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# Bedford girls basketball storms into D1 title game with big win over Pinkerton
- URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/bedford-girls-basketball-storms-d1-title-game-big-win-pinkerton/
- Published: 2017-03-10T14:09:43.000Z
- Updated: 2017-03-10T14:09:43.000Z
- Description: The Bedford High School girls basketball team is finally playing the way coach Sue Thomas believed it could throughout the season.
- Author: Joe Marchilena
- Tags: Division I, Bedford, girls basketball, Pinkerton, playoffs, slider, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44

MANCHESTER - The Bedford High School girls basketball team is finally playing the way coach Sue Thomas believed it could throughout the season.

It couldn't be coming a better - or more crucial - time.

The No. 3 Bulldogs defense harassed No. 2 Pinkerton Academy for almost all of Thursday's Division I semifinal and the result was a convincing 55-30 win over the Astros at Southern New Hampshire University. The win means Bedford moves on to face No. 1 Bishop Guertin in Saturday's championship game at 2 p.m., also at SNHU.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/bc/58/bc5866d0-9fd9-4113-b959-670d6f16471d/content/images/www-nh-highschoolsports-com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/jmbedpagbball030917-b5p23-1.jpg)

Bedford's Alyson Fillion puts up a shot as Pinkerton's Julia Bousquet defends.

"That's the team we always knew was in there," Thomas said. "They're finally now doing what we thought they'd do. I think it was because we actually played a way different game than we played last time. We moved the ball better, we found the open player more. When you hit a shot or two, it changes everything."

When the teams met in the regular season, Bedford (18-2) trailed by 12 points in the first quarter and didn't make a field goal until the game was almost eight minutes old.

This time around, the Bulldogs put pressure on Pinkerton's ballhandlers - the Astros were again without junior point guard Amanda Lemire - and forced 16 turnovers in the first half on the way to a 32-14 lead.

"I thought my team did what it could and they showed a lot of guts," Pinkerton coach Lani Buskey said. "We were disoriented. The little things, which we usually are successful with, got pushed to the side because we're still trying to figure out the system and try not to make it so chaotic."

Alyson Fillion and Alexis Meservey each had 15 points for the Bulldogs, with Meservey hitting three 3-pointers, while Maddie Blake had 14 points, including three 3s, with three assists and three steals. Mia Roy added four points, five assists and five steals.

As a team, Bedford shot 47.5 percent from the field, including 50 percent from behind the 3-point line, with Meservey and Blake accounting for all six 3s for the Bulldogs.

"I asked Maddie if she was saving it all up for one game," Thomas said. "We knew she could do it, but I don't think she wanted her high school career to end (Thursday). Maddie is playing possessed. Mia Roy, it took her a season to really adjust. Starting point guard is tough, but she's peaking at the right time."

Pinkerton (17-3) got 13 points from Victoria Overko and Brooke Kane added nine points and six rebounds, but the Astros shot just 35 percent from the field and were 4 of 14 at the free throw line.

Bedford took the lead with an 11-0 run in the first quarter, but took control of the game by outscoring Pinkerton 11-0 over the first 2:26 of the second. The run was capped by a 3-pointer by Meservey, with Roy getting the assist, followed by a steal by Roy, who found Meservey for a layup.

"We had a lot of energy and we were pumped up," Roy said. "Coach inspired us and we came out with a lot more fire. We knew we wanted it. Maddie and Alexis hit a ton of 3s. That started the fire. We realized we could shoot just as well and we kept going with it."

The Bulldogs pushed the lead to 24 points midway through the third quarter and Thomas started to empty her bench.

"The whole team played," Thomas said. "I guess it's a thing of mine. They all come to practice and work hard, so if I can get them – and I'm not going to give up a win – but if I can get them in, everyone is going to get in. We plan to be back next year and just that little experience being on this floor, you could tell the younger kids were nervous, but they got some experience at a time where it didn't affect the game."

Pinkerton got the lead down to 18 points early in the fourth quarter, but with the starters back on the floor for Bedford, a quick 7-0 run got it back up to 25 with 4:28 to play.

"I thought my girls came out in the second half and played a better ball game," Buskey said. "But you’ve dug yourself a hole that's just too deep to get out of, especially against Bedford."