> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Lebanon girls basketball hangs on for win over Pelham in D2 semis
- URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/lebanon-girls-basketball-hangs-win-pelham-d2-semis/
- Published: 2017-03-08T17:10:07.000Z
- Updated: 2017-03-08T17:10:07.000Z
- Description: Lebanon slows down Pelham to reach D2 title game.
- Author: Joe Marchilena
- Tags: Division II, girls basketball, Lebanon, Pelham, playoffs, slider, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44

MANCHESTER - Defense is what has driven the Lebanon High School girls basketball team all season.

So it was no surprise that, with the season on the line, the Raiders relied on that part of their game to get the job done.

Top-seeded Lebanon held No. 4 Pelham scoreless for the final 2:35, including a Pythons' possession that lasted the final 53 seconds of the game, to hang on for a 36-35 win Tuesday night in the Division II semifinals at Southern New Hampshire University.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/bc/58/bc5866d0-9fd9-4113-b959-670d6f16471d/content/images/www-nh-highschoolsports-com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/jmpellebgbball030717-p32l15-1.jpg)

Pelham's Cheyenne Lee tries to block a shot by Lebanon's Anna Wolke.

The Raiders will face No. 6 Hollis Brookline in the championship game Friday at 7 p.m., also at SNHU.

During that final possession, Lebanon was able to hold Pelham without a shot, as the Pythons struggled to find an opening in the Raiders' defense.

"We hang our hat on defense," Lebanon coach Tim Kehoe said. "The last two or three possessions they had, I thought we did a great job and it was smart defense."

The Raiders (21-0) also got some clutch free throw shooting from freshman Becky Wright, who finished with 16 points, including going 3 for 4 from the line in the final 1:34 to turn a two-point deficit into a one-point lead. Joslin Wainwright was also in double figures for Lebanon with 12 points.

"That's big," Kehoe said of Wright's free throws. "Becky has been a force inside and she's just a freshman. She's a good player and a lot of teams have been double-teaming her. (Joslin) stepped up and hit some shots."

Pelham (17-4) got 14 points and six rebounds from Danielle Sirois, who was 7 of 8 from the field, but no one else had more than six points for the Pythons. They finished the game 1 of 10 from behind the 3-point line, and outside of Sirois, shot 25 percent from the floor.

The Pythons took leads of 4-0 and 10-4 in the first quarter, thanks to their ability to get points in the paint, but the Raiders were able to get back into the game in the second, when Sirois went to the bench with her second foul with 4:11 left in the half.

Lebanon went on an 8-0 run to take an 18-13 lead before a basket by Pelham's Cheyenne Lee with 18 seconds to go in the half made it a three-point game.

"It was a slow start," Kehoe said. "We switched four or five different offensive sets and nothing worked. We kept on plugging. We need to be able to hit better outside shots. Every time in the first game, you struggle from the perimeter. We struggled and rode the backs of our bigs."

With both offenses struggling, Pelham was able to take a 22-20 lead midway through the third quarter, but Lebanon against responded with a 6-0 run and took a 26-24 lead into the fourth.

The game was tied twice early in the quarter, but a 3-pointer by Lilly Shlimon - the only made 3 of the game - put Pelham up 31-30 with 5:05 to play.

A jumper and a free throw by Wright gave the Raiders a 33-31 advantage, but a basket by Jillian Schwab and then two free throws by the Pelham sophomore gave the Pythons a 35-33 lead with 2:35 to go.

Pelham got the ball back with 2:19 remaining, but after a timeout, the Pythons turned it over, setting up two free throws from Wright to tie the game for the seventh time with 1:34 to play. Ava Owens missed a shot for Pelham at the other end, Wright grabbed the rebound and was fouled.

Wright made the second of two free throws to give Lebanon the lead, and Pelham worked the ball around, trying to set up the final shot. The Raiders looked like they had ended it when Zoe Soule stole the ball from Owens, but she fell to the ground and was called for a travel, giving the ball back to Pelham.

The Pythons used a timeout to try to set up a final shot, but Lebanon's Anna Wolke was called for a foul with four seconds left, with the Raiders still having two to give. Pelham got the ball in, but couldn't get a shot off before the buzzer, and Lebanon celebrated at center court.

"It was a defensive battle, which is good," Kehoe said. "We wanted to grind out a defensive battle. They're a team that scores a lot of points, we don't. We're a really good defensive team.

"We wanted to keep it under 40\. If we can keep it below 40, we have a good chance at winning. If it goes over 50, I think we'll lose. They're really athletic, they get really good guard play, they've got a good big. We got down and kept our composure."