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# Londonderry girls basketball holds off Pinkerton
- URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/13828/
- Published: 2016-02-07T14:53:16.000Z
- Updated: 2016-02-07T14:53:16.000Z
- Description: Some of the top girls basketball teams in Division I just seem to have bad shooting nights against the Londonderry High School girls this season.
- Author: Joe Marchilena
- Tags: Division I, girls basketball, Londonderry, Pinkerton, slider, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44

LONDONDERRY – Some of the top girls basketball teams in Division I just seem to have bad shooting nights against the Londonderry High School girls this season.

If it keeps happening, Lancers coach Nick Theos told his team, perhaps that poor shooting from the field isn’t by accident.

![Londonderry's Jacklyn Luckhardt gets fouled by Pinkerton's Amanda Lemire.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/bc/58/bc5866d0-9fd9-4113-b959-670d6f16471d/content/images/www-nh-highschoolsports-com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/jmpalongbball020616-p12l13-1.jpg)

Londonderry's Jacklyn Luckhardt gets fouled by Pinkerton's Marissa Stacy.

Londonderry's defense harassed Pinkerton all game Saturday afternoon and the Lancers got just enough offense for a 39-28 win, the ninth time this season Londonderry (11-2) has held an opponent under 40 points.

"I kept telling the kids that if we keep holding top five teams under 30 points, eventually, it's not going to be a bad shooting night for the other team," Theos said. "We work really hard. We're not a perfect team by any stretch, but I know defensively, I'm going to get maximum effort most games."

Jaclyn Luckhardt led the Lancers with 12 points, going 6 of 8 from the free throw line, and along with Kate Balcom and Kat Wells, was at the front of a defense that forced Pinkerton (10-2) into 19 turnovers. Balcom also had seven points while Wells and Ashley Evans each had six points.

"I don't know if it's as noticeable to everybody else as it is to me, but there's not many plays that Kate takes off, or that Jackie takes off, or Kat ... you name the kid, they all work pretty hard, especially defensively," Theos said. "We want to give the impression that we’re pressing without getting ourselves in trouble and giving up layups. You can do it when you have kids like Kate and Jackie."

That trio formed a line at the front of Londonderry's pressure that the Astros struggled to figure out for most of the game. Pinkerton had just 10 points at halftime, but the third quarter was when Londonderry started to pull away.

The Astros scored the first basket of the frame to make it a three-point game, and then missed their next 16 field goal attempts to trail 24-14 going into the fourth.

"Londonderry is always going to play good defense, but we should be able to score more than we’re doing," Pinkerton coach Lani Buskey said. "Credit to them on the defensive end, but discredit to us. We worked on things in practice and we didn’t execute."

Marissa Stacy led the Astros with 11 points, including three 3-pointers, and Courtney Velho added seven points. Pinkerton struggled at the free throw line, shooting 4 of 13, while Londonderry was 15 of 22 at the line.

![Pinkerton's Courtney Velho, right, and Victoria Overko wait for a rebound with Londonderry's Ashley Evans.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/bc/58/bc5866d0-9fd9-4113-b959-670d6f16471d/content/images/www-nh-highschoolsports-com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/jmpalongbball020616-p14p20l21-1.jpg)

Pinkerton's Courtney Velho, right, and Victoria Overko wait for a rebound with Londonderry's Ashley Evans.

Neither team could get much going early in the game, as they each missed their first three shots from the field and turned the ball over a combined five times.

Londonderry finally started the scoring 3:24 into the game and it was tied 4-4 before the Lancers went on an 11-0 run to go up 15-4 with 4:20 left in the second quarter. But Pinkerton scored the final six points of the half and trailed by just five at the break.

A basket by Velho cut the lead to 15-12 but Londonderry answered with two quick baskets to go up 19-12\. Pinkerton went 11:18 without a field goal in the second half, as the Lancers went up 30-16 on a basket by Luckhardt with 4:17 to play.

Shots finally started to fall for the Astros, as they went on a 9-4 run to cut the lead to 34-25 before Londonderry took a timeout with 2:28 to play. Pinkerton fouled Luckhardt after the timeout, and after making the first free throw, the Londonderry senior missed the second.

But the Lancers were able to get the rebound, and after another Pinkerton foul, Wells made two free throws to put Londonderry back up 12 points, 37-25.

"We're not a solid team right now when it comes to execution," Buskey said. "We're not a fundamentally sound team when it comes to the offensive end. What we're having is a one-and-done team and we're not good enough to be that. When the shots fall, great, but when they don't, there's not stellar defense in the world that's going to win the game."

For the season, Londonderry has allowed an average of 34 points per game, and in the last eight games, the Lancers have given up under 40 points seven times.

"We looked a little tired in the fourth," Theos said. "They seemed to do a really good job on the defensive glass. That's a great team, another top five team that had a tough shooting night."