Backcourt duo gives Bedford girls basketball edge in experience

There are many high school basketball coaches would love to have a four-year varsity player on the roster.

Having two such players would be a dream come true. Having two such players, who have contributed significant minutes from the first day as freshmen, is the stuff of fantasy.

Bedford girls basketball coach Sue Thomas lives that dream every day with senior guards Bri Purcell and Nikki Tucci.

"I have a luxury," Thomas said. "And the good thing is, they play different positions. There really is no competition in that regard. They share the court and they've become really good team leaders. The whole team votes for captains, and for the second year in a row, they were both overwhelming vote-getters. The team looks up to them."

And with good reason, as Purcell and Tucci both played key roles during Bedford's championship run in 2013. With the Bulldogs off to a 7-0 start in Division I this year, the pair - along with fellow senior Courtney O'Connell - have a career record of 67-4.

But after that title as freshmen, Bedford has come up short the last two seasons. The Bulldogs saw their undefeated season end in the championship game in 2014, and last year, they were again the No. 1 seed, but were knocked out in the quarterfinals.

"It's kind of like book ends," Purcell said. "We want to open big and end with it. Because we started so successfully, we thought we could do this every year. We've come so close every year."

Playing together since second grade has made Tucci and Purcell close on the court, to the point that they know what the other is going to do almost before it happens.

"Over the years, we've learned each others' tendencies and we know each others' strengths and weaknesses," Tucci said. "As teammates, we've grown up helping each other, and on the court, we've been playing our hardest. It's just really fun."

For Purcell, Bedford's point guard, knowing where Tucci, the shooting guard, will usually be makes distributing the ball a whole lot easier.

"I know as I'm driving, if I don't have a layup, I know she'll be moving to an open spot and I can find her there," Purcell said. "We know where each other is going to be."

With both girls playing in Bedford's backcourt with such consistency for the same amount of time, it sometimes seems to Thomas that Tucci and Purcell are looked at as a single commodity rather than two outstanding players. Coaches in Division I last year took notice of both, voting both the division's first-team.

"If they were on individual teams, they'd probably get more accolades," Thomas said. "They're always looked at as Bri and Nikki and Nikki and Bri. They're very different people, but I could say a lot of the same things about them.

"I was thrilled that they both made first-team all-state (last year). They both deserved it. One shouldn't be out because of the other. Six make it and for both of our guards to make is an honor."

Along with trying to improve on the court to reach that goal of a championship, both players have jumped at the opportunity to groom the teammates that will follow them down the road.

"I like it because I like seeing the younger players, knowing we can help them," Purcell said. "We know they look up to us and we want to provide the most positive energy so when we leave, it will continue with the team."

Thomas has noticed that difference over the years, as both have gotten better at leading the team in her own way.

"The games have gotten better, but the maturity they bring to it," she said. "They know this year they are the leaders. They're not loud about it, they just do their thing. They rally the girls and their good about picking players up.

"They've always been up there, and they saw, if you let down a little, someone is always out there to get you. They've been practicing harder this year. They've come in with this attitude. And it's not about going undefeated in the regular season. That's not a goal. Our goal is to get back to Southern New Hampshire and got as far as we can go."

Bedford faces a challenge Thursday night, as it will host Londonderry at 6:30 p.m.