> ## 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. # Bishop Guertin girls basketball storms back in second half to beat Bedford - URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/bishop-guertin-girls-basketball-storms-back-in-second-half-to-beat-bedford/ - Published: 2021-01-18T15:31:31.000Z - Updated: 2021-01-18T15:31:31.000Z - Description: BEDFORD - There was only major change made by the Bishop Guertin High School girls basketball team Sunday afternoon, and it had nothing to do with adjustments to the game plan. The Cardinals picked up their intensity after halftime, and following a first half full of foul trouble, they were able to - Author: Joe Marchilena - Tags: Division I, Bedford, Bishop Guertin, girls basketball, slider, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44 BEDFORD - There was only major change made by the Bishop Guertin High School girls basketball team Sunday afternoon, and it had nothing to do with adjustments to the game plan. The Cardinals picked up their intensity after halftime, and following a first half full of foul trouble, they were able to utilize their full rotation against Bedford to come back from a 21-point deficit in the third quarter for a 69-64 win over the Bulldogs. After Bedford (0-1) took a 51-30 lead with 5:05 left in the third quarter, Bishop Guertin (2-0) outscored the Bulldogs 30-3 to take a 60-54 lead with 2:38 to play. And when Bedford's offense woke up in the final minutes, the Cardinals went 11 of 12 from the free throw line to hang on for the win. "They picked up their intensity," Bishop Guertin coach Brad Kreick said. "It wasn’t pretty in the second half, but they picked up their intensity. Started playing better defense, started running, we got back into our rotation. We were in huge foul trouble in the first half. "Having kids come in against a very good basketball team and keep scrapping, I’m really proud of them. They just kept competing." Meghan Stack scored 11 of her 14 points in the second half after sitting for the final 12:29 of the first half with two fouls, while Olivia Murray also had 14 points, including 12 of 15 from the free throw line. The sophomore was 8 of 8 at the line in the game's final 2:38. Bedford freshman Lana McCarthy led all scorers with 22 points while Isabella King added 20 points, but pair combined for just 10 points in the second half. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/bc/58/bc5866d0-9fd9-4113-b959-670d6f16471d/content/images/www-nh-highschoolsports-com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/jmbgbedgbball011721-g15-1wm.jpg) Bishop Guertin's Meghan Stack puts up a shot during Sunday's game. "We had that game and we gave it up," Bedford coach Kevin Gibbs said. "They did a lot of good things out there, but getting away from a lot of things that were successful for us in the first half allowed them back into the game. "The kids felt strong about what they were doing, and you can’t knock that, but we were getting away from what made us successful in the first half." Bedford went inside to McCarthy to open the game, as she scored six points early and drew both fouls on Stack. With her and Kailee McDonald on Bishop Guertin's bench with two fouls each for most of the first half, the Bulldogs were able to take advantage. The Bulldogs led 24-9 at the end of the first quarter and took their largest lead of the game, 41-19, on a jump shot by King with 3:13 remaining until halftime. The Cardinals closed the gap before the break, but Bedford still led 46-28. "I don’t remember being in a situation like that," Kreick said. "All the credit to the kids. We made one minor adjustment in terms of how we were running our press and it helped. It wasn’t about coaching. It was about a bunch of kids putting their head down and grinding it out in the second half." Bishop Guertin got within 14 points to start the third quarter, but a pair of baskets by McCarthy helped put Bedford up 51-30\. The Cardinals answered right away on a 3-pointer by Catelyn Wheeler (nine points), and after a couple of empty possessions at both ends, Bishop Guertin started chipping away at Bedford's lead. A basket by Brooke Paquette (13 points) made it 51-35, and a pair of baskets by Stack - sandwiched around a layup by King - made it 53-39\. McDonald added a pair of free throws and Stack scored again to get Bishop Guertin within 10 points before McCarthy hit one of two free throws to give Bedford a 54-43 lead going into the fourth. "I feel like after we scored a couple of baskets, and the bench was getting hyped, everyone was into the game," Paquette said. "The bench cheering, it helps the people on the court, it makes them more pumped up." The Cardinals held the Bulldogs scoreless for the first 5:38 of the quarter, going on a 17-0 run to start the frame. A three-point play by Murray got Bishop Guertin within one, and after King fouled out on a charge with 3:47 to play, Paquette scored to give the Cardinals their first lead since early in the game. McDonald followed with a 3-pointer and Murray hit a pair of free throws to give Bishop Guertin a 60-54 lead. "We knew they were going to come back at us," Gibbs said. "They’re not a team that’s going to lay down. We told the kids what we were going to see and we saw exactly what we expected. We got away from the things that were succeeding for us in the first half." Stack fouled out on Bedford's next possession and Sophia LeGoullon hit a pair of free throws for the Bulldogs' first points of the quarter, making it a four-point game. The Cardinals kept hitting their free throws and went up 68-60 with 32.1 seconds to go, but Bedford wasn't done. A pair of quick baskets got the Bulldogs within four points with 13.3 seconds remaining, but Paquette made one of two free throws with 9.9 seconds left to close out the win. "We were down 20 (points) or something like that," Paquette said. "We knew it was sloppy and we needed to get it back (on track). Bedford is a tough competitor, but we had to put it all out there like we did in the second half."