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# Goffstown girls basketball starts fast in win over Merrimack (video)
- URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/goffstown-girls-basketball-starts-fast-in-win-over-merrimack-video/
- Published: 2021-12-18T14:30:14.000Z
- Updated: 2021-12-18T14:30:14.000Z
- Description: GOFFSTOWN - Steve Largy knew that his Goffstown High School girls basketball had the potential to put up big numbers on offense. Friday night against Merrimack, the Grizzlies finally did it. Goffstown scored 25 points in the first quarter, had nine players score at least three points, and rolled to
- Author: Joe Marchilena
- Tags: Division I, girls basketball, Goffstown, Merrimack, slider, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44

GOFFSTOWN - Steve Largy knew that his Goffstown High School girls basketball had the potential to put up big numbers on offense.

Friday night against Merrimack, the Grizzlies finally did it.

Goffstown scored 25 points in the first quarter, had nine players score at least three points, and rolled to a 74-41 win over the Tomahawks in a Division I game.

Freshman Meredith Winterburn came off the bench to hit four 3-pointers and score a game-high 19 points for the Grizzlies (2-1) while sister Ava Winterburn, a junior, had 16 points, eight of which came in the first quarter. Maggie Sasso and Ava Ruggiero each added eight points and Noelle Simmons had six.

"We shot the ball well," Largy said. "We were saving our offense apparently for (Friday). The first two games, it was more difficult to come by. That’s a product of playing unselfishly, sharing the basketball, good movement, playing well on the defensive end. We played much more connected basketball on offense and defense."

The Grizzlies got out to a 15-2 lead to start the game and were up 25-10 going into the second quarter. The Goffstown lead was 21 going into halftime and the Grizzlies outscored Merrimack (2-2) 24-8 in the third.

The Tomahawks got 11 points from freshman Madison McCaffery while Kaylee Bormuth had eight points and Alexis Best and Emma Valluzzi finished with seven apiece.

"It’s not easy playing on the road," Merrimack coach Bryan Duggan said. "No team is going to come out and hand you a game. We just didn’t come out focused. We were lazy on defense, we weren’t going after boards. They just came out and wanted it more. To dig yourself a 10- or 15-point lead against a team like that, it’s very difficult to claw your way back in."

Merrimack wanted to try to limit Ava Winterburn and force other Goffstown players to pick up the slack, but after Winterburn scored the first four points of the game, the rest of the Grizzlies starting lineup got involved, especially on the offensive glass.

"We’re going to have issues with rebounding all year," Duggan said. "We’ve got to figure it out. We’ve got to be tougher. All five have to rebound. We’ll let up some, but not as many as (Friday).

"They have a couple of girls who can go off. We tried to key on (Ava Winterburn) and those others killed us."

That included Meredith Winterburn, who hit two 3s late in the third quarter that helped put Goffstown up 65-28 going into the fourth.

"That’s a kid we have a lot of confidence in, a lot of trust in," Largy said. "If she can come off the bench and have that kind of role, we really have no drop when we get seven or eight players deep."

That depth was key Friday as Sasso picked up two fouls in the first quarter and sat for most of the half.

"The huge thing is, it becomes really hard to key on one particular player," Largy said. "Last year, we weren’t one-dimensional by any means, but a lot of our offense came from one or two players.

"This season, of all seasons, I think that’s going to be important for us, to get that kind of production from our bench, but to also get rest at the end of games for starters, that’s kind of important."