Different defensive strategy helped Londonderry boys basketball pick up big D1 victory

Nate Stanton has been coaching Cole Britting long enough to know what the Londonderry High School senior is capable of what, and what kind of challenges he can handle.

That's why, when the Lancers faced off Tuesday night against Alvirne, the boys basketball coach didn't hesitate to put his most experienced player on Max Bonney-Liles, the Broncos' leading scorer, despite a noticeable height difference.

"I thought it was just a different strategy, to have (Britting) guard full court," Stanton said. "You can’t give (Bonney-Liles) any room. If you put a big guy on him, he has good moves, he’s good off the dribble and he can create that space."

The move paid off for Londonderry, as Bonney-Liles had just 12 points, six of which came at the free throw line, while two of his three field goals came after a defensive switch left Britting guarding someone else. The Lancers were able to hold on at the end for a 67-62 victory over Alvirne.

"I loved it," Britting said. "I love the challenge on defense. I played with Max, so I kind of know his game. I always love guarding the (other team’s) best player. It helps my confidence and it’s good for the team."

On a team with a number of seniors, but perhaps not as much experience, Britting has been someone that Stanton knows he can rely on for the little things Londonderry (8-5) needs to be successful.

"He’s very smart and very aggressive, and he’s playing for a purpose this year," Stanton said. "He’s been with me since he was a freshman, he was on that championship team (in 2015), and he has that taste. He knows what it’s like to be on a team like that. He’s trying to take the team on his back and show them that with hard work you can beat anyone, especially this year."

Britting used some of that experience to find ways to defend Bonney-Liles without getting into foul trouble. While he did end up with four fouls, two of them were in the fourth quarter, and played the final four-plus minutes without fouling out.

"You’ve definitely have to keep your composure and play smart," Britting said. "But that doesn’t mean you back off and you’re not confident and aggressive. You’ve just got to play smart. That’s what I tried to do."

Defense has been Londonderry's calling this season, as the Lancers hadn't allowed a team to score more than 60 points before the win against Alvirne. Shutting down the opponents best player has helped the team find success throughout the year.

"We did that against Winnacunnet, we held (Zach) Waterhouse to nine," Stanton said of the Lancers' win over the Warriors on Feb. 6. "It’s all great stuff, but we’ve got to keep building on it."

After starting the year 5-0, Londonderry lost three straight and has alternated wins and losses in its last six games. Friday night is another big game at home against Manchester Central (9-4), which is coming off a big win of its own against Exeter.

"It was definitely a big win to get our confidence going," Britting said. "We’ve had some close games and we lost a tough one to Portsmouth (on Feb. 9) that we should have won. We’ve got to get some momentum going and I think we’re doing that into March."