes its toll on us, and usually the third game turns out really bad for us,” Roye said. “We can go 11 deep and we went 12 (Thursday). I think it takes its toll. One of the reasons we were able to play better on the third day is because we’re deeper than in years past. We don’t have kids logging 30 minutes. I think that helped out.”

The Cougars were down by five early in the second quarter but outscored Milford 27-11 over the next 14 minutes to take a 37-26 lead into the fourth quarter. The lead swelled to 13 and was 12 points after two free throws by Mike Vigeant with 5:28 to play.

But a putback by Logan Barlow and two 3-pointers from Jared Lakin pulled Milford within seven and forced Campbell to use a timeout. Wade made two free throws out of the break, but Lakin hit another 3 with 2:20 to play to get the Spartans within six, 48-42.

Milford missed out on a chance to cut into the lead even more, and a layup by Wade stretched the lead to eight. The Spartans could get no closer.

Lakin finished with 15 points, all on 3-pointers, while Barlow added another 11 points for the Spartans, who return to Division II play on Tuesday when they head to Souhegan. Campbell will host Berlin in a Division III game, also on Tuesday.

Technorati Tags: boys basketball, Campbell, Chick-fil-A, holiday, Milford, tournament

Milford's Harrison Urda has the ball knocked away by Souhegan's Tim Beliveau, right, and Ben Peterson.

NASHUA – The Souhegan and Milford high school boys basketball teams have played each other a lot over the last several years, and the outcome has been the same.

Milford wins and coach Dan Murray is pleased with the way the Spartans played. Souhegan loses and coach Mike Heaney thinks the Sabers will play better.

Both coaches had the same things to say about their teams following Wednesday’s game, but the outcome sure was different. Souhegan broke open a one-point game in the second quarter and cruised to a 72-46 win over Milford in the first contest of the day at the Chick-fil-A Holiday Tournament at Nashua South. It was the Sabers’ first win over the Spartans since 2006.

“It’s a rivalry game and you’re glad to win it, but we’re not going to focus on that too much,” Heaney said. “I wasn’t very happy with how we played. We made a lot of mental errors. We didn’t do a good job of executing on the offensive side. Much better effort (Wednesday) than (Tuesday) night, but we have a long way to go on both sides. Always good to get a win, but I don’t think anyone felt good about it.”

Zack Simmonds led four players in double figures, scoring 15 points, including three 3-pointers, and Brandon Len added 14 points, with two 3s of his own. Ben Peterson chipped in with 12 points and Tyler Ford had 10 for the Sabers, who took control of the game with a 13-3 run in the second quarter.

The Sabers led by nine at halftime and opened the third quarter with a 16-5 run to take a 20-point lead. Still, Murray liked what he saw from the Spartans Wednesday.

“I think we made some positive strides,” Murray said. “We were passionate for the first time. That was our first step. We played spirited and I think we got our noses rubbed into it a little bit by them. I think I have a very determined group.”

The Spartans got 12 points from Evan Perron while Logan Barlow added eight for Milford.

The game was the first of what will be three for the teams this season, as Milford will travel to Souhegan on Tuesday as both return to division play. At times, Wednesday’s game felt like one of those rivalry slug-fests, and at one point, it did. Souhegan’s Sean McGrath was ejected in the second quarter for throwing a punch.

Souhegan will play against Thursday in the fifth-place game, taking on Hollis Brookline at 4:30 p.m., while Milford will take on Campbell in the seventh-place game at 3.

Technorati Tags: boys basketball, Chick-fil-A, holiday, Milford, Nashua, Souhegan, tournament

Technorati Tags: Alvirne, boys basketball, Brookline, Campbell, Chick-fil-A, Hollis, Milford, Nashua North, Nashua South, Souhegan, Thornton