> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Bedford girls basketball rolls into D1 title game with win over Portsmouth (video) - URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/bedford-girls-basketball-rolls-into-d1-title-game-with-win-over-portsmouth-video/ - Published: 2024-03-06T18:20:46.000Z - Updated: 2024-03-06T18:20:46.000Z - Description: EXETER - After one quarter of Tuesday night's Division I semifinal, the Bedford High School girls basketball team was in need of a quick fix. The biggest thing the Bulldogs changed was how they were talking to each other. Top-seeded Bedford improved its communication on defense and focused on play - Author: Joe Marchilena - Tags: Division I, girls basketball, Londonderry, Portsmouth, slider, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44 EXETER - After one quarter of Tuesday night's Division I semifinal, the Bedford High School girls basketball team was in need of a quick fix. The biggest thing the Bulldogs changed was how they were talking to each other. Top-seeded Bedford improved its communication on defense and focused on playing the way it wanted to play, and after trailing by nine late in the first quarter, the Bulldogs went on a 20-0 run to take control on the way to a 62-35 win over No. 4 Portsmouth at Exeter High School. Bedford moves on to the D1 title game for the fourth year in a row, where it will face No. 2 Pinkerton, which beat No. 3 Londonderry in the other semifinal. The championship game will be held at Lundholm Gymnasium at the University of New Hampshire either Saturday or Sunday. After a 12-2 run gave the Clippers their largest led of the game late in the opening frame, it looked like the Bulldogs (20-0) could be in trouble. A basket by Sarah Muir to end the quarter got Bedford some momentum and it more than carried over into the second. "We let their defensive pressure knock us off our balance," Bedford coach Kevin Gibbs said. "We were not playing our game offensively and we were tight defensively. That was the reset and you saw the results of it in the second quarter. We reestablished what we wanted to do. We got back to playing the way we wanted to play on both sides of the floor." Bedford held Portsmouth (17-4) scoreless for the first seven minutes of the second quarter and limited the Clippers to just 19 points over the final three. A big part of that was the improved communication on the defensive end. "I think the only thing that changed was that we started talking more (on defense)," Bedford senior Lana McCarthy said. "They set a lot of down screens and move a lot, so talking helps us handle that better." McCarthy led all scorers with 18 points while Muir and Lyla Stein each added 12 points. The Bulldogs hit five 3-pointers as a team, helping to overcome a 5 for 13 performance at the free throw line. Portsmouth got 11 points from Margaret Montplaisir and 10 from Avery Romps while Mackenzie Lombardi scored five of her six points in the first quarter. It was a slow start offensively for both teams and Bedford led 5-4 after a free throw by Muir with 3:19 left in the opening quarter. That's when the Clippers made their move, getting a 3-pointer and a basket from Romps to take a 9-5 lead. Lombardi added a 3 moments later, forcing Bedford to take a timeout, and after a basket by Annie Zink, Montplaisir scored to make it 14-7 Portsmouth in the final minute. An offensive foul on McCarthy got the Clippers' crowd fired up and Bridget Emery scored to give Portsmouth a 16-7 lead. Muir answered that basket before the end of the quarter, but the Bulldogs still trailed by seven. "They always have a loud student section and that got in our heads a little," McCarthy said. "We knew we had to lock in because this game will make or break your season. "They’re a big and aggressive team. We knew if we did the little things right, we could eliminate a lot of their second chances as well as push our own transition and we scored a lot that way." McCarthy did that right away in the second quarter, scoring on a putback and then getting a steal at the other end. A transition basket by Muir and a 3 by Fink tied the game at 16 and forced a Portsmouth timeout. But the Clippers turned the ball over out of the timeout and Mel McCarthy scored to continue the run. By the time it was done, Bedford led 27-16. It was a 10-point game at halftime and Montplaisir scored to make it 30-22 to open the third quarter, but responded with the next eight points to go up 38-22\. The Bulldogs held the Clippers scoreless for almost four minutes before Montlplaisir scored again. "Our defense is really huge," Gibbs said. "We’ve allowed on average less than 30 points per game. The better teams are obviously going to get more points, but the kids take pride in their defense. They have absorbed all that we’ve thrown at them." Bedford's lead was 49-27 at the end of the third quarter and never dipped below 19 points the rest of the way.