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# Changes taking place, but Bedford girls basketball continues to win
- URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/changes-taking-place-bedford-girls-basketball-continues-win/
- Published: 2018-01-19T14:30:30.000Z
- Updated: 2018-01-19T14:30:30.000Z
- Description: There are all kinds of different things going on for the Bedford High School girls basketball team this season. For example, the Bulldogs typically only go to a zone defense when they're leading by a lot in the second half of games. But there they were, at the start of Tuesday's 48-43 win over Bisho
- Author: Joe Marchilena
- Tags: Division I, Bedford, Bishop Guertin, girls basketball, NH High School Sports Insider, slider, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44

There are all kinds of different things going on for the Bedford High School girls basketball team this season.

For example, the Bulldogs typically only go to a zone defense when they're leading by a lot in the second half of games.

But there they were, at the start of Tuesday's 48-43 win over Bishop Guertin, falling back into the zone, and it worked well enough, Bedford stayed in it the entire game.

An 11-0 run that spanned the third and four quarters gave Bedford a 38-27 lead, but the Cardinals came back with an 11-0 run of their own to tie the game. It never seemed to faze the Bulldogs (8-0 in Division I), as they came right back and retook the lead twice before pulling away for the win.

"This is new for my team," Bedford coach Sue Thomas said. "I can’t explain it, it’s these 12 kids. They have this thing, they are out to win. We said in the locker room, it’s just a regular-season game. Win or lose, it’s just another game, and we’ll be fine.

"We knew it would be tough and we knew a lot of people would be here. We wanted to give the people who came a really good girls basketball game. That was a really good basketball game."

Aside from the comeback by Bishop Guertin (5-4) in the fourth quarter, there were seven ties and seven lead changes. The Cardinals led for most of the first half and took a 22-20 lead into the break on a 3-pointer by Bri Wilcox with 22.4 seconds left in the half.

But that zone defense - and Bedford's length - gave the Cardinals trouble all night, as they struggled to get to the basket and turned the ball over 23 times.

"Their length bothered us a little bit," Bishop Guertin coach Brad Kreick said. "We had seen them a little bit in some zone, and I think we were prepared for it. We had stretches where we did fine against it and we had stretches where we didn’t take care of the ball. We didn’t hit shots.

"I think it’s execution and being fundamentally sound. Continue to attack the basket, even against the zone, when the tendency is to sit back and take shots. I think we might have had a couple of stretches where we might have settled too much."

With Mia Roy, who had seven steals, and Allison Morgan at the top of the zone, the Bulldogs were able to get in the passing lanes down low thanks to the length of Clare Driscoll, Alexa Dyer, Kendra Barnard and Amanda Jonas.

"We usually play a zone if we’re winning by a lot," Thomas said. "(Assistant coach) Kevin Gibbs and I have watched film, we’ve seen (Bishop Guertin) play, and we’ve seen that they’re slashers. They want to drive and slash and go to the hole. We’re a little too big to do that. They’re quicker than we are, we’re bigger than they are. I decided this week we’re going to play a zone and it worked out really well. Will you see it again soon? Probably not."

Dyer finished with a team-high 13 points, as eight different players scored for the Bulldogs. Neither is new for Bedford this season, as it's been a different player stepping up each night.

"If you look at our shooting percentages through the first eight games, I think our top six players all score within a point of each other," Thomas said. "Generally speaking, we’re really balanced. It would be hard for someone on this team to score a thousand points because of how balanced we are."

The schedule lightens over the next few weeks, as Bedford's next six opponents are a combined 18-25, with only Manchester Central currently with a winning record. But the stretch run gets tough, with three of the final four games against Manchester Memorial (6-0), Pinkerton (4-1) and Winnacunnet (6-1).

"Right from the beginning of the school year, the seniors have brought everyone together," Thomas said. "It’s a true team, from one to 12, they all get along and they do things together. The seniors have been there and they just want to do it this year. It’s all coming from them. I don’t have to motivate them. It’s fun to coach them."