Bishop Guertin girls basketball comes back in second half to beat Nashua North

NASHUA - The Bishop Guertin High School girls basketball team learned a lesson Tuesday night, whether it wanted to or not.

The Cardinals, winners of 14 straight games, held just a one-point lead over Nashua North at halftime and trailed by two early in the third quarter.

But Bishop Guertin regrouped thanks to its depth and held the Titans to just 14 points in the second half on the way to a 58-34 win in Division I action.

Meghan Cramb led all scorers with 18 points while Erin Carney was also in double figures with 14, as Cardinals coach Brad Kreick went deep into his bench to find a combination that would work. Eight different players scored for Bishop Guertin (15-1)

"You can't take anything for granted," Kreick said. "You've got to show up and play every game. I guess now is a better time to learn that lesson than 10 days from now in the tournament. We learned a lesson."

Alana Choate led North (9-8) with 10 points and Arianna Motivala and Isabel Dunning each chipped in with eight.

"This is what you want to see at the end of the year," North coach Christina Collins said. "In the first half, we did a really nice job breaking their press and we just worked hard from one end of the court to the other. We got to the loose balls, we took care of the ball. Second half, we started making more turnovers. We didn't do as well breaking the press."

After the Titans took a 25-23 lead in the third quarter, Bishop Guertin outscored them 15-4 over the rest of the frame to take a nine-point lead into the fourth.

"In the middle of the second quarter, we were just trying to find five kids who could make plays," Kreick said. "We were having a heck of a time. We found a little bit of a rhythm and just stayed with that group because it was working. You look up and we're up 15. Big lesson for everybody, you've just got to be ready to play."

The Cardinals have one more big one before the end of the regular season, as they travel to Derry to face Pinkerton on Friday. The winner of that game will be the No. 1 seed in the D1 playoffs.

"I think that Pinkerton team is a very good basketball team," Kreick said. "They're well-coached. The thing that jumps out at you is that they don't beat themselves. They take good shots, they take care of the ball, they rebound, they play solid defense. If you are going to beat that team, you are going to have to beat them. They aren't going to beat themselves."

North finishes up its schedule with a trip to Concord, which has lost 13 of its last 14 games, also on Friday. A win for the Titans would secure a home playoff game in the first round, while a loss could mean playing on the road.

"This game, it shows them we're right there with everyone else," Collins said. "There are more developed teams who have more girls, but it shows them we're not out of it, no matter where we are in the standings."