Fast start helps lift Nashua North girls basketball to win over Merrimack

MERRIMACK - The Nashua High School North girls basketball team didn't win Friday's season opener against Merrimack in the game's first six minutes.

The Titans just made things a lot easier for themselves over the final 26 minutes.

North jumped out to a nine-point lead early and that cushion made it easier for the Titans to withstand every run by the Tomahawks in a 59-47 win in a Division I game.

Taylor Choate had a game-high 22 points for North, giving her 1,037 for her career, breaking the school record which had previously been held by Kelsey Hogan (1,032).

"It’s good for the first game to pull off one, even though it was a little sloppy," Choate said of the win. "I tried not to think about (the record) too much. I just went out and played and scored."

Choate scored 14 of her points from the free throw line, and as a team, the Titans were 22 of 32 from the stripe. Isabel During added 13 points for North (1-0) while Sara Cordova added 12, including three 3-pointers.

"That was important for us because it sets the tone," North coach Ricky Oliver said. "One of the things we want to do is set the tempo. I look up and its 9-0. The game isn't over, but we can do the things we need to do."

It also gave North some room to breathe when Merrimack (0-1) went on a run. After falling behind 9-0, the Tomahawks outscored the Titans 13-10 to cut the lead to six, but North answered with a run of its own, going on a 12-4 spurt to lead 31-17. Merrimack was able to close the gap to 10, 31-21, before the break.

"We have a really athletic group of kids and we talked about playing hard with a lot of heart and a lot of hustle, because that's what is in your control," Merrimack coach Courtney Cheetham said. "I thought we did. We went out there, we were a little scared, but I thought we got better as the game went on. You could see us settle in and that hard work and hustle came through."

After falling behind by 12 early in the third quarter, Merrimack went on an 8-2 run to get within six, 38-32, with 4:59 left in the frame. A layup by Adaeze Okorie put North up by eight but the Tomahawks answered with a 3-pointer from Grace Mulvey made it 40-35.

Another layup by Okorie made it a seven-point game with 2:44 to go in the quarter, but neither would score again until the fourth. North opened the frame with an 8-2 to run to go up 50-37 with 4:47 to play.

"This was a little close and I expected it to be close," Oliver said. "The team is young and we just have to get out there and play together. Once we play together, it’s just completely different."

Jolie Jacoby led the Tomahawks with 12 points, including two 3-pointers, and Abby Yuan was also in double figures with 10.

Both teams return to action on Dec. 16, when North hosts Dover and Merrimack travels to face Pinkerton.