Bishop Guertin boys basketball knocks off another rival, beats Alvirne in D1 quarterfinals

HUDSON - The last two weeks have been an intense ride for the Bishop Guertin High School boys basketball team.

The Cardinals finished the regular season with games against rivals Nashua South and Nashua North, before playing both again in the postseason. Wins over both set up another playoff rivalry game, this time Saturday at Alvirne.

After a first half of back-and-forth basketball, Bishop Guertin created some separation before halftime on a pair of 3-pointers by Dylan Santosuosso and the senior added three more in the third quarter to help the Cardinals knock off the Broncos 54-40 in the Division I quarterfinals.

The win sends Bishop Guertin to the semifinals for the first time since 2013, when the Cardinals reach the title game for the second time in three years. They'll take on Londonderry, which beat Timberlane on Saturday, at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Oyster River High School.

"We had five emotional games in a row," Bishop Guertin coach John Fisher said. "South, North, South, North, Alvirne. Not only are we equally matched with those teams, but it’s been a difficult game every night. A lot of emotion.

"You know Alvirne is going to play well. They’re a very good team, very well-coached. It was back and forth. Thankfully a couple of shots fell toward the end."

Quite a few of those shots came from Santosuosso, who helped send Bishop Guertin (17-4) into halftime with a five-point lead, and finished with a game-high 17 points. Eight players scored for the Cardinals, with Javari Ellison coming off the bench to add nine points and Jordan Robichaud had seven points.

Alvirne (8-6) got 15 points from Liam O'Neil while Jacob Hibbard had 12 points, including three 3-pointers, and Brendan Graham added 11 points, but only one other player scored for the Broncos.

"They were the better team and they deserved to win," Alvirne coach Marty Edwards said. "They have athletes that really share the ball and play together. I hope they move on."

Which team would do that wasn't clear early, as both teams started strong. The lead changed hands nine times in the first quarter, with a 3 by Hibbard and a layup by O'Neil - the first consecutive baskets by either team - gave the Broncos a 14-10 lead after one.

The Cardinals opened the second quarter with a 9-0 run to take a 19-14 lead on a 3-pointer by Ellison, one of two for the sophomore. Alvirne cut the lead to two when Santosuosso hit his first 3 with 1:39 left in the half, but Hibbard answered with a 3 of his own on the next possession.

Bishop Guertin took a timeout with a minute remaining, and with 35 seconds on the clock, Santosuosso hit from long range again, giving the Cardinals a 25-20 lead that they took into halftime.

"I was just feeling it," Santosuosso said. "If felt good to hit that last 3, too, to put us up five (points). That was big momentum for us because now we’re up five going into the second half. The bench energy was amazing."

The momentum carried into the third quarter, as four of the Cardinals' first five baskets in the second half came from behind the 3-point line. Santosuosso and Ellison hit back-to-back 3s, making it 39-26 Bishop Guertin with 2:11 remaining in the quarter.

A basket by Charlie Thomas and another 3 from Hibbard cut the lead to single digits, but a put back by Robichaud as time expired gave the Cardinals a 41-31 lead going into the fourth. Bishop Guertin led by as many as 16 in the final eight minutes.

"On any given night, I think we can play with people," Fisher said. "There’s so much parody at the top, including all these teams in the Nashua area. Every night is a difficult game. Five emotional games in a row is a lot. I think it helps us a lot. I’m going to give them (Sunday) off and go back at it on Monday."

The Cardinals will prepare for Wednesday's semifinal against Londonderry. The winner will take on the winner of the other semifinal between Trinity and Winnacunnet on Saturday in the championship game.