Defensive switch helps Merrimack boys basketball beat Londonderry (video)

MERRIMACK - Not many teams could switch to a defense it hasn't practiced all season and play it well enough to win a game.

But not many teams play defense the way the Merrimack High School boys basketball team does.

The Tomahawks trailed Londonderry by eight points Thursday night midway through the second quarter when coach Tim Goodridge decided he'd seen enough.

Merrimack switched from its man-to-man defense to a triangle-and-two, pulled within three points at halftime and opened the third quarter with a 12-2 to beat the Lancers 53-46 in Division I action.

"Defensively, we couldn't play with them in the first half in our man-to-man," Goodridge said. "What saved us was the triangle (defense) and the kids worked hard in it and it worked pretty well.

"It's the first time we've used it all year and we haven't really practiced it much. I do remember we used it against them last year. You try to take their two best scorers away and make the other kids beat us. That's the way it turned out."

Merrimack (9-2) held Londonderry's Jake Coleman and Cole Britting to a combined 11 points, forcing others to try to beat them. And although the Tomahawks turned the ball over 20 times, the Lancers (4-6) were unable to capitalize in the second half, going 5 of 31 from the field.

"The majority of it was in the paint," Londonderry coach Nate Stanton said. "You're not going to win games like that. Merrimack is a very physical team and a tough team. Offensively, we didn't just rely on the 3 like we did against Pinkerton (on Monday), but we missed a lot."

Ian Roberts scored 18 of his game-high 23 points in the second half while Zak Kerr added 12 points and Andrew Wojciak chipped in with nine. Londonderry was led by Nate Gaw, who had 11 points, and Matt Corey added 10 points.

Londonderry took the lead early and held off Merrimack throughout the first quarter to go up 13-11 after one. The Lancers opened the second with an 8-2 run to take their largest lead of the night, 21-13, with 5:48 left before halftime.

The Tomahawks switched to the triangle defense after that and were able to cut the lead down to three going into the break.

"We were down about seven or eight and we were coming off curls and they were going right to the hoop," Goodridge said. "We weren't stepping in. They were quicker than we were and we had to figure something out. We were lucky that (the defensive switch) worked for us."

Merrimack went on a 12-2 run to open the second half, going up 38-31 on a putback by Ian Cummings. A basket by Cam MacDonald (nine points) ended Londonderry's scoring drought and the Lancers were able to stay within six points going into the fourth.

But every time Londonderry would cut into the lead, Merrimack had an answer at the other end. A 3-pointer by Gaw was followed by a putback by Kerr early in the fourth, and a 3 by Corey with 1:55 to play that made it a three-point game was answered by a three-point play by Roberts.

"It happens when you miss an assignment rebounding against them and you give them three opportunities and all of a sudden it's an and-one," Stanton said. "(Merrimack's defense) slowed us down, but we were open in the middle and that's where we had most of our shots and didn't capitalize. Those situations, where other guys need to step up, and unfortunately the ball wouldn't drop."

Londonderry has a quick turnaround, as it will host Pinkerton at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, while Merrimack is off until Feb. 12, when it hosts Alvirne.