> ## 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. # Londonderry boys basketball hangs on to beat Merrimack - URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/londonderry-boys-basketball-hangs-on-to-beat-merrimack/ - Published: 2015-01-24T14:00:45.000Z - Updated: 2015-01-24T14:00:45.000Z - Description: MERRIMACK - Nick Stanton wasn't sure what he was going to get from his Londonderry High School boys basketball team Friday night against Merrimack. - Author: Joe Marchilena - Tags: Winter Sports, boys basketball, Division I, Londonderry, Merrimack, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44 ![Merrimack's Dylan Richardson looks to get to the basket as Londonderry's Marc Corey defends during Friday's game.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/bc/58/bc5866d0-9fd9-4113-b959-670d6f16471d/content/images/www-nh-highschoolsports-com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/jmlonmerbball012315-l33m15-1.jpg) Merrimack's Dylan Richardson looks to get to the basket as Londonderry's Marc Corey defends during Friday's game. MERRIMACK - Nick Stanton wasn't sure what he was going to get from his Londonderry High School boys basketball team Friday night against Merrimack. After going almost two weeks without a game, the Lancers coach thought his team would either come out on target or come out flat. ![Merrimack's Austin Franzen puts up a shot.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/bc/58/bc5866d0-9fd9-4113-b959-670d6f16471d/content/images/www-nh-highschoolsports-com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/jmlonmerbball012315-m3-1.jpg) Merrimack's Austin Franzen puts up a shot. It ended up being both, as Londonderry scored 34 points in the first half, but struggled in the second half before hanging on for a 52-51 victory over the Tomahawks. Cody Ball scored 13 of his game-high 18 points in the first half while Jacob Coleman had 15 points and Marc Corey had 13 points, including a 3-pointer with 1:28 left that gave the Lancers (6-0) a 52-49 lead. "I knew it was going to be tough," Stanton said. "We had 13 days off, so it was a lot of practice. We were either going to come out and play unbelievable or we were going to come out kind of out of it. I liked the way we came together at the end." Merrimack (4-3) got 15 points from Austin Franzen, including two baskets late in the fourth quarter that helped give the Tomahawks a 47-45 lead. Dylan Richardson added 13 points and Ian Roberts added 10. "We learned a little about ourselves (Friday) because that's a really good team," Merrimack coach Tim Goodridge said. "We know where our mistakes were. We turned the ball over a lot of times. There were a lot of good things to come out of this. To hold a team like that to 52 points, and turn the ball over as many times as we did, that’s a testament to how our kids played pretty good defense all night line." The Tomahawks turned the ball over 16 times, and in the first half, Londonderry was able to take advantage and led by as many as eight points before taking a 34-28 lead into halftime. Ball led the way for the Lancers, hitting three of his four 3-pointers in the half. But in the second half, Merrimack switched up its defense and forced Londonderry to play at its tempo. "My strategy coming in was not to play their tempo," Stanton said. "They want to be in the 50 range and slow the game down. Unfortunately, we didn't fastbreak the way we normally do. Even when they went to the triangle-and-two, we didn't really run our break. We kind of slowed down because we've never seen it before." Merrimack put Andrew Wojciak and Ian Cummings on Ball, holding him scoreless in the third quarter, and doubled the senior every time he got the ball. ![Londonderry's Jacob Coleman goes in for a layup.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/bc/58/bc5866d0-9fd9-4113-b959-670d6f16471d/content/images/www-nh-highschoolsports-com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/jmlonmerbball012315-l23-1.jpg) Londonderry's Jacob Coleman goes in for a layup. "We were in a triangle-and-two and any time he touched the ball, we were sending guys at him and made him give up the ball," Goodridge said. "We pretty much had two guys on him and let someone else beat him. Lucky for us, but we had to do something. "We really don’t have anybody that can handle him one-on-one. That's not any disgrace to our kids because I don't think anybody has anyone that can handle him one-on-one. You have to be a tremendous athlete and he has a quick release." Londonderry had a 40-36 lead with 3:37 left in the third quarter but Franzen hit a 3 with 13.7 seconds left to make it a one-point game. Ball hit a jumper to open the fourth for his first points of the second half, but Merrimack scored the next six points, taking a 45-42 lead on a jumper by Franzen with 4:20 left. But Ball answered, tying the game with a 3-pointer just 11 seconds later. Franzen put Merrimack back on top with a jumper and a layup by Roberts made it 49-47 for the Tomahawks with 2:35 left. Coleman tied it with a jumper of his own, and after a missed 3 by Franzen, Corey gave the Lancers the lead for good with his 3. The Lancers then got the ball back after a Merrimack miss, but turned it over with 26.9 seconds to play. The Tomahawks cut the lead to one on a layup by Roberts with 15 seconds left, but with just two team fouls in the half, Merrimack had to waste six seconds fouling Londonderry. Benjamin Stoller went to the line for a one-and-one with 8.1 remaining, but his free throw rolled in and out. Richardson grabbed the board and quickly got the ball to Franzen, who raced down the court and put up a shot from the right wing. The shot was too strong and the buzzer sounded before anyone could grab the rebound. "We have guys who can shoot and they had off nights," Stanton said. "When they went to the triangle-and-two (defense), we didn't prepare for that, and typically, it wouldn't affect us, but they held us to 52 points. That's the first time a team has held us to that. "Overall, this game got us better. These are the type of games you want to play in because you come together."