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# Bedford girls basketball bounces back with win over Portsmouth (video)
- URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/bedford-girls-basketball-bounces-back-with-win-over-portsmouth-video/
- Published: 2019-02-16T14:41:24.000Z
- Updated: 2019-02-16T14:41:24.000Z
- Description: BEDFORD - The Bedford and Portsmouth high school girls basketball teams went into Friday's game with identical records, and coming off a loss that snapped a long win streak their last time out. While it didn't start off looking like a game between two evenly-matched teams, it turned into one. Bedfor
- Author: Joe Marchilena
- Tags: Division I, Bedford, girls basketball, Portsmouth, slider, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44

BEDFORD - The Bedford and Portsmouth high school girls basketball teams went into Friday's game with identical records, and coming off a loss that snapped a long win streak their last time out.

While it didn't start off looking like a game between two evenly-matched teams, it turned into one.

Bedford got out in front early and held a 12-point lead at halftime thanks to its zone defense and tenacity on the offensive boards, but Portsmouth responded, making it a two-point game twice in the second half before the Bulldogs pulled away for a 49-43 victory.

Both times the Clippers got within a basket, they were unable to get a stop at the other end, and Bedford went 6 of 7 at the free throw line down the stretch to put the game away.

"The intensity was there almost the entire night," Bedford coach Kevin Gibbs said. "They are a very united group and they are on a mission. They know they can compete with everybody is we bring our A-game."

Isabella King came off the bench to lead the Bulldogs (13-3) with 12 points, while Allison Morgan and Elizabeth Stevenson each added 11 points, as the pair played the entire game for Bedford.

"Alli is such a tough matchup," Portsmouth coach Tim Hopley said. "We talked about how we would handle her. She can shoot the ball like she did in the first half, and when she doesn’t shoot, she dribble penetrates like she does.

"With Stevenson and King, those are shooters, and not even taking into account the two bigs who can step out and face up. They’re matchup problems in their own regard."

Livi Kozick scored nine of her 11 points in the second half to lead Portsmouth (12-4) while Ava Karlin added nine markers and Abbe Laurence chipped in with eight.

The game was tied at 9 late in the first quarter when Morgan hit a 3-pointer with 15.7 seconds left to give Bedford the lead going into the second. The basket started the Bulldogs on a 14-2 run that saw them go up 23-11 on a three-point play by Catherine Penick.

On that possession, Bedford grabbed five offensive rebounds, one of a handful of offensive trips where the Bulldogs were able to get multiple opportunities in the first half.

"We’re a strong rebounding team," Gibbs said. "A lot of teams rebound well because they’re big, but we rebound well because we have a nose for the ball, we have kids who are watching the flight of the ball. One of our top three or four rebounds is (Morgan) because she’s always in there, sneaking in, because people aren’t checking for her."

Down 12 points at halftime, it was something that Hopley stressed to the Clippers during the break.

"It was a matter of want, and in the first half, they clearly wanted it way more than we did," he said. "It took us too long to respond to it. The second half we competed, we played hard, we were much more physical. The first half we ran away from it and we dug ourselves a 12-point hole. We came out and were a lot more physical, we rebounded the ball much better than we did (in the first half)."

Portsmouth opened the second half with a 16-6 run, getting two 3s from Karlin, to get back into it. A three-point play by Kozick - on a possession where the Clippers got three offensive rebounds of their own - made it a 36-34 game with 1:54 left in the third.

Laurence was called for a foul at the other end and Morgan made both free throws to make it a four-point game. A 3-pointer by Stevenson to open the fourth quarter made it a 7-0 run for Bedford and got the lead back to nine at 43-34.

The Clippers answered with a 7-0 run of their own, with a basket by Laurence making it 43-41 with 2:31 to play. After a timeout, Kozick fouled Kendra Barnard, and the Bedford senior made both free throws to make it a four-point game again.

"We needed one more stop," Hopley said. "I don’t know that we ever got it to two (points) and had the ball. We were that close, but that’s one of the things we’re going to have to learn."