Bedford boys basketball keeps pressure up to get win over Merrimack (video)

MERRIMACK - There have been a lot of moving parts for the Bedford High School boys basketball team this season, but this week, the Bulldogs have finally been able to find some consistency.

For the first time all year, Bedford had the same starting lineup Wednesday for consecutive games, and with that consistency on the floor, the Bulldogs found a press that's worked well when they've needed it the last couple of contests.

That defensive pressure helped Bedford get out to a commanding lead in the first quarter and then put the game away in the third, as the Bulldogs beat Merrimack 61-46 for their seventh win in eight games in Division I.

Austin Kasyjanski led the way for Bedford (9-4), scoring 15 of his game-high 24 points in the second half, while TJ O'Connell had 12 points, including three 3-pointers, and Sean Toscano came off the bench to also hit three 3s and drop in 11 points.

"This five was the same that started the other night, so this is the first time we’ve had a repeat starting five for two games," Bedford coach Frank Moreno said. "Maybe we’ll stick with this, who knows. It’s been a mix of everything, health, injuries. Sometimes just mixing guys in to find the right fit."

The Bulldogs went into the game looking to slow down Merrimack's Jack Tarleton, one of the state's top scorers. Moreno has tried out different presses for Bedford to use all year, and against the Tomahawks, he implemented a different one.

It worked well, as Merrimack (3-9) turned the ball over on its first three possessions of the game and finished with 19 turnovers, 13 of which came in the first half.

"Early on in the season, I tried different ones," Moreno said. "It wasn’t working. I kind of found this one, which is kind of a three-quarter court (press) and it’s working for us. It allows me to keep the bigs back and keep them out of the trap, so that if they break the first layer, I’ve still got bigs who aren’t scrambling. We’ve only been playing it a couple of games, but it’s starting to work."

Tarleton finished with 13 points to lead the Tomahawks and Jackson Rosa added 11 points while Matthew Valluzi, David Roy and Reese Lopez (two 3s) each had six points.

But the struggles against Bedford's defense put Merrimack in a 10-point hole early in the game, and by the end of the first quarter, the Tomahawks trailed 20-7.

"We got off to a slow start and I think that starts in practice," Merrimack coach Austin Denton said. "We’ve had like five or six guys practice, so it hits there right from the get-go. We were kind of flustered.

"To be down 12 at halftime, with the way we played in the first half, it was brutal."

Bedford took a 30-18 lead into halftime, but Merrimack opened the third quarter with momentum, getting a pair of 3s from Lopez and a basket from Tarleton to twice cut the lead to nine points.

But after the second 3 by Lopez, which made it 35-26 Bedford, the Bulldogs put the press back on, and in the final four minutes of the quarter, outscored Merrimack 12-1.

"They made a bit of a run and I think we got away from the press a little bit," Moreno said. "We said let’s jump on them and see if we can create turnovers again."

Bedford led by as many as 22 points in the final quarter and O'Connell and Kasyjanski turned in the highlight of the night with a little more than three minutes remaining.

O'Connell brought the ball down the court in transition and saw Kasyjanski streaking to the basket. The senior's alley-oop pass was perfect and the sophomore threw it down.

Both teams have big games coming up, as Merrimack will host Bishop Guertin on Friday at 6:30 p.m. while Bedford heads to Goffstown for a 4:30 p.m. start on Saturday.