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# Laconia girls basketball upsets Conant to reach D3 championship (video)
- URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/laconia-girls-basketball-upsets-conant-reach-d3-championship/
- Published: 2016-03-03T23:31:59.000Z
- Updated: 2016-03-03T23:31:59.000Z
- Description: Laconia ends Conant streak to reach D3 title game.
- Author: Joe Marchilena
- Tags: Division III-IV, Conant, Division III, girls basketball, Laconia, playoffs, slider, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44

MANCHESTER - Jeff Greeley knew his Laconia High School girls basketball team was capable of getting off to a good start in Wednesday's Division III semifinal against Conant

The questions was, could the Sachems kept it up this time?

A year ago, Laconia took an early lead against Gilford in the semifinals, only to watch the Eagles come back and advance to the championship game.

![Laconia's Mackenzie Howe and Conant's Megan Wheeler battle for position.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/bc/58/bc5866d0-9fd9-4113-b959-670d6f16471d/content/images/www-nh-highschoolsports-com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/jmlacconbball030216-l1c5-1.jpg)

Laconia's Mackenzie Howe and Conant's Megan Wheeler battle for position.

The No. 4 Sachems got off to a great start, saw the No. 1 Orioles come back, but this time, they were able to respond, pulled out a 55-45 win over Conant at Southern New Hampshire University. The win sends Laconia to Saturday's championship game against No. 2 Gilford, and ends Conant's 42-game winning streak.

"All year we talked about adversity," Greeley said. "It was something we were going to have to deal with, whether it was in the classroom, whether it was practice or a game. Pressure is only put on someone when they're not prepared.

"You can see we had our blip in the second and third, but we put together a quality game. It propelled us and allowed us to play ahead of a while and allowed us to weather the storm."

Laconia (18-3) led by as many as 14 points in the first half, but were outscored 24-9 over a span of 13-plus minutes in the second and third quarters. The Orioles (20-1) led 38-37 going into the fourth quarter, one of only two times they led during the game.

Kailey Nute led the way for the Sachems with 19 points, including 5 of 8 from behind the 3-point line, while Natalie Compton battled foul trouble to score 17 points.

Conant got 27 points and 10 rebounds from Madison Springfield, as she was 13 of 16 from the free throw line. Greeley expected the Orioles senior to find ways to get to the line, but wanted to limit her opportunities when she got the ball.

"We were going to faceguard her wherever she went," the coach said. "Any screen that they set for her, we're going to switch. Any time she got in the post, we were going to double her and dive down on her.

"We knew that she's a great passer as much as she is a scorer, so we had to do a better job on trying to help from the weakside and get two girls down. We tried to keep containing her, and we said, if someone is going to beat us, it's going to be any other girl except for her."

Sarah Gonsalves also had 15 points and 12 rebounds for Conant, but the only other player to score for the Orioles was Megan Wheeler, who finished with three points.

![Conant's Madison Springfield, top, and Taylor Banish try to block a shot by Laconia's Erika Marchione.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/bc/58/bc5866d0-9fd9-4113-b959-670d6f16471d/content/images/www-nh-highschoolsports-com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/jmlacconbball030216-l00c21c13-1.jpg)

Conant's Madison Springfield, top, and Taylor Banish try to block a shot by Laconia's Erika Marchione.

Laconia came out firing, going 4 for 5 from behind the arc in the first quarter to take a 22-11 lead after one frame. The lead stretched to 28-14 with 5:29 left in the second.

"We don't always start that quickly," Laconia's Calyce Swormstedt said. "Last year, in the final four, we did and (Gilford) came back and we weren't ready for that. This year, we knew they were going to go on a run. At halftime, coach said the first three minutes of the third quarter is going to win or lose the game. You have to be as intense as they are."

Conant did, closing the half on an 11-2 run to get within five points, 30-25, and cut the lead to three early in the third.

But those would be the only points either team would score for the first four-plus minutes of the quarter. A basket by Compton stretched Laconia's lead to five, but moments later, she was called for her fourth foul and left the game.

The Orioles took advantage, going on an 11-5 run to close the third to take that one-point lead into the fourth. The teams went back and forth throughout the quarter, with Laconia holding no more than a four-point lead as Springfield answered every Sachems' basket with points of her own.

A 3-pointer by Nute put Laconia ahead 47-43, and after a pair of misses by Conant, Wheeler was called for an intentional foul. Swormstedt made one of the free throws, and the Orioles, who were well under the limit, had to continue fouling.

After the teams traded free throws, Conant's Grace Chadbourne was called for another intentional foul with 43 seconds left. Nute hit both free throws and the Orioles had to foul again when the Sachems kept possession. Laconia was 8 of 11 from the line in the final minute-plus.

Laconia will be looking for its first title Saturday, and will be in its first championship game (Class I) since 1997.