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# Composure, confidence helped Hollis Brookline girls basketball withstand John Stark comeback in D2 final
- URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/composure-confidence-helped-hollis-brookline-girls-basketball-withstand-john-stark-comeback-in-d2-final/
- Published: 2018-03-12T18:57:47.000Z
- Updated: 2018-03-12T18:57:47.000Z
- Description: When Jillian Douzanis made a pair of free throws Friday night to give the John Stark High School girls basketball team its first lead of the Division II championship game, Hollis Brookline's Joanna Balsamo didn't panic. There was still more than 10 minutes left to be played in the final, and it had
- Author: Joe Marchilena
- Tags: Division II, championship, girls basketball, Hollis Brookline, John Stark, NH High School Sports Insider, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44

When Jillian Douzanis made a pair of free throws Friday night to give the John Stark High School girls basketball team its first lead of the Division II championship game, Hollis Brookline's Joanna Balsamo didn't panic.

There was still more than 10 minutes left to be played in the final, and it had taken the Cavaliers the same amount of time to build a double-digit lead in the first half.

Balsamo knew it wouldn't be easy for No. 3 HB, but it wasn't impossible.

"There was so much time," the HB senior said. "I knew we got up big in the beginning, so I knew we could do it again. I was nervous for a second. When we were on the court, we played our game and we played like we normally do."

After falling behind for the only time on Friday, the Cavs outscored No. 13 John Stark 19-7 the rest of the way, turning the ball over just once, while holding the Generals to just one field goal over the game's final 11 minutes.

The 54-43 victory for HB was the first in a championship game in the program's history, and in the first half, it looked like it would be a runaway. The Cavs led by as many as 16 points in the first half and were doing a great job of mixing up the defensive looks they had been giving the Generals.

"Zone on a score, man-to-man on a miss, and that kind of kept them off balance," HB coach Bob Murphy said of the defense the Cavs had been playing. "We came in at halftime and thought we had them right where we wanted them. I thought we’d just increase the lead in the second half.

"We changed defenses to what I thought our stronger defense was, which was man-to-man. That opened the door for them and they slowly came back. You hit a few 3s, like they did, and all of sudden that lead goes down quick."

Down 11 points at halftime, John Stark opened the second with a 9-0 run to get within two points and force a timeout from HB.

"When we went to straight man-to-man, they started hitting their outside shots and drives," Balsamo said. "They cut it to a couple of points. We gathered our thoughts, took a step back, and buckled down on defense. We had to be patient and that would get us the win."

That patience could be seen in the play of Joanna Balsamo, her sister, Christina, and Brodie Kelley, as the trio did most of the ball-handling in the fourth quarter and had just one turnover.

"On the inside, I was a little nervous." Kelley said. "I knew if we kept playing like we can play, and looking for each other, and passing to each other, like we have been, that it would all work out."

Murphy felt that poise was key in preventing John Stark to answer with a run of its own after HB had taken the lead.

"You’re in the championship game and the other team is going to try to get the ball back," Murphy said. "You make one turnover and all of sudden it’s a three-point play at the other end and the game starts to get a little closer. It didn’t happen. I’m excited about how they held their composure."

While the players were proud to be a part of the first girls basketball team in school history to win a title, they were also happy to get Murphy his first championship as a head coach.

"That was very special," Balsamo said. "He cares about our team and every single girl. It was nice to get this win, especially for him. I know he’s over the moon and will be for a long time."