Exeter boys basketball still streaking despite scare from rival Winnacunnet

HAMPTON - The Exeter High School boys basketball never believed a Division I title defense was going to be a cakewalk this season.

Through two months, though, the Blue Hawks have been in cruise control, entering Friday’s rivalry game against Winnacunnet with an undefeated record and a win streak dating back to March 2018.

Both streaks remained intact when the dust settled Friday, but the Blue Hawks had to go through one of their hardest grinds yet for a 55-53 victory over the Warriors. It took some confident plays late from Mike Leonard and one big defensive stop before the final horn for the Blue Hawks (10-0), now winners of 37 straight, to escape.

“You’re going to be in close games,” Exeter coach Jeff Holmes said. “With the pressure and the crowd, this atmosphere is about as close as you’ll get to UNH (and the D1 playoffs). It’s good experience and I was real pleased with our guys down the stretch.”

Exeter was ahead for all but three minutes throughout the game, but it never led by more than seven and played a one-possession game for the better part of the final four minutes. The difference came when Leonard produced a four-point swing with a foul-line jumper and two free throws on back-to-back possessions to make it 54-50 with 25 seconds left.

“Mikey hit some big shots all night, but the pull-up was huge,” Holmes said of Leonard, who scored eight of his 17 points in the fourth while going 6 for 6 from the free-throw line. “He’s a scorer and a very good player. Very big for us (Friday).”

Lucas Schaake had a response for Winnacunnet (7-4) with a 3-point play after Leonard’s flurry, cutting Winnacunnet’s deficit to a point. After 1 of 2 free throws from Matt McConnell made it 55-53 Blue Hawks, Winnacunnet scrambled up the floor with six seconds left to only turn the ball over on a late kickout as time expired.

“We tried to get James (O’Hara) to the rim, and if it didn’t like the way it looked he’d send it out,” Winnacunnet coach Jay McKenna said of the final play. “That’s been effective for us over the years to get us that corner shooter and Brett (Marelli) can shoot it as well as anyone. James tried to rise up and make that pass, but they made a good play.”

Ryan Grijalva paced Exeter with 18 points, including 12 in a third quarter that he capped with a long-range, buzzer-beating 3-pointer. Marelli scored 17 for Winnacunnet and Schaake followed with 12 in limited minutes due to foul trouble.

Besides the events of the final minute, Winnacunnet was doomed by a tough night from the free-throw line. The Warriors were just 13-for-24 from the stripe while the Blue Hawks made the most of their chances, going 15-for-17.

“That’s been our Achilles heel this year,” McKenna said. “We’ve been fortunate to put enough points on the board in the halfcourt and in transition, so it hasn’t hurt us too much. But if you’re going to beat that team, you have to make your free throws.”

Exeter’s overall timeliness on offense was a key to holding Winnacunnet back. When the Blue Hawks briefly lost their lead or needed a matching score in the third and fourth quarter, they ended up getting the response more often than not.

“This was our first game that’s come down to the last possession,” Holmes said. “I was really pleased with the execution when we needed it. Our guys know the league is tough and that an off night means we can be beat. There’s been success lately, but we’re just trying to get better.”