Kearsarge boys basketball bounces back from slow start to knock off Souhegan in D2 playoffs

AMHERST – Nothing was going to deny the Kearsarge High School boys basketball team on Wednesday evening.

It took over six-and-a-half minutes for the ninth-seeded Cougars to find their way onto the scoreboard, as they fell behind 13-0 in the first quarter at eighth-seeded Souhegan during the first round of the Division II tournament.

But Kearsarge stormed back and overcame a seven-point, fourth-quarter deficit during a thrilling 42-39 win.

“We were the underdogs and we knew that we were going to have to do something big to get out of here with a win,” said Cougars senior guard Noah Tremblay. “Coming on the road in the first round and getting an upset does not happen very often.”

Kearsarge (11-8) avenged a 63-45 regular-season loss to Souhegan (11-8) on Jan. 31, as the Cougars will travel to top-seeded Oyster River (17-1) for the quarterfinal round on Saturday at 7 p.m.

Tremblay dropped seven of his team-high 14 points in the fourth, finishing with two 3-pointers, while junior forward Nick LeBlanc posted 10 points and a pair of treys. Senior forward Kyle Hernon (eight points) also came up with some timely baskets in the paint throughout the game.

Leading the way for Souhegan was sophomore Matthew McCool, who dropped 13 of his game-high 17 points in the first half. The versatile low-post player tallied numerous second-chance points on offensive rebounds and showed his ability to make plays off the dribble. He moved his feet and rotated well on defense, while stealing rebounds away from multiple opponents on a couple possessions.

The Sabers took a 31-24 lead into the fourth, but nothing fazed the resilient Cougars, at they showed no fear on the road.

The game-defining sequence happened just over two minutes into the period. LeBlanc stepped in confidently to a contested left-wing 3 with 5:54 left, trimming the deficit down to 31-30, and then the Cougars stole the ensuing inbounds pass, allowing Tremblay to bury a 3-pointer with 5:43 left, which capped a 9-0 spurt and gave the visitors the lead for the first time at 33-31.

“We just kept grinding and it is a testament to these kids,” Kearsarge coach Nate Camp said. “That sequence where we went 3, steal, 3, and we scored six straight points in a game that we had not scored a whole lot was huge. All of a sudden, it opened things up and the kids had a ton of confidence.”

The Cougars’ work was not done, as Souhegan took a 35-34 lead with 3:21 left on two foul shots by McCool. A layup by Cougars junior guard Ben Carl with 1:31 left put the visitors in front for good at 39-37.

A big-time free throw by junior forward Tyler Sidmore and two more by Tremblay pushed the lead up to 42-37 with 33.5 seconds left, but Sabers senior Jeffrey Boehm tallied a layup with 20.9 seconds left, cutting the deficit down to three. Souhegan forced a turnover, and senior Jeffrey Kiesewetter had a decent look at a left-baseline 3 with three seconds left, but the game-tying attempt went in and out, as the Cougars were able to celebrate.

“I love this group of kids,” Camp said. “I told them at the beginning of the season this would be the team that I would want to play with if I was in high school because they are unselfish, work hard defensively and have a ton of grit. That is what it takes to win on the road in a playoff game like this.”

Souhegan came out clicking on all cylinders in the first quarter, getting out and running, converting out of half-court sets and hustling back in transition on defense. The Sabers built a 13-0 lead with 1:39 left on a mid-range, pull-up jumper by Kiesewetter. Tremblay put the visitors on the board with a top-of-the-key 3 with 1:22 remaining, as Souhegan led, 15-5, at the end of one.

McCool did it at both ends of the floor midway through the second quarter, as he posted a steal on defense, and then went the length of the court and tallied an impressive one-handed dunk with 4:54 left, pushing the Sabers’ lead up to 20-9. The hosts led, 25-18, at halftime.

Each team scored six points in the third, as McCool tallied an outstanding block in the paint with 3:40 showing on the clock, and then Boehm converted a fadeaway jumper with 1:41 on the board, sending the hosts into the final period with a 31-24 cushion.

“I tip my hat to Souhegan because they came out and looked really good,” Camp said. “I did not know if we were going to score (Wednesday) with how things were starting out. To hold them to 39 points was huge because they scored 63 on us the first time. We almost cut that in the half, and the defensive intensity, ability to make plays, and the belief were the keys.”