> ## 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. # Dufoe, Derryfield girls basketball hold off Merrimack Valley in D2 semifinals - URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/dufoe-derryfield-girls-basketball-hold-off-merrimack-valley-in-d2-semifinals/ - Published: 2026-03-12T14:35:47.000Z - Updated: 2026-03-12T14:35:47.000Z - Description: EXETER – With junior Holly Dufoe providing the hot hand, the Derryfield School girls basketball team was off to a great start in the first half of Wednesday night’s Division II semifinal against Merrimack Valley. Derryfield may have had to labor a bit more in the second half, but the Cougars got the - Author: Dan Doyon - Tags: Division II, Derryfield, girls basketball, Merrimack Valley, playoffs, slider, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44 EXETER – With junior Holly Dufoe providing the hot hand, the Derryfield School girls basketball team was off to a great start in the first half of Wednesday night’s Division II semifinal against Merrimack Valley. Derryfield may have had to labor a bit more in the second half, but the Cougars got the job done. No. 6 Merrimack Valley closed to within one point late in regulation before the second-seeded Cougars pulled out with a 44-40 victory at Exeter High School. “We said at halftime that they were going to make a run and (we had to) overcome it and I thought that is exactly what we did,” Derryfield coach Courtney Cheetham said. “It was all heart. Nobody could really hear what I was saying, so we had to lean on each other and I thought that was excellent.” Derryfield (19-2) makes its Division II championship game debut against top-seeded Pembroke (21-0) at 12 p.m. on Saturday at the University of New Hampshire’s Lundholm Gymnasium. Pembroke advanced with a 47-42 win over No. 4 Pelham (16-5) in Wednesday’s nightcap. The Cougars moved up from Division IV four years ago after the program had nine title game appearances since 1989\. Derryfield’s only championship was a Class S win over Wilton in 1998\. Derryfield’s most recent title game loss was to Concord Christian in the 2022 D4 title game. “We got stops when we needed to and we got a couple of key layups when we needed to,” Cheetham said. “That was the difference in the game and we hit some free throws down the stretch.” Dufoe scored 17 of her game-high 20 points in the opening half, which included a pair of 3-pointers during an 11-0 run in the first quarter. She added two more 3-pointers in the second quarter as Derryfield carried a 27-21 lead into halftime. “It felt really good, especially in front of the (Merrimack Valley) student section. They were talking to us and being all rude, so it was great to make a 3 in their face,” Dufoe said. “I was feeling it. Just seeing all the work I put in translate to the court is a really good feeling.” Derryfield led 34-26 entering the fourth quarter before Merrimack Valley (15-6) made its move, beginning with a drive by Isabelle Navoy (17 points). Lila Gray’s steal-and-feed to Emma McNutt was followed by a Navoy hoop to bring Merrimack Valley to within 36-35 with three minutes remaining. “We just kept grinding and grinding and we got some stops at the other end and we just kept battling and battling but we could never get over the hump to take the lead,” Merrimack Valley coach Bob McNutt said. “I’m happy with the way they battled and the grit they showed. They never quit.” The Cougars responded when point guard Anna Fazelat (11 points) found Ella LaFlamme for a bucket down low. Dufoe added a drive on the next possession to give Derryfield a 40-35 cushion with 1:11 left in regulation. Fazelat was a freshman on last year’s team that lost in the semifinals to eventual D2 champion Milford. “We just needed to stay confident and take the hours that we’ve practiced and just put it back into our game and rely on that,” Fazelat said.