Fast start helps Merrimack girls basketball knock off Nashua North

MERRIMACK – Theresa Twardosky stepped up in crunch time.

The sophomore guard on the Merrimack High School girls basketball team recorded a game-high 21 points on Friday evening, but the most impressive part of her performance was hitting back-to-back clutch 3-pointers in the middle of the fourth quarter to hold off a ferocious second-half push by visiting Nashua North in a 60-45 victory.

“I am proud of Theresa; she works really hard,” said Tomahawks coach Courtney Cheetham. “She reaped the benefits of that tonight. She was really focused before the game and took advantage of some opportunities.”

Samantha Page also contributed with 11 points for Merrimack (4-2). The Titans (1-4) were led by 10-point efforts from Bianca Gershgorin, Janessa Lofton and Jaden Smith, while Arianna Motivala chipped in with nine. North shot the ball exceptionally well from beyond the arc, drilling eight treys, including five during a 20-point third quarter.

Everything went the Tomahawks way in the first quarter, as the hosts hit the offensive glass hard and utilized an aggressive full-court press, which resulted in a great deal of layups off turnovers.

Midway through the first quarter, Page did it on both ends for Merrimack, as the 5-foot-8 forward came up with a huge rejection, and then finished off a behind-the-back pass in transition from Twardosky, giving the squad an 8-2 edge.

Freshman guard Emma Valluzzi was fouled in the act of shooting a 3-pointer at the end of the first quarter and made all three foul shots, pushing the Tomahawks’ lead up to 19-4.

“I think it is awesome to get a home win,” Cheetham said. “This is only our second home game of the year so it was nice to have our hometown crowd out here. The first couple of minutes of a game, especially on our home court, we always want to do what we can to establish a lead. North is a team that always fights back and never stops playing. They are very athletic and aggressive. It is very important to get a lead early against a team like North.”

Gershgorin gave the Titans the adrenaline push that they needed in the second quarter, as she tallied seven points in the frame, including cutting the deficit to 25-12 with a right-of-the-arc trey midway through the period.

With a minute and a half left, Tomahawks junior forward Heather Rohr showcased her rebounding ability, as she grabbed an offensive board and missed the initial put back, but was able to utilize a quick second jump and finish off the second attempt. The Tomahawks received points from six different players in the frame and held a commanding 34-17 advantage at halftime.

North made its ultimate push in the third quarter, winning the frame, 20-13. A layup by junior Riley Crampton gave Merrimack a 46-28 lead, but the shooters started heating up for the Titans down the stretch. Smith buried a right-wing three-ball, and then came back-to-back 3-pointers from Lofton, as the 9-0 push cut the deficit to nine. The visitors were only down 47-37 heading into the fourth.

The closest the Titans got in the fourth was eight with 5:45 remaining on a right-wing trey by Gershgorin. Twardosky ended any hopes of a comeback, getting open for 3-point shots off screens on two straight possessions, as the lead ballooned back up to 14.