Cox's putback gives Londonderry boys basketball win over Winnacunnet in D1 quarterfinal

LONDONDERRY – The moment was not too big for Jackson Cox on Friday evening.

The sophomore guard for the Londonderry High School boys basketball team tallied the game-winning putback in the paint with 4.5 seconds left, as the fourth-seeded Lancers rallied from a pair of 12-point, third-quarter deficits for a 42-40 triumph over fifth-seeded Winnacunnet in the quarterfinals of the Division I tournament.

The Lancers (16-4) appeared to be in dire straits with 3:26 left in the fourth, as a pair of free throws by Warriors senior forward Jack Schaake (11 points) gave Winnacunnet a 39-31 lead. The Lancers fired back and ended the game on an 11-1 surge, and in a crucial moment, Schaake, who was a force in the paint all night long, fouled out for the visitors with 2:27 left.

Lancers senior forward James Buttafuoco pulled the hosts even at 40-40 with 58 seconds, stealing the ball on the defensive end, and then following up his own miss at the rim on the offensive side.

Junior guard Cole Keegan (12 points in the second half) tallied a huge steal with 45 seconds left for Londonderry. On the final possession, senior guard Ethan May rose up for a right-side jumper that rimmed out, but Cox (team-high 13 points) leaped into the paint, getting his hands on the ball in traffic and flicking it through the hoop with 4.5 seconds left.

“It was really just about position,” said Cox about his game-winning shot. “Everybody boxed out and that was what opened up the lane for me. I had a perfect opportunity right over the man.”

Senior guard Benjamin Allen (game-high 15 points), who had a phenomenal all-around game, organizing the Warriors’ offense and keeping the team calm down the stretch, had a chance to force overtime with a driving layup at the buzzer, but the attempt was off the mark and the Londonderry faithful erupted.

“When I called a timeout with three-and-a-half minutes left we talked about one possession at a time,” Londonderry coach Nate Stanton said. “We got fouled and went to the foul line, and we defended pretty well. We got a couple key steals and we came down and capitalized. We go over situations a lot in practice, and a couple of those plays worked down the stretch (Friday), which is great.”

Next on the Lancers’ journey will be the semifinal round against top-seeded Exeter at the University of New Hampshire on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. Exeter, which defeated ninth-seeded Alvirne, 73-50, in the quarterfinals, protected its home court, 60-49, against Londonderry on Feb. 19.

The first half between Londonderry and Winnacunnet featured no rhythm, along with a great deal of missed shots and turnovers. May gave the hosts a 9-6 lead at the end of one on a left-side, pull-up jumper with 34 seconds left.

Both teams left it all out on the court from an effort standpoint, as they both crashed the boards hard, played a ferocious brand of defense and got on the floor for loose balls. Winnacunnet’s defense made a huge statement in the second quarter, not allowing Londonderry to score for the first 6:35 and a total of 7:09 going back to the first quarter.

A tip-in by Jack Schaake off a missed foul shot with 1:58 left in the half gave the visitors a 15-9 lead, and then an outstanding give-and-go play featuring Allen and junior guard Jordan Fuller resulted in an easy layup for Allen with 45 seconds left, pushing the advantage up to 17-11. Winnacunnet led, 18-13, at halftime.

There were some anxious moments in the third for the Lancers, as the Warriors continued locking down on defense, especially on the interior, and looked really sharp on the offensive end with their patience and ball movement. A steal on defense and a layup on offense by sophomore guard Lucas Schaake put the visitors up 28-16 with 5:06 on the clock. Allen finished a driving layup with 3:42 remaining, as Winnacunnet had a 30-18 edge.

A runner by Keegan with 23 seconds left in the third for Londonderry ended a 6-0 run and brought the group to within 31-26. Two foul shots by Allen with 3.3 seconds left sent the Warriors into the fourth with a 33-26 cushion.

“It was a tough game,” May said. “We came out strong in the first, and then the second and third quarter was not great for us but we came back, fought hard, played defense and played for each other. That is what has won us games this year.”

The Lancers trimmed the deficit down to 35-31 with 4:54 remaining in the game on a foul shot by Keegan, and then four straight points by Winnacunnet gave it a 39-31 lead with 3:26 left, setting the stage for the highly-entertaining final minutes.

“I am going to enjoy this one (Friday),” Stanton said. “This is a very big win against a very good and well-coached team. We are going to enjoy it right now.”