Merrimack's Rachel Carter puts up a shot during Tuesday's Class L playoff game at Londonderry. For more photos, go to the Photo Album.

The No. 14 Merrimack High School girls basketball team was down 11-0 to No. 3 Londonderry just 1:49 into Tuesday night’s Class L preliminary game. But the Tomahawks didn’t fold, going on a 22-5 run and eventually take a lead of nine points before the Lancers cut it to three just before halftime.

In the second half, Londonderry started making its shots from behind the 3-point line, and Merrimack didn’t have an answer, falling 63-45.

Rachel Carter led Merrimack with 19 points while Ashley Darling added 10 points and Kate Cole had eight markers.

For more on this game, go here.

Technorati Tags: Class L, girls basketball, Merrimack, Tomahawks

Merrimack's Jacob Valluzzi (No. 4) celebrates his game-winning goal with his teammates on Thursday.

The win snapped a six-game losing streak for the Tomahawks (11-7), which dropped them out of first place after an 8-0 start to the season.

Caron’s three goals came in three different ways. The first was an even-strength goal that gave Merrimack a 1-0 lead in the first period, while the second two came at the end of the second period, one on a penalty shot and the second with Timberlane up a man.

The team’s went back and forth early in the first period before Caron’s goal at the 10-minute mark put the ‘Hawks ahead. The Owls (11-6) controlled play for the rest of the period and finally broke through in the second, tying the game on a goal by Matt Walsh with 11:27 to play.

Timberlane’s Ross Thornton and Zach Fox scored a goal each in less than a minute to put the Owls up 3-1 with 5:47 remaining. Merrimack goalie Alex Scanlon made 16 of his 32 saves in the second period as Timberlane dominated play for most of the period.

But with the Owls on the power play, Timberlane’s Ross Ferullo was called hooking when he brought Caron down on a shorthanded breakaway. Caron was given a penalty shot and he beat goalie Brett LaPerriere to cut the lead to 3-2.

Caron struck again with 20 seconds left in the period on another shorthanded breakaway, this time beating LaPerriere down low to tie the game and shift momentum.

In the third period, both teams had opportunities to take the lead, with each side ringing a shot off the post.

Merrimack goalie Alex Scanlon watches as the puck closes in on him during Thursday's game.

With 2:24 left in the game, Timberlane’s Jarred Diorio was called for boarding, giving Merrimack its first power play of the game. Velluzzi’s slap shot from the point made it through the traffic in front of LaPerriere and went in off the crossbar to give the ‘Hawks the lead with 1:45 left to play.

While the win stopped Merrimack’s losing streak, it also left the ‘Hawks in the fifth spot in the Division II standings. Timberlane has one game remaining, against Oyster River (14-2-1), and if the Owls were to lose, they’d fall into a tie with Merrimack for fourth place. The ‘Hawks hold the tiebreaker thanks to wins in both regular-season games against the Owls, and would end up as the fourth seed.

The Division II playoffs start with the quarterfinals on March 6.

Technorati Tags: boys hockey, Division II, Merrimack, Tomahawks

Merrimack's Erik Glendye skates by Connor Clark of Oyster River on his way toward goalie Dylan Strogen during Monday's game at the West Side Arena in Manchester. For more photos from the game, check out the Photo Album.

Leahy’s first goal came just 13 seconds into the contest and was just the start of a bad all-around period for the Tomahawks.

“The other team wanted to win more,” Merrimack coach Dan Legro said. “They outskated us in the first period. They hustled more, they were faster, they had more fight in them. They skated circles around us.”

The loss was the second straight for the ’Hawks at the hands of the Bobcats. Oyster River (11-2-1) pulled out a 3-2 win in Durham on Saturday, and moved into second place in Division II, one spot ahead of Merrimack.

Tyler Caron had the lone goal for the ’Hawks (10-3) and Pat Parker had an assist. Leahy had an assist to go with his two goals, while Connor Clark had a goal and two assists.

The Bobcats controlled the opening face-off and drove into Merrimack’s end. A turnover gave Oyster River a second chance in the ’Hawks zone and Leahy found the back of the net.

“We made some careless mistakes and we’re already down 1-0,” Legro said. “It was deflating. It was aggravating. They came out harder than they did on Saturday.”

Merrimack's Chris Fortin moves the puck up ice.

The Bobcats were celebrating less than two minutes later, but this time, the goal was waved off. Oyster River didn’t have to wait long for a goal that held up, as Leahy added a power play goal with 9:04 left in the first period.

The ’Hawks took two more penalties before the first intermission, but caught a break on the second one. Oyster River’s Steven Rohde was sent to the box just 37 seconds into the power play, the first of three Bobcats’ penalties that gave Merrimack a 5-on-3 advantage that carried over into the second period for 27 seconds.

Caron opened the period with his goal, scoring off a deflected shot by Parker, but the goal came after the two-man advantage had expired, meaning both teams were at full strength.

“I was disappointed,” Legro said. “We should have scored six seconds earlier. There were some missed opportunities on our part.”

With 10:07 left in the second period, Clark scored what proved to be an insurance goal. After Merrimack goal Alex Scanlon made a save with his left leg, he seemed to lose sight of the puck. Clark found it sitting in the crease and tapped it in for a 3-1 lead.

Legro felt the ’Hawks outplayed the Bobcats in the third period, but “didn’t shoot enough and their goalie made some good saves.”

Merrimack returns to the ice on Wednesday when it hosts first-place Bow (10-1-2).

Technorati Tags: boys hockey, Division II, Merrimack, Oyster River, Tomahawks

The Souhegan High School senior used to play other sports – football, baseball, basketball – but a knee injury sent him to the sidelines. Since then, he’s participated in youth bowling leagues, working on his skills in a sport he knows he’ll be able to play for life.

When he heard that the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association was going to add bowling as a sanctioned sport for his final year of high school, Crement had one reaction.

“I was so pumped,” Crement said. “I was ready to go and I was so happy that my school is involved and I’m so happy that they’ve done it. I’ve done this for about five or six years now. It’s a lifetime sport. All these kids here will probably keep bowling for the rest of their lives. I think it’s awesome that they made this league.”

There are a lot of bowlers from Souhegan. At the team’s final home match of the season – Feb. 6 meet at Merrimack 10-Pin – the Sabers had enough bowlers not only for the varsity competition, but to have a full junior varsity match against each other.

Seniors form the majority on Souhegan’s roster this year, but the loss of bowlers to graduation doesn’t have Crement worried about the team’s attempt at future success.

“We’ve got a lot of seniors, but I think they’re going to have a lot of good talent next year because a lot of people at our school didn’t know about it,” he said. “They didn’t get the chance to because they didn’t hear about it. I think there’s going to be a bigger crowd next year.”

One of those expecting to return is sophomore Kathryn Dillon.

A soccer player in the fall, Dillon thought bowling would be a fun way to keep busy during the winter sports season.

“It’s not what I expected,” Dillon said. “I thought it was going to be easy, but there’s a lot more to bowling. It’s been pretty intense. It’s harder than it looks.”

While this year’s state tournament will consist only of an individual competition, schools have still competed in team meets during the regular season.

The match starts off with each school’s varsity bowlers completing two games. The score for each bowler is added up and combined as total score for each school, and teams are seeded according to highest score.

From there, two teams go head-to-head using the Baker System. In that setup, five bowlers from each team take turns bowling two frames, with the first bowler doing frames one and six. The second bowler takes frames two and seven, and so on.

In its final home match, Souhegan earned the top seed, thanks in part to a 201 and 210 from Crement. Hollis/Brookline and Merrimack faced off as the second and third seeds, respectively, while Goffstown and Laconia bowled, with the winner going against the Sabers.

Goffstown topped Laconia, and in the first game against Souhegan, the teams were tied in the eighth and ninth frames. The Sabers eventually pulled out a 116-114 win, and followed it up with a 151-107 victory to advance.

Souhegan and Merrimack met to determine the winner of the match. The teams stayed close until the late frames, and in the 10th, Merrimack’s Jon Gagne blew the game open with three straight strikes to finish off a 167-123 win.

In the second game, it was more of the same as the Tomahawks won, 155-115.

“The team was pumped up to be first,” Crement said. “Against Goffstown we had some good breaks. Against Merrimack, we had some tough breaks, but we went with it. Second place isn’t something to complain about.”

The Sabers have one more regular-season match, on Saturday at Keene, before the state tournament on Feb. 20 at Raymond. The top 32 individuals, according to average, will compete for the individual title, and Crement expects to be in the mix.

“I just hope to bowl well,” he said. “I’ll see what I can do.”

Technorati Tags: bowling, Cavaliers, Hollis/Brookline, Merrimack, Sabers, Souhegan, Tomahawks

Eight Class L championships in a row should do that, right?

The Cardinals won an eighth consecutive Class L indoor track title on Sunday at Dartmouth College, recording 78 points to finish ahead of Manchester Central (66) and Londonderry (55). Merrimack (52) was fourth and Exeter (41) took fifth. Nashua North (23) tied for sixth and Alvirne (six) came in 11th.

BG’s run is the longest such streak in New Hampshire girls indoor track. In state history, only the Nashua High boys indoor track team has a longer streak of consecutive championships, having won 13 in a row from 1959 to 1971, when there was only one classification.

One other indoor program can match the Cardinals’ stretch – the Londonderry boys won eight straight Class L indoor titles from 1995 to 2002. Hanover’s girls outdoor track program also won eight straight Class I titles from 1986 to 1993, while the Nashua boys (1964 to 1971) and the Londonderry boys (1995 to 2002) also won eight straight Class L outdoor titles.

The Cardinals were led by Cecilia Barowski, who finished first in the 55-meter dash (7.4) and the 600 (1:37.46), and was also third in the 300 (42.06). Barowski also teamed with Mary Holleran, Leslie Mei and Sarah Burke to win the 4×400 relay in 4:05.39, setting a Class L record.

The 4×800 team of Leah Ferrara, Meghan Turner, Kaitlin Allen and Burke also finished first (9:48.27). Burke also finished fifth in the 1,000 (3:13.76) and Allen came in sixth (3:13.15) in the same event.

Beth McKenna finished second in 55 hurdles (8.56) and took fourth in high jump (5-2), while Melissa LaCoste took third in high jump (5-2). Courtney Veilleux was also third in 3,000 (10:51.28).

Hannah Moriarty came in fifth in 3,000 (10:58.87) and Holleran finished fifth in long jump (16-4).

Lauren Calvino led Merrimack, winning the 3,000 (10:27.54) and setting a Class L record, to go with a second-place finish in the 1,500 (5:01.3). Kailey Blain finished second in the 55 (7.45), fourth in 300 (42.38) and was third in long jump (16-5 3/4), while Emily Pollard came in second in the 1,000 (3:08.14).

Pollard, Kailey Blain, Taylor Blain and Lauren Pertty were second in the 4×400 (4:05.79).

Nashua North got a first-place finish in the shot put (38-7) from Ivy Muchuma, who was also fourth in the long jump (16-5 3/4). Jen Gagnon also came in sixth in the shot put (33-7 1/4).

Sandra Van Den Heuvel took fourth in the 1,500 (5:04.44) and Louise Van Den Heuvel finished fifth in the 600 (1:44.02)

Alvirne’s 4×200 relay team of Stacie Nuttall, Kristine Rowe, Amanda Roberts and Kendall Brigham finished third in 1:50.53.

Technorati Tags: Alvirne, Bishop Guertin, Broncos, Cardinals, Class L, Merrimack, Nashua North, Nashua South, Panthers, Titans, Tomahawks, track

The Cardinals did enough in the relays to hold off a late Tomahawks’ charge, pulling out an 80-78 win for the school’s first boys indoor track title. Nashua North finished third with 50 points, while Pinkerton (46) came in fourth and Dover (31) was fifth. Nashua South, the defending-champ, came in 10th with 12 points, while Alvirne (two) was 15th.

The battle between the top two teams came down to the final events of the day. The Cardinals got 12 points from Jeff LaCoste and Francis Hernandez in the 1,500-meter run to turn a four-point lead over the Tomahawks into a 16-point lead with two relays left.

Merrimack won the 4×400, while Bishop Guertin failed to place, pulling the Tomahawks within six points. Merrimack finished first in the 4×200, but the Cardinals came in third and the six points was enough to edge the Tomahawks.

Bishop Guertin was led by its distance runners, as Hernandez won the 1,000-meter run (2:31.35), setting a Class L record, and also finished fourth in the 1,500 (4:14.63). Joey Jourdain finished first in the 3,000 (8:47.95) and LaCoste took second in the 1,500 (4:06.73) and third in the 1,000 (2:34.47).

The relay team of Chris Cogliano, Matt Chapman, Brian Donaghy and Brandon Latham also took first in the 4×800, finishing in 8:09.23.

Adam Hall took third in the 55 (6.61) and third in the long jump (20-9 1/4) while Ryan Fitzpatrick was third in the 300 (36.5). Those two teamed with Trent Barillas and Andrew Perrella to finish third in the 4×200 (1:35.41).

Andrew Perez also came in third in the 600 (1:25.93) and Peter Fucci took fifth in high jump (5-6).

Merrimack got a first-place finish from Steve Harshman in the 600 (1:22.2), and he joined Ryan Reagan, Chris Busby, Nicholas Johnson to take third in the 4×800 (8:26.76).

The 4×400 relay team of Reagan, Jonathan Jimenez, Tom Duda and Chaz Myers finished first in 3:31.93, just a second off the Class L record and almost four seconds ahead of second-place Dover. Myers and Jimenez also joined Steve Alario and Brody Williams to win the 4×200 (1:34.51).

Devin Martin won the long jump (21-2) and was third high jump (6-0) while Duda was second in the high jump (6-0) and Chase Distasio finished sixth in the high jump (5-4) and was fifth in the long jump (18-11 3/4).

Alario finished second in the 55 hurdles (8.13) while Williams was sixth in the 55 hurdles (8.37) and John Conlin took third in the 3,000 (8:57.12).

The Titans got two first-place finishes to come in third overall. Kevin Rosenberg took first in the shot put (55-9 1/4), his winning throw nearly eight feet further than second place. Eric Muite also came in first in the 55 hurdles (7.98) while the 4×200 relay team of Andre Williams, Jahmar Gathright, Myles Parker and Luis Tarantino came in second in 1:35.36.

Matt McCarty took second in the 600 (1:22.65) while Parker finished fourth in the 300 (36.65) and Williams came in fifth (36.77). Gathright also was fourth in the long jump (19-3 1/2).

Parker, Williams, McCarty and Mark McHugh came in fourth (3:37.6) in the 4×400 relay.

Ian Parsons led South with a third-place finish in the shot put (45-0) and Aaron Martin came in fifth in the 600 (1:27.13). Martin also teamed with D.J. Fernacz, Brandon O’Donnell and Steve Latina to finish fourth (8:29.24) in the 4×800.

Alvirne got its points from Derek Janko, who finished fifth in the shot put (43-8 1/2).

Technorati Tags: Alvirne, Bishop Guertin, Broncos, Cardinals, Class L, Merrimack, Nashua North, Nashua South, Panthers, Titans, Tomahawks, track

The Cardinals strength is their distance runners, with Francis Hernandez, Joey Jourdain and Jeff LaCoste all seeded in the 600-meter run, 1,000, 1,500 and 3,000. BG should also get some help in the sprints from Adam Hall and Ryan Fitzpartrick, along with three high-seeded relay teams.

Merrimack has a number of high seeds in both jumping events, along with the 55-meter dash and the 55 hurdles. North’s strengths are in the shot put and the sprints.

Defending-champion Nashua South has one of the top shot putters in Ian Parsons, while Alvirne has a highly seeded shot putter of its own in Derek Janko.

The following have qualified for Sunday’s meet:

Bishop Guertin

• Francis Hernandez, 1,000-meter run (1st), 1,500 (1st), 600 (2nd) and 3,000 (2nd).
• Joey Jourdain, 3,000 (1st), 1,500 (4th), 1,000 (7th) and 600 (T14th).
• Jeff LaCoste, 1,500 (3rd), 3,000 (3rd), 1,000 (4th) and 600 (8th).
• Adam Hall, long jump (2nd), 55 (T5th) and 300 (11th).
• Ryan Fitzpatrick, 300 (4th) and 55 (T9th).
• Andrew Perez, 600 (6th) and 300 (6th).
• Peter Fucci, high jump (4th).
• Brett Kana, shot put (15th).
• Brandon Latham, 1,000 (17th).
• BG also has teams in the 4×400 (6th), 4×160 (3rd) and 4×800 (3rd).

Merrimack

• Tim Duda, high jump (3rd) and 55 hurdles (T8th).
• Devin Martin, long jump (3rd), 55 (T9th) and 300 (T12th).
• Steve Harshman, 600 (1st), 1,000 (5th) and 3,000 (10th).
• John Conlin, 1,500 (7th), 1,000 (12th) and 3,000 (12th).
• Steve Alario, 55 hurdles (6th) and shot put (13th).
• Brody Williams, 55 hurdles (7th).
• Jonathan Jimenez, 55 hurdles (13th) and 300 (T14th).
• Julian Dano, 55 (T9th).
• Chaz Myers, 55 (T18th).
• Merrimack also has teams in the 4×400 (1st), 4×160 (4th) and 4×800 (5th).

Nashua North

• Kevin Rosenberg, shot put (1st).
• Eric Muite, 55 hurdles (1st).
• Andre Williams, 300 (2nd) and 55 (4th).
• Myles Parker, 300 (5th) and 55 (T18th).
• Matt McCarty, 600 (3rd) and 1,000 (8th).
• Luis Tarantino, 55 (T9th).
• Tim Coy, shot put (11th).
• North also has teams in the 4×400 (5th), 4×160 (1st) and 4×800 (11th).

Nashua South

• Ian Parsons, shot put (3rd).
• Aaron Martin, 600 (9th).
• D.J. Fernacz, 600 (10th).
• Colin Quinn, shot put (12th).
• South also has teams in the 4×400 (8th), 4×160 (11th) and 4×800 (6th).

Alvirne

• Derek Janko, shot put (5th).
• Luke Mertins, 55 (T18th).
• Alvirne also has teams in the 4×400 (12th), 4×160 (13th) and 4×800 (13th).

Technorati Tags: Alvirne, Bishop Guertin, Broncos, Cardinals, Class L, Merrimack, Nashua North, Nashua South, Panthers, Titans, Tomahawks, track

The Cardinals enter Sunday’s championship meet at Dartmouth College with at least one athlete ranked in the top six of every event but two. That includes three relay teams that are ranked no worse than fourth.

Leading the way is junior Cecilia Barowski, the top seed in the 55-meter dash, the 300 and the 600 and the No. 2 seed in the 1,000. Beth McKenna, Melissa LaCoste, Courtney Veilleux and Kaitlin Allen are also all seeded in the top six of at least one event.

Merrimack and Nashua North could pose the biggest threat to the Cardinals among local teams.

The Tomahawks are led by Kailey Blain, who is seeded in the top five of the long jump, 55 and 300; Lauren Calvino, who is ranked second in both the 1,500 and 3,000; and Emily Pollard, who is seeded fourth in the 1,000 and 600.

Ivy Muchuma is seeded No. 1 in the shot put and second in the long jump for the Titans, while teammate Jen Gagnon is ranked fourth in the shot put.

Alvirne and Nashua South also have a handful of athletes qualified to compete in the championship meet.

The following have qualified for Sunday’s meet:

Bishop Guertin

• Cecilia Barowski, 55-meter dash (1st), 300 (1st), 600 (1st) and 1,000 (2nd).
• Courtney Veilleux, 3,000 (4th), 1,500 (7th), 600 (11th) and 1,000 (16th).
• Kaitlin Allen, 1,500 (6th), 3,000 (6th), 1,000 (T8th) and 600 (14th).
• Beth McKenna, 55 hurdles (T2nd) and high jump (T5th).
• Sarah Burke, 1,000 (7th), 1,500 (11th) and 600 (T12th).
• Melissa LaCoste, high jump (4th).
• Leslie Mei, 300 (7th).
• Hannah Moriarty, 1,500 (10th) and 3,000 (15th).
• Mary Holleran, long jump (11th).
• Leah Ferrara, 1,500 (13th) and 3,000 (15th).
• BG also has teams in the 4×400 (2nd), 4×160 (3rd) and 4×800 (4th).

Nashua North

• Ivy Muchuma, shot put (1st), long jump (2nd) and 55 hurdles (T7th).
• Sandra Van Den Heuvel, 1,500 (5th), 1,000 (6th) and 3,000 (9th).
• Jen Gagnon, shot put (4th).
• Louise Van Den Heuvel, 1,000 (T8th) and 600 (10th).
• Tatiana Escalante, 55 (T7th).
• North also has teams in the 4×400 (12th), 4×160 (10th) and 4×800 (8th).

Merrimack

• Lauren Calvino, 3,000 (2nd), 1,500 (2nd) and 1,000 (5th).
• Emily Pollard, 1,000 (4th), 600 (4th) and 300 (T10th).
• Kailey Blain, 55 (4th), 300 (4th) and long jump (5th).
• Hannah Lynch, long jump (8th).
• Jacqueline DeGrandpre, 3,000 (12th).
• Lauren Perry, 600 (18th).
• Merrimack also has teams in the 4×400 (4th), 4×160 (T6th) and 4×800 (6th).

Alvirne

• Michelle Filadoro, 55 hurdles (T10th).
• Amanda Roberts, long jump (15th).
• Emily LaPlant, 1,000 (17th).
• Kendall Brigham, 300 (T18th).
• Alvirne also has teams in the 4×400 (14th), 4×160 (4th) and 4×800 (10th).

Nashua South

• Caitlin Rush, 600 (T16th).
• South also has teams in the 4×400 (13th) and 4×160 (16th).

Technorati Tags: Alvirne, Bishop Guertin, Broncos, Cardinals, Class L, Merrimack, Nashua North, Nashua South, Panthers, Titans, Tomahawks, track

The Merrimack High School boys basketball team fell on the road to Salem, which has become a giant killer as of late. The one-point win over the Tomahawks marks the second straight Tuesday that the Blue Devils have taken out a team that was previously undefeated; Salem also handed Bishop Guertin its first loss, also by one point.

After Merrimack defeated BG last Friday, coach Tim Goodridge was cautious when talking about his team’s undefeated status, and with good reason.

While the Tomahawks – who were 4-14 in Class L a year ago – were the only unbeaten team through eight games, by no means are they the class of the class.

Merrimack does have double-digit wins over the likes of Manchester West, Manchester Central and Nashua North, but the Tomahawks also beat Spaulding by five, BG by three and Exeter by three.

Friday will be another test for Merrimack, as it hosts Alvirne before heading to Keene on Feb. 9.

Technorati Tags: boys basketball, Class L, Merrimack, Three seconds, Tomahawks

The senior hit the first one to cut Merrimack’s lead to one, but the second bounced off the rim and into a pile in the lane. The jump ball went to the Tomahawks, and Matthew Hardwick made two free throws at the other end to finish off Merrimack’s 58-55 victory over Bishop Guertin in Class L action at the Colligadome on Friday night.

McClung finished with 25 points, including three 3-pointers, for the Cardinals (6-2) to lead all scorers but it was Dimitri Floras, who scored 20 for Merrimack, and Eric Watson, who added 11 markers, who saw their team remain undefeated (8-0).

“This was a great high school experience for young men,” Merrimack coach Tim Goodridge said. “From the onset, this had the billing to be an incredible game, and quite honestly, it turned out to be an incredible game.”

For a game between two of the top teams in Class L, there was just as much news off the court as there was going on it.

The schools posted attendance instructions on their respective Web sites on Wednesday, letting fans know the doors would open at 5 p.m. and a limit of 750 people would be allowed into the gym.

Merrimack students started showing up a little before 3 p.m., and by 4:30, there was a line of about 75 students outside the gym. When the junior varsity game started, the bleachers were already full.

“We came in on the bus at quarter of five tonight and there’s hundreds of people out there,” Goodridge said. “I thought I was on American Idol the way they were screaming. Kids painted their faces. They were just phenomenal.”

But that wasn’t the only story. The Cardinals were not only without Connor Green, who is expected to miss at least two more weeks with an ankle injury, but also coach Jim Migneault. Bishop Guertin athletic director Tony Johnson had no comment on the coach’s absence.

On the court, things went wrong for the Cardinals from the start. Bishop Guertin missed its first nine shots and fell behind 12-2 halfway through the first quarter.

Although the Cardinals cut the lead to seven before the end of the period, the Tomahawks controlled the start of the second as well. Merrimack used a 12-1 run in the first half of the quarter to go up 30-12.

Bishop Guertin cut the lead to 11 before halftime, but was down 14 after a 3-pointer by Watson with 5:47 to play in the third quarter.

And that’s when the Cardinals made their run.

Both teams had scoreless possessions before McClung nailed a 3-pointer to cut the lead back to 11. A Floras basket at the other end made it 42-29 with 4:39 in the quarter, but that would be all the Tomahawks would get until only 9.6 seconds were left.

Bishop Guertin went on a 12-0 run to turn the 13-point deficit into a 42-41 Merrimack lead.

“There was one huddle, we were kind of chirping at each other and Scott St. Lawrence, our captain who I’m really proud of, said look, we’ve got to come together and stop chirping,” said Bishop Guertin coach Marty Edwards, who was filling in for Migneault. “That’s what they did and that’s when the momentum changed.”

A three-point play by Tyler Gendron put Merrimack back up by four as the quarter came to an end. The Tomahawks scored the first two baskets of the fourth quarter to push the lead to eight, but the Cardinals came back again.

“We had the upper hand early on and they came back with a tremendous run,” Goodridge said. “Honestly, it takes something from our kids to withstand something like that. That shows you that we have pretty good character. We did get rattled a little bit and there were some issues, but overall, we kept plugging and plugging.”

Merrimack almost didn’t plug enough. Despite the Tomahawks making 7-of-12 free throws down the stretch, the Cardinals had a chance to win thanks to 3-pointers by St. Lawrence and McClung, who made it a 55-54 game with 21.5 left.

Bishop Guertin sent Watson to the line with 17.3 seconds left. The Merrimack senior made the first, but missed the second and McClung came down with the rebound and brought the ball down the floor.

McClung drew a foul from Watson as he drove to the basket, and after a Merrimack timeout with 7.9 seconds left, he stood at the free throw line, needing to make both to tie the game at 56.

The first shot went down, but the second didn’t, one of 17 missed free throws for the Cardinals.

“Sometimes yes, sometimes no,” Edwards said when asked if foul shots were usually a problem for Bishop Guertin.

The Cardinals also were just 6-of-23 from behind the 3-point line, including 2-of-13 in the first half.

“We’re usually a little more disciplined on that,” Edwards said. “I want to see more passes first, see them rotate it and get the defense out of line so we have weak side offensive rebounding.”

Even with their shooting struggles, the Cardinals were still in a game that will be remembered for its level of intensity.

“Both teams exerted a tremendous amount of energy,” Goodridge said. “To have kids that play at that pace that we were playing in the first half … it was warm in there, and the intensity, to keep that going a whole 32 minutes is hard to do.”

Technorati Tags: Bishop Guertin, boys basketball, Cardinals, Class L, Merrimack, Tomahawks