Bedford boys basketball survives for OT win against Manchester Memorial (video)

BEDFORD - Frank Moreno knew that his Bedford High School boys basketball team would be in for a battle Saturday afternoon, but maybe not quite like this.

Taking on Manchester Memorial less than 24 hours after both teams had finished up their rivalry games, the Bulldogs got everything they could handle from the Crusaders, and in the end, had just enough.

Bedford rallied from multiple deficits in the second half to get the game into overtime, and after taking a six-point lead in the extra session, survived for a 72-69 win when a last-second 3-pointer from Memorial's Ajow Luwal rattled in and out.

Brady O'Connell led the Bulldogs (9-0 in Division I) with 23 points and Luke Soden had 17, including three 3-pointers. Niko Badoian and Austin Kasyjanski each added 12 points in Bedford's closest game of the regular season.

"You can’t take anyone lightly," Moreno said. "We just didn’t play well. We didn’t have any legs and we didn’t rebound the ball. They were just killing us on the boards, especially in the first half. A lot of second and third chances. We were trying to outjump them and they are just so athletic. They were cleaning the glass on us."

The Bulldogs were coming off a 37-point win over Goffstown on Friday night, while the Crusaders (5-4) dropped a game to Manchester Central, losing a comfortable lead at the end of regulation before falling in overtime.

"I had my first game hangover in a while, the way we lost the game (Friday), up seven with a minute-and-a-half to go," Danny Bryson said. "(Saturday) morning, I texted them and said it’s how you respond to adversity, not how you react. We had two choices and we responded. It’s one of the top teams in the state and we played at their level. It showed where we can be at, but it’s night and day right now."

Bory Bory led the way for Memorial with 18 points and Christian Bilolo added 16 points. Devin Lavallee was also in double figures with 11 points, as was Jack Brooks with 10 markers.

Bedford jumped out to a 10-5 lead early in the first quarter, but Memorial held a 12-6 edge the rest of the frame to take a 17-16 lead at the end of one. The Bulldogs went back in front to open the second and held the lead for most of the quarter until the Crusaders closed the half on a 9-2 run to go up 37-33 at the break.

"(Bryson's) team plays so hard and they just fight," Moreno said. "After the game they had (Friday) night, an overtime loss and a crosstown rival, the fact they came out and played as hard as they did, it’s a testament to how good of a coach he is."

Memorial built the lead up to nine points, 46-37, midway through the third quarter when Bedford's offense started to wake up.

A three-point play and a 3-pointer by O'Connell helped the Bulldogs cut the lead down to three, and a pair of 3s from Logan O'Connell capped a 16-4 run that gave Bedford a 53-50 lead.

"We just focused on, take the press off, put some more pressure on them in the half court, and rebound the basketball," Moreno said of what changed for Bedford. "We got a couple of boards that allowed us to get out in transition. When we rebound, we can run, and when we run, we can do really well."

Memorial came right back, scoring the final four points of the quarter to take a 54-53 lead into the fourth.

"We just kept fighting," Bryson said. "Bedford has a lot of firepower. When we went in at halftime, we were like they’re going to go on a run, we just have to withstand it. It was about maintaining their runs and withstanding their pressure, which we were able to do."

The lead went back and forth over the final eight minutes of regulation, with Memorial going up 61-60 on a 3 by Luwal with 4:07 to play. Kasyjanski tied it with a free throw and then put Bedford on top, 63-61, with a layup, but Bilolo tied it back up on the Crusaders' next possession with 2:19 to play.

Both teams tried to run out the clock, working for the best look, and in the final seven seconds, Bedford got two shots to end the game, but came up short on both to send it to overtime tied at 63.

Baskets by Badoian, Soden and Brady O'Connell to open overtime put the Bulldogs up 69-63. Memorial cut it back down to two points, but with time winding down, the Crusaders were forced to foul.

But up three points with 20.9 seconds left, Badoian missed a pair of free throws and Memorial got the rebound. The Crusaders tried to set up a shot from 3, and the ball eventually found Luwal for a wide-open look.

The junior's shot looked good, but was too strong, as it rattled around before bouncing out of the basket.

"I challenged the bench about a week and a half ago to contribute more and they have," Bryson said. "That miss will go a long way moving forward. You’ve got to believe before you can win, and I think we’re believing now."