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# Londonderry hangs on to beat Pinkerton to win first D1 boys basketball championship
- URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/londonderry-hangs-on-to-beat-pinkerton-to-win-first-d1-boys-basketball-championship/
- Published: 2015-03-23T00:14:45.000Z
- Updated: 2015-03-23T00:14:45.000Z
- Description: DURHAM - A perfect season wasn't on Nate Stanton's mind.
- Author: Joe Marchilena
- Tags: Winter Sports, boys basketball, championship, Division I, Londonderry, Pinkerton, playoffs, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44

DURHAM - A perfect season wasn't on Nate Stanton's mind.

Not last summer, nor in the fall, nor even when the Londonderry High School boys basketball team clinched its spot in the Division I championship game.

But with Saturday's 47-46 win over No. 3 Pinkerton Academy, the top-seeded Lancers have one.

![Londonderry's Jacob Coleman puts up a shot during Saturday's championship game.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/bc/58/bc5866d0-9fd9-4113-b959-670d6f16471d/content/images/www-nh-highschoolsports-com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/jmd1final032115-l23-1.jpg)

Londonderry's Jacob Coleman puts up a shot during Saturday's championship game.

"I never really thought about it because every game, we were just like 'now let's get this one,' " Stanton said. "I don't even think about it. It hasn't hit me yet. Everything has happened fast and I've been living in the moment. This doesn't happen to every team and not every player gets to come here and enjoy this experience."

Londonderry, which won the school's first title in boys basketball, came a lot closer than it would have liked to coming up short, as Pinkerton had three opportunities to take the lead for good in the final minute. But the Astros missed free throw, a turnover and a missed 3-pointer at the buzzer.

"That was crazy," Londonderry's Cody Ball said. "It's nerve-wracking. The fans were going back and forth with each other, it was loud. We couldn't hear coach, couldn't hear a thing anyone was saying and we had to be extra loud to communicate with each other."

Londonderry (22-0) was able to win despite trailing for most of the first half, despite going scoreless for the first 6:32 of the third quarter, and despite shooting just 27.8 percent from the field in the second half. The Lancers got 17 points from Marc Corey and 16 from Jacob Coleman, as Pinkerton was able to hold Ball, who was in foul trouble, to five points.

After Pinkerton (18-4) went on a 13-0 run out of halftime to take a 35-32 lead, Joseph Kwiatkowki hit a 3-pointer that tied the game and started Londonderry on a 7-0 run of its own to go up 40-35 with 6:58 left.

"Everyone has stepped up all year long," Stanton said. "That's what happens when you're undefeated, you need that kind of chemistry, to have people step up. That's what happened (Saturday). (Ball) got in foul trouble and other guys stepped up. We stayed with it and that was huge."

Matt Rizzo led the Astros with 12 points while Thomas Romick came off the bench to add 11 and Geo Baker – who had 33 points in the semifinal win over Nashua North – had just 10 points.

"I'm proud of these guys," Pinkerton coach Peter Rosinski said. "The defense was there. We shot horribly. We should have gotten blown out because we did not shoot well. To stay in the game with them, the way we shot ... I'm elated."

![Pinkerton's Caleb Godin drives to the basket against Londonderry's Nate Gaw.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/bc/58/bc5866d0-9fd9-4113-b959-670d6f16471d/content/images/www-nh-highschoolsports-com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/jmd1final032115-p32l4-1.jpg)

Pinkerton's Caleb Godin drives to the basket against Londonderry's Nate Gaw.

Pinkerton shot 30.5 percent from the field for the game, but slightly better than Londonderry in the second half, going 9 of 31.

With Londonderry up two with 4:18 left, Baker hit a 3-pointer to give the Astros a 42-41 lead. Coleman answered for Londonderry with a layup to put his team back a head, but a jumper by Drew Green at the other end give Pinkerton the lead.

A foul on Romick with 1:28 to play sent Corey to the line and he hit both free throws to give the Lancers a 45-44 lead. Rizzo answered with two free throws to put Pinkerton back in front and then he stole the ball and was fouled with 57 seconds left.

But Rizzo missed the front of a one-and-one, Coleman grabbed the rebound and found Brandon Radford by himself at the other end for what turned out to be the game-winning basket with 50 seconds left.

The Astros called a timeout with 20 seconds left, but turned the ball over and fouled Coleman with 12 seconds to go, but the sophomore also missed the front of a one-and-one.

Brennan Morris grabbed the rebound and the ball made it into Rizzo’s hands with seconds left, but his 3-pointer just before the buzzer came up short.

"I had a good angle and I saw it going to the left," Stanton said of the final shot. "You never know. They've been so resilient all year.

"Teams have tried to stop this player or that player, they do these junk defenses on us, and we just fight through. We might have glimpses where we have turnovers, but they come together at the right time, which is what great teams do."