Goffstown boys basketball grinds out opening win over Bishop Guertin (video)

NASHUA - The Goffstown High School boys basketball team already knows what the main ingredient is in its recipe for success.

When the shots aren't falling, the Grizzlies need a healthy dose of defense to keep them in games, and that's what they used in Tuesday night's opener against Bishop Guertin.

Goffstown overcame a five-minute scoreless stretch in the first half to take a lead into halftime, thanks in part to its zone defense, and the Grizzlies made their free throws when it counted to grab a 52-44 win over the Cardinals in the Division I season-opener for both teams.

Camden Hujsak had a game-high 15 points and Giovanny Santos was also in double figures with 11 points, as each shot 5 of 6 from the free throw line. As a team, Goffstown (1-0) was 21 of 31 at the line, including 5 of 6 in the final minute of the game.

"We competed at a really high level," Goffstown coach Ryan Cowette said. "It wasn’t necessarily pretty at times, but we fought through it. It’s kind of what I expected from the first game of the year.

"We talked about, even if we droughts or spurts where shots weren’t falling, it couldn’t change how we played defensively on the other end. If we were going to compete, not only (Tuesday) but for the rest of the year, it has to start on defense. I’m really proud of our guys for how they dug in and fought through that slump."

Noah Durham and Braeden Malley each added seven points for the Grizzlies, as they never let the Cardinals (0-1) go on a run in the second half to take the lead. Goffstown never led by more than six points until the final minute, but every time Bishop Guertin cut into the lead or tied the game, the Grizzlies had an answer.

"I kept telling my assistant coaches ‘we’re almost breaking the ice,’" Bishop Guertin coach Wil Horne said. "We’re scrapping away. It felt like we couldn’t break through."

The Cardinals came closest at the end of the third quarter. It looked like Bishop Guertin had momentum when back-to-back baskets tied the game at 34 with 12 seconds left in the quarter.

But a foul with two seconds remaining put Colin Malley at the line and he made one of two to give Goffstown the lead back. A three-point play by Santos and another basket by Colin Malley gave the Grizzlies a 40-34 lead early in the fourth.

"Lot of second-chance opportunities that they got and we didn’t, lot of 50-50 balls that they got and we didn’t," Horne said. "To be honest, those aren’t things you can plan or practice for, they’re things that you’ve got to instinctively do. We’ve got a lot of guys still learning how to trust those instincts. We’ll get better and progress."

Connor McGowan led Bishop Guertin with 12 points and Eli Youssef was also in double figures with 11 points, but both played through foul trouble, and like the rest of the Cardinals' lineup, struggled against Goffstown's zone.

"We started in man (defense) and middle of the first quarter, we switched to zone," Cowette said. "They’ve got shooters, they’ve got a lot of size. We figured it would give us our best chance to stay with them and hopefully help with the rebounding concerns."

While Cowette said the zone defense is far from a finished product, it was good enough to keep Bishop Guertin from pulling away.

After a back-and-forth first quarter, Goffstown took a 12-11 lead on free throws by Liam O'Brien late in the frame, but didn't score again until midway through the second. Bishop Guertin was only able to score four points during that stretch to take a 15-12 lead.

Braeden Malley got the Grizzlies going, ending the scoreless stretch with a putback to make it 15-14, and on Goffstown's next possession, the sophomore was fouled on another putback. Malley completed the three-point play and Cole Osburn added another second-chance basket moments later to make it 19-15 Goffstown.

A 3-pointer by Logan Lowney got the Cardinals back within one, but the Grizzlies held on to take a 23-21 lead into halftime. Youssif scored to open the third quarter to tie the game, but as it did all second half, Goffstown answered with a three-point play by Santos and a basket by Hujsak to go back in front.

"Couldn’t be happier leaving with a win," Cowette said. "Lot of things we can learn from, and hopefully we continue to get better night in and night out."