Goffstown boys basketball plays complete game in win over Bedford (video)

GOFFSTOWN - Despite not being at full strength for most of the season, the Goffstown High School boys basketball team has been rolling through its regular-season schedule.

On Saturday, the Grizzlies were as healthy as they've been all year, and if the results are any indication of how things are going to go, the rest of the teams on Goffstown's schedule need to watch out.

Playing what Grizzlies coach Ryan Cowette called the most complete game of the year, Goffstown started off strong and rolled over Bedford in the second half on the way to a 70-47 win over the Bulldogs in the second game of a Division I varsity doubleheader.

Goffstown (11-2) had four players score in double figures, led by Aiden O'Connell, who had 23 points, including two 3-pointers and 5-for-5 shooting at the free throw line. Ryan Strand added 15 points, with two 3s of his own, while Rob Baguidy and Mason Blondeau each chipped in with 14 points, with Blondeau hitting three 3s.

"The most complete game we’ve played all year," Cowette said. "The defense was great and defense translates to offense.

"We talked about getting one stop at a time and stringing them together. When we got stops, we were able to get it out real fast and they weren’t able to set up their defense. We emphasized at halftime where we needed to be and who to take care of, and the kids did an awesome job."

Goffstown led 28-19 going into halftime and opened the second half with a 12-0 run, holding Bedford (9-5) scoreless for more than four minutes. The Bulldogs were able to get their offense going late in the quarter, scoring 12 points in the frame, but they couldn't stop the Grizzlies, as Goffstown led 50-31 at the end of three.

"We were outworked on both ends of the floor," Bedford coach Frank Moreno said. "They outrebounded us, they hit shots. Third quarter, they got momentum and hit shots left and right, and we just couldn’t find anything that worked. Nothing was working and they were really hungry."

Bedford got points from 11 different players, but Austin Kasyjanski and Sean Toscano were the only ones in double figures, scoring 11 and 10 points respectively. The Bulldogs also struggled at the line, hitting just 7 of 16 free throws.

Up by five after one quarter, Goffstown started creating separation midway through the second quarter, taking a 12-point lead in the final moments. Bedford was able to get back within single digits before the break, but it didn't take long for the Grizzlies to get it back to 11, as Blondeau hit a jumper just 12 seconds into the third.

While Goffstown's offense took some time to get going, the defense was locked in. When the Grizzlies got going, they quickly jumped out to a 21-point lead, going up 40-19 on a three-point play by Strand with 3:52 left in the third.

"They did a really good job of figuring out how to break down the different looks," Cowette said. "Guys have bought into their role and they know how they can best help the team. They’re continuing to play that way. No one has to go out to try to do too much."

The Grizzlies went up by as many as 32 points in the fourth quarter before the teams started emptying the benches.

"They are a very tough matchup for a lot of teams," Moreno said. "When you get the three of them on the floor together, they are a tough matchup. It was just one of those nights, we couldn’t get anything working."