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# Gendron leads Merrimack basketball past Manchester Memorial
- URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/gendron-leads-merrimack-basketball-past-manchester-memorial/
- Published: 2012-02-11T05:54:49.000Z
- Updated: 2012-02-11T05:54:49.000Z
- Description: MERRIMACK – Offense was hard to come by Friday night, unless your name was Tyler Gendron.
- Author: Joe Marchilena
- Tags: Division II, Winter Sports, boys basketball, Division I, Manchester Memorial, Merrimack, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/bc/58/bc5866d0-9fd9-4113-b959-670d6f16471d/content/images/www-nh-highschoolsports-com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/merrbball021012-m23-4.jpg "MerrBball021012 M23-4")

MERRIMACK – Offense was hard to come by Friday night, unless your name was Tyler Gendron.

Gendron scored a game-high 22 points, half of the total output for the Merrimack High School boys basketball team, as it defeated Manchester Memorial 44-28.

The only player in double figures, Gendron scored 12 points after halftime, or two more than the Crusaders scored the entire second half. But for all the offense Gendron provided, it might have been a defensive play he made that turned the game.

Early in the third quarter, Gendron made an impressive block that got the crowd going and sparked a 12-0 run by Merrimack that broke open what had been a three-point game at halftime.

“I thought the game turned on that block,” Memorial coach Mike Fitzpatrick said. “We got good penetration and the kid made a big-time play. We kind of just wilted from there. We didn’t respond.”

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/bc/58/bc5866d0-9fd9-4113-b959-670d6f16471d/content/images/www-nh-highschoolsports-com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/merrbball021012-m32-3.jpg "MerrBball021012 M32-3")

Brad Jarry added six points for the Tomahawks (10-2) and Jackson King, Eric Gendron and Bryan Courtemanche had five points apiece. Memorial (6-5) got eight points from Zoubel Iradukunda and six from Tyler Kelly.

“We got our butts kicked in pretty much every aspect,” Fitzpatrick said. “We couldn’t score. We tried to force things, we turned the ball over, we took terrible shots. They did a great job in the second half with their defense and we tried forcing things that weren’t there.”

Merrimack coach Tim Goodridge felt his defense did its job in the second half, but playing at home certainly helps.

“Not all of your shots go in like they do at home,” he said. “We practice in this gym every day. I think we’re a good defensive team. It helps, I think, that we’re a little physically stronger.”

The Crusaders had no match for Merrimack’s Jeff Giannelli, and King also turned in a solid effort on the glass, but it took the ’Hawks until the second half to get their game going.

“We weren’t rebounding the ball,” Goodridge said. “If you look at the shot chart, they were getting everything in the paint. They were getting second and third shots.

“We’ve got to rebound the basketball and we’ve got to run. That’s our bread and butter. Why do we want to go down there, run a halfcourt offense and let them D us up? Let’s get it out and go. Fortunately, we were able to do that in the second half.”

Both teams came out of the gate struggling, as both turned the ball over on their first three possessions. Memorial led 4-0 before Merrimack got on the board almost six minutes into the game, but then the ’Hawks went on a 10-0 run.

The Crusaders were able to tie the game at 16, but the ’Hawks led 21-18 at halftime. Gendron’s block got things started in the second half, and despite two timeouts called by Fitzpatrick, Memorial couldn’t slow down Merrimack and couldn’t get its own offense going.

“I thought we got a lot of good contributions,” Goodridge said. “Jeff Giannelli played strong. Bryan Courtemanche came off the bench and hit a few buckets and got them out of that zone, which helped a lot.

“Tyler Gendron carried us offensively. He’s a force when he’s shooting. He missed some early shots, but he’s our go-to guy and he’s got to keep shooting. A good shooter will shoot himself out of a bad streak. I thought he did a good job with that.”